Page 6 of Her Maine Risk

“Please, call me Dave. And anything for a friend of Ally’s. You girls will all find a place here, mark my words.” He nods, taking another sip of beer.

I don’t know if he’s drunk or something, but–

“Well!” he huffs, smoothing his hand down his tie. “I think I owe my wife a dance. So, if you’ll excuse me?”

“Of course.” I nod, smiling.

Studying his business card, I take another sip of my whiskey, letting the smooth liquid slide down my throat, pooling warmly in my core.

I can’t believe Alex brought a girl like Britney to Ally’s wedding. She seems too… I don’t know. Not appropriate?

Wait, what am I saying? She seems like the perfect girl for him – pretty, thin, big boobs, and a bitch who can keep him in line.

“You look lost in thought, dearie,” a small voice says to my right. Looking up from my glass, I smile at the little old lady who just took Dr. Taylor’s spot at the bar. “I’m Dottie,” she says, smiling, holding her hand out for me to take.

“Hi, Dottie.” I saw her from a distance at the Taylor family barbeque last summer, but I didn’t get to meet her formally. She’s the reason we’re all even here today, the little matchmaker.

“Melanie, right?”

“Yes.” I nod.

“I saw you dancing with young Alex before. Then that hussy from the next the town over interrupted you two with her dramatic fall.” She tsks, shaking her head. “That boy needs a good woman to set him straight. Not those women who look like they came straight from the mud flap of a semi-truck.”

Laughing, I take a sip of my drink and shake my head. “We were just dancing. That’s it.”

“I didn’t say there was anything more, dearie.” And yet she’s looking at me like there was. “He’s a handsome boy, no? A little rough around the edges, but at his core, he’s as sweet as caramel.”

Mmm, I do like caramel.

“Do you know him well?” I ask her.

“I knew his mom. She raised him to be a good man.”

“I’m sure she did. He seems nice.” What I’m not going to tell her is that he also seems like a player who has a new woman in his bed every night. And I’m also not going to say that I thought about what it would be like to be one of those women. “I love your cottage, by the way,” I tell her, trying to change the subject.

“Well, you let me know whenever you want to come back for a visit and stay there. I’ll make sure it’s available for you.”

“Thank you.” I smile, seeing why Ally loves her so much.

“I love that my home is appreciated by you young ladies. It makes me happy knowing that my moving wasn’t the end of it.” Smiling, she pats my hand. “Well, I won’t hold you up from spending time with your friends. I hope to see you again soon, maybe.”

“Me too.” I smile.

Watching her shuffle away, I continue to sip my whiskey, and let my eyes dart around the tent and backyard as the amber liquid soothes my nerves. Having Alex’s arms around me made me feel things I don’t want to feel towards him, the worst of them all being comfort. Feeling that in the arms of a man like Alex isn’t good, because he’s the last person who will ever provide me comfort.

“Hey, Mel,” Ellie says, coming up next to me to order a drink.

“Hey, El.”

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I assure her, forcing a smile and changing the subject. “I just met Dottie. She’s super cute, and I know now why Ally loves her so much.”

“Yeah, I talked to her before when she saw me dancing with Tyler. I think she thought something was happening, but we were just dancing.” She smiles, biting her lip.

“Uh, you sure?” I ask, knowing that look on her face.

“Yes,” she says quickly. “Just like nothing was happening with you and Alex.”

---