Page 3 of Forever Yours on Christmas Eve
The woman nodded before stepping back to serve another customer. Sighing to herself, Kelsey took a sip from her glass. It wasn’t just that she’d had the guts to walk away from Chip. The problem was that she’d been with him in the first place. Chip had been a safe choice for her. On paper, he was practically perfect. Came from a nice family, attended a good school. Attractive. Well-rounded with hobbies, sports, and interests. She had been told over and over what a fine catch he was.
So why did she feel nothing after breaking up with him? Was it nice she wasn’t in pieces? Sure. Was their relationship a waste of time? Possibly. Did her heart yearn to be seen, heard, and passionately loved by someone who refused to ever let her go?
Without a doubt.
She’d always thought that living a mundane life would be better than one with the potential for epic heartbreak. However, after two years of being with Chip without so much as a scratch on her heart, she began to wonder.
Lifting her eyes to the flatscreen, she studied the two boxers dancing around each other and strategizing. It felt like her brain had turned on for the first time in ages, as she attempted to predict what each fighter would do. It was something small that she used to love but had stepped back from, thanks to Chip not being a fan.
Kelsey chuckled to herself. Watching a sport she liked already felt more like love to her than being around Chip everdid.
“OH!” the announcer on the TV cried out. “Reza didn’t see that right hook coming!”
Kelsey watched the replay of the blond fighter’s head snap back in slow motion just as his opponent’s fist made contact with his cheek. She winced. What was he thinking? He knew better than that!
The guy to her right snorted in response and said under his breath, “Rookie mistake.”
“Don’t count him out just yet,” Kelsey said, eyes transfixed to the screen as the fighters squared off again. “Reza is a thinker. He won’t make that same mistake again.”
The guy’s head slowly turned in her direction, and she could see, somewhat out of her periphery, the aghast expression on his face. “You follow boxing?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Kelsey asked, continuing to stare straight ahead. A genuine smile crept up on her lips for the first time in… gosh, she wasn’t sure how long. When she turned her full face to her new viewing companion, her breath stilled in her throat.
He was magnificent.
It wasn’t just his dark brown eyes that studied her like she was a fascinating new discovery. Nor the dark hair that was just to the safe side of being within military regulation length. It wasn’t his perfectly neat casual clothes or even his bottle of beer, which was an import, but not a rare one, which suggested he probably liked the good stuff but would drink whatever was put in front of him at a barbecue. But there was just something abouthimthat made her want to know more.
Maybe it was the soft look in his eyes as she felt them search her face in a gentle caress. Or perhaps the sexy, deep timbre that came out just over a whisper that drew her in. What was his name? What did he do?
Why was a man so good-looking sitting alone in a bar on Christmas Eve?
“Wait! Reza has him cornered!” the announcer called out,causing Kelsey and her mystery man to break eye contact, turn back to the screen, and watch his opponent drop to the mat.
“Told ya,” Kelsey said, smirking as she tipped her glass up and drained the contents.
The man turned back to her again, studying her with a perplexed look. “You seem to know a lot about Reza.”
“You have to, around here,” she said, looking back at him and immediately loving their banter. “He trains at Sean Sander’s gym in Boston. Can’t go wrong with a hometown favorite.”
His eyes narrowed at her as one side of his lips turned up. “You certainly know how to pick the winners.”
“I’m not sure about that,” she said. “But I do know Reza is crafty. I’d put my money on him before anyone else.”
“Oh yeah?” the man asked, reaching back for his wallet. “Let’s say we make a wager then.”
Kelsey’s eyes grew slightly as she watched him thumb through his wallet. Normally, she wasn’t a gambler. She found absolutely nothing fun about putting down money with the potential for losing it. She was a college student after all, and life was expensive.
“I’m sure Reza is a great fighter, but he’s still a rookie, and there’s something to be said for experience.” The man slapped down a five-dollar bill on the bar. “I’ve got my money on Vix.”
Kelsey eyed President Lincoln staring up at her, waiting in earnest for her answer to this challenge.
And she realized, she’d never had a problem paying money for a movie ticket, or a cover to get into a party.
She’d never been adverse to buying herself some fun.
“Alright then,” she said, digging in her puffer coat for her wallet. Dragging it out and thumbing through it dramatically just as he had, she pulled out a crisp five-dollar bill of her own. “Then I bet you Reza will win the championship.”
She slapped her bill down next to his and cocked an eyebrow in challenge.
