Page 4 of Coulda

Amber hated them all. Even now, as Rio approached, a scantily clothed woman stopped him with a hand on his bulging bicep despite the heavy tray of drinks he balanced. His response appeared cordial and charming from a distance. From the look on the woman’s face as she turned around, it had also not been the one she’d wanted. Mentally, Amber thumbed her nose at her.Better luck next time.

Rio never took women up on their offers to date or sleep with them—or at least, Amber didn’t know that he did. No ex-girlfriends showed up to cause problems. He seemed happier chatting with her at the bar during the slow times than he did talking to the glamorous women who offered him everything.

Over the years, Amber had basked in his attention. He always treated her like a favorite sibling when she visited the bar. Rio was funny and worldly. She liked his company a lot.

He’d even reserved a stool for her next to the service bar where the servers picked up their drinks. Rio would charm whoever was there to move to another seat so she could hop up and talk with him as he made drinks and prepped garnishes. He even treated her to virgin strawberry daiquiris when the bar was slow, or her version of coffee, which was laced with a ton of sugar and exactly four creams, if he was too busy to do more than pour.

The first time an image of her sitting on top of the bar wrapped in his arms had popped into her head while she was sitting there chatting with him, Amber had run away. Now, she’d dreamed it so many times, Amber could almost pretend it had happened. But, of course, it hadn’t.Yet.

“Sodas and pretzels?” Rio asked, meeting her gaze over the crowd.

“Please! Thanks, Rio. And some veggies, too.”

His smile warmed her to the core. She hadn’t given up on him. Something drew her to him despite his refusal to have anything to do with her. Amber’s eighteenth birthday was just around the corner. She knew he’d crumble then. Her plan hadn’t jelled together yet, but Amber knew she just needed to be irresistible.

* * *

Maisie

Maisie mentally counted the change in her pocket. Whatever was on Rio’s tray would have to go to another patron. She’d drink water and have just as much fun celebrating the Dragons’ win with her friends.

“Root beer and goodies on Mr. Murphy for his favorite teenagers,” Rio announced, stressing the beverage name distinctly and loudly for the sake of the other patrons in the bar and grill. “Go Dragons!”

“Rio, bring me water next time, okay?” Maisie whispered to the bartender. She got the distinct impression that he’d fallen on hard times during his life and would understand.

“Gotcha,” the handsome bartender acknowledged with no further questions.

With that taken care of, she turned back to speak to Beau, who stayed at her side while the crowd swarmed toward Colt to congratulate him on his winning touchdown. It peeved her they didn’t recognize the player who’d launched that skillful pass.

“Shouldn’t they be smacking you on the butt, too?”

“I’m just part of the team. There were a lot of us on the field. Besides, hopefully, this has gotten Colt a scholarship.”

Distracted by that thought, Maisie turned to look at Colt. She’d love for him to land on his feet after high school.

“Have you found a university where the professors can stimulate your brain instead of you challenging theirs?” Beau teased, drawing her attention back to him.

“I think so. They seem very cutting-edge from my interviews. I’m going to absorb all the information they can shove into my brain,” she answered with a laugh.

Maisie loved her high school teachers, but she quickly exceeded their level of knowledge. Her math and science teachers had worked together to establish a link with the college they’d both attended to allow her to sit in on advanced science and applied calculus classes. She still took the same tests as others in her assigned high school classes. Maisie just didn’t waste time studying things she had already mastered.

The only person she taught was Beau. His mind was so sharp. He loved science almost as much as she did, but his skills in debate and as an athlete were the talents that everyone noticed about him. She knew he would bow to his father’s desire that he go to law school and then into politics. It’s what his parents had groomed him to do since birth. Perhaps she could influence the future of the environment and ecology by fueling his love of science and data.

Looking at the tall teenager next to her, Maisie saw a glint of silver. She reached out to stroke the hair on his temple. “You’re going gray.”

“I know. It just cropped up. My dad was completely gray by age thirty. His started going silver in high school as well. He’s way too happy that I’m his mini me,” Beau said with a grimace.

“As if you could be anyone’s mini me,” Maisie protested. “You’re nothing like your dad.”

“I’m more similar to him than I’d like, but I do think he tries to use his political power to do the right thing. His ideas and mine differ.”

“I’d say.”

Changing the subject, Beau suggested, “Let’s sign up Harper and Colt for karaoke.”

“I know the perfect song,” Maisie enthused.

Someone should be able to love the person who meant the most to them in the world. Maisie peeked up at the handsome senior next to her and tried to ignore the thought that popped into her mind.

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