Page 61 of Beautiful Crazy

“You like to people watch?”

I nod “I do. Don’t you? It’s the best time to wonder what people are thinking about or what their story is.”

She cocks her head. “Interesting perspective. Can I put that idea to the test?”

“Take your best shot.” I gesture to the room of people in front of us.

She gestures to a man in jeans and a dark blue cable knit sweater. He looks to be older than me, and maybe even older than Beckham, so I assume he’s about thirty-five to thirty-eight years old. He stands at one of the tall tables alone, watching the crowd and favoring a bottle of Miller Lite.

Poor fuck.

That’s probably why he’s alone.

Anything is better than the beer he’s holding.

“That guy is probably thinking any minute now some hot young girl is going to sit down and ask about his boring cable company customer service job and how much he enjoys living with his parents because he still hasn’t left home. Also judging by the sweater that indeed has him literally sweating, he doesn’t frequent these kinds of events often. My guess is he’ll leave in about an hour and spend the rest of the evening enjoying his blow-up doll and his Pornhub subscription.”

Blondie touches my forearm and throws her head back laughing a little more than she probably should, confirming my suspicion that she’s flirting with me.

“And what about that guy over there in the vest talking to that red haired girl.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” I chuckle because I’m ninety-nine percent sure I’m right on this one. “The clothes he’s wearing and the way he holds his glass of probably whiskey tells me he makes a shit ton of money doing something not very important but wants to show every woman here just how much money he makes because women like money.”

“Uh huh.” Blondie nods. “And the girl?”

“She seems like a normal girl, but she’s smart. She knows he makes a lot of money so if nothing else she’ll have a nice dinner with the guy on his dime and if it ends with a nightcap then all the better for her. Guess I can’t fault her there.”

“That’s pretty good.” She touches my arm with one hand and my chest with the other and for the first time ever, I find myself a bit uncomfortable. I’ve never shied away from women, especially good-looking, flirtatious ones, but for the last couple years, and definitely tonight, there’s only one woman on my mind. “And what about you? What’s your story?”

I shrug swirling around the last bit of bourbon left in my glass. “Oh, I’m just a normal guy wanting a completely abnormal girl.”

Spotting Emily on the other side of the room, I feel a giddy weightlessness inside me. I watch her with anticipation as she steps away from the ladies she was talking to and turns full circle looking for someone.

Me?

She turns slightly more, and her eyes finally find mine staring back at her. I can see her assessing my situation. A beautiful blonde woman standing next to me, doing her very best to flirt with me, but yet here I am, my eyes steadfastly on the girl of my dreams.

My best friend.

God, she’s beautiful.

My spirits soar when Emily smiles at me from across the floor with the understanding that I don’t give a damn about the woman next to me. My eyes trained on her, I don’t even bother looking at blondie to finish my statement.

“Someone who takes my breath away and makes me laugh. Someone who marches to the beat of her own drum and knows her worth. Someone who can be my best friend, and my lover. Someone who doesn’t get nervous about wrapping her hand or her mouth around my cock.”

Blondie flexes her fingers against my chest, and I want to laugh in her face and rip her hand off me all at once. “First of all, I have a feeling you’re way more than just a normal guy. You’re clearly humble, approachable, easy to talk to and uh, very easy on the eyes.”

Her compliment almost makes me snort. “Thanks.”

Finally, she steps to the side and takes her hands off me, if only to grab her drink. “I think it’s great that you know what you want.”

Emily approaches the two of us and I can’t help but be fascinated. “Yeah.”

“Hi,” she says, eyeing me with curiosity.

Deciding to give blondie a show she won’t forget, I nod nonchalantly to Emily as if I don’t know her. “Hey. What’s your name?” Already, I’ve shown more interest in her than blondie over here. I don’t care what her name is.

“I’m Emily.” She grins offering me her hand to shake.

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