Page 100 of Hate You, Maybe
Dexter chased me all the way to the parking lot, begging me to slow down so we could talk. But I knew he couldn’t actually follow me. He was already late to the JV football game. And anyway, I wasn’t up to discussing my heartbreak with him. Not after all my goals for the new theater just went up in smoke.
Poof.
He tried calling and texting to track me down, but evenIhad no idea where I was going. So I drove around a while before I ended up here. Tequila Mockingbird. It’s this bar downtown I’ve heard people talking about for years. Until tonight, I’d never been inside. For a Friday evening, the room isn’t very crowded. Then again, it’s still early. I’ll bet a lot of the town is at one of the football stadiums right now. Either Stony Peak or Harvest High.
Maybe they’ll end up here later.
For now, I like having the bartender all to myself. The lighting is moody. The music is … loud. When I got here, they were just starting up a trivia game at the other end of the room. After my first wine, I put my name down as a solo player for the next round. They should be ready for me soon.
Still, thinking about trivia makes me think of the retreat. And Dex. And how jealous he got over Hogan. Ugh. I press a palm to my temple. My head is starting to hurt.
But not nearly as much as my heart.
“I can hold my liquor,” I tell the bartender. “I mean, I think I can. I don’t really drink liquor. But don’t worry. I’ll get a ride share later. So go ahead. Hit me. Again.”
“This isn’t blackjack.” The bartender narrows her eyes,but she grabs the bottle from the rows behind her. She fills my wine glass barely halfway. Then she fills another very tall glass with water all the way to the top. “Drink this first.”
“You’re so pretty,” I say.
“Thank you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Madelyn.”
I suck in air, my cheeks puffing up like a blowfish. “I wish I was a Madelyn. But my mom named me Sayla. So dumb.”
“Sayla’s a great name. Really original.”
“Yeah, it’s so original, Bob thought my name was Sailor. Which it’s not.”
“Is Bob your boyfriend?”
“Ewww. No. Bob has a wife named Hildy, but they don’t want anyone else to find out they’re married. So don’t say anything. Please.”
“Deal.” Madelyn crosses her heart with a finger, and I study her features through my slightly blurred vision.
“You look like my best friend.”
“Really?”
“No,” I snicker. “But she has red hair like yours. Her name is Loren. But it’s spelled weird. We’re both a little weird. Which is one of the many, many reasons why I love her. And I don’t even need a list.”
“Right.” Madelyn pulls two beers from a fridge behind the bar and hands them over to a cocktail server. “So, where’s weird Loren tonight?” she asks. “How come she’s not with you?”
I blow a raspberry. “She’s at our house cooking a romantic dinner for her fiancé, Foster. Today’s the anniversary of their first date, and I don’t want to ruin their special night. Just because Dexter ruined mine.”
“Dexter Michaels?”
I cough out a laugh. “How did you guess that? You must be good at trivia.”
“Aren’t many guys in this town named Dexter.”
“There aren’t many guys in town like Dexter, period.” I press my lips together and fight the bile rising in my throat.
“Does weird Loren know you’re here, at least?”
“Nobody knows I’m here. Dexter’s at the football game. Loren’s having linguini. She says linguini is the most romantic of all the pastas. That made me laugh.” I let out a giggle. “Linguini,” I repeat.
