Page 5 of Five Minute Man
“Nah, don’t bother. He already thinks we’re nuts, and I have no desire to publicly broadcast my patheticism.”
“Is patheticism a real word?”
“It is now. I’m an author. I can do that.” Holly slid out of the booth. “Pay the check while I hit the ladies’ room. I’ll never make it home without peeing my pants. With my luck, I’ll get stuck behind an accident or something and wet myself. Here.” Holly dropped a couple of bills onto the table. “Add this to the kid’s tip, will you? He’s the only one besides you who smiled at me all week.”
* * *
ADAM SAT BACK IN THEcorner of his booth seat as the petite brunette walked by. Again, she didn’t even look his way. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed. Despite that, he couldn’t help appreciating the sweet curve of her backside, or the way her hair hung in loose, natural waves halfway down her back.
“Brandon,” he heard the other woman whisper from behind him. For once, Adam was profoundly grateful for his acute auditory senses.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Gah, do you have to call me ma’am? I’m notthatold, you know. Anyway, do you happen to know the guy who was sitting behind us when we came in? You were talking to him before.”
“Yeah, he’s my uncle.”
Adam cursed under his breath and considered changing the locks to his house before Brandon finished his shift. Emergency locksmith service was expensive, but it would be worth it.
“Does he live around here?”
“He does.”
Adam pulled out his phone and started googling local locksmiths.
“Is he married?”
“No.”
Adam scrolled through his choices.
“Do you see him often?”
“Yes.”
“Could you ...? I mean, would you give him this?”
Adam paused, his curiosity getting the better of him for a brief moment. What was she giving him? A card? A number?
“Will you be there?”
Not a card or a number then. An event of some sort?
“Yes.”
“Then I will definitely pass this along.”
Adam stared at his phone, his finger poised over the call icon. Shit, if he called the locksmith now, the woman would hear his voice and realize he was still here. He would just have to wait until he got outside.
When Brandon walked away to ring up their check, Adam left enough to cover his bill and tip on the table before he slipped quietly out of the booth, heading for the exit. This evening had been entertaining, but now he felt the urgent need to flee. He did not want to be sitting there when the women left. The blonde might try to talk to him, maybe ask him out, and he would panic. He never knew what to say when that happened. He didn’t want to be rude, but he simply didn’t like when a woman took the initiative. Yeah, he knew it wasn’t politically correct, but he was an old-fashioned kind of guy. Flirting was okay; that was how he knew a woman was interested. If there was going to be any asking, though, he wanted to be the one doing it.
Keeping his eyes focused on theExitsign, he rounded the corner and felt an instant impact from his chest down. He looked down just in time to see the little brunette falling backward.
“Ah, fucking-A,” she murmured before she seemed able to help herself, wincing as she started to pull herself up.
The words were so shocking coming out of that pretty little mouth that, for a moment, Adam was too stunned to say anything. By the time he held out his hand and opened his mouth to apologize, she was already back on her feet.
“Sorry about that,” she said. Her voice was back to being low-pitched and musical, but her eyes were calling him all sorts of nasty names.
