Page 93 of Any Second Now
I know her.
Long blonde hair, freckles, bright blue eyes. I hooked up with her… last fall, maybe? Zoey? Susan? Laura? Fuck, I forget her name. She was a perfectly nice woman. Beautiful, even. Still, it was not a great decision, because I’d met her at Horsetooth Brewing, and I knew she was local. I normally try to avoid local women because then there’s the risk of running into them when we least want to.
Like right now.
We hooked up the first night but didn’t sleep together. So we met up another night and went back to her place.
Then I ghosted her.
And now she’s back to haunt me.
Mary? Maria? Fuck, I really wish I remembered her name, if only to convince myself I’m not such a sleaze ball. She hasn’t turned around and spotted me, so I’m safe so far.
I gotta get out of here. I take a step away and tug Raleigh’s hand to follow. We’ll move to another spot to wait for drinks.
“Atticus?”
But it’s too late.
I turn my head toward Zoey-Susan-Laura-Mary-Maria. I was so close. So close to avoiding this situation. But now, with long blonde hair draped over her shoulders, she’s facing me, and so is the dude with her. Raleigh is looking her way curiously.
Shit.
“Oh, hey…” I almost call her Zoey-Susan-Laura-Mary-Maria, which is definitely not right.
“Marcy.” She spits out the word with a hardMas if she hoped it contained daggers or poison. Marcy crosses her arms and twists her mouth.
“How are you? It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah. A long time.” She turns to the dude she’s with, a big guy with tattoos and a beard, but I’m also a big guy, so. “Can you get us drinks, please?” Marcy flutters her lashes at the man and he shrugs and turns back to the bartender. Then she steps forward and narrows her eyes, practically hissing. “A long time since you completely blew me off.” She ignoresRaleigh.
“Sorry about that,” I mumble, my gaze sliding to Raleigh. Her eyebrows are pinched and she’s watching the woman carefully.
Marcy looks sharply at Raleigh, as if just noticing she’s standing there.
“Hi,” Raleigh says, her voice steady but guarded.
“Well, hello.” Marcy’s expression softens just a tad, then hardens again. “Are you Atticus’s latest?”
Ouch. This is going just as badly as I’d imagined.
“Latest?”
“Latest fling. Did you just meet him tonight?”
“No—“ Raleigh starts, but Marcy cuts back in right away.
“Just be aware, it doesn’t last long with him. He’ll lose interest in about thirty seconds. Definitely after you sleep with him.” She turns to me and spits the last words out. Literally, I feel a few drops of saliva hit my face. I try really hard not to wipe them off dramatically.
“Uh, thanks for the warning.” Raleigh slides her eyes to me. Her mouth is now partially turned up into an amused smile, but her eyes are still worried.
I’m not sure what to say right now. Luckily, Marcy’s dude saves us by stepping back over with her mixed drink.
“Good to see you.” I take the escape opportunity and pull Raleigh away and into the empty slot at the bar. I sense Marcy behind me for another few seconds, then she walks away.
“She is not a fan of yours,” Raleigh whispers.
“No, she’s not.” I don’t blame her. I don’t like who I’ve been with women for the past decade.
