Page 22 of Breaking Bristol

“No freaking way,” I said as I grabbed another handful of Jiffy Pop. Matthew really did think of everything. Along with snacks and food that could be heated over the fireplace if needed, he brought cards, board games, and a handheld video game.

We’d already spent the day eating the food in my fridge that would go bad, like cold cuts and cheese. He beat me in three rounds of war, I won Yahtzee, and we both colored a page in my book. He resisted at first, but once he started, he really got into it and barely looked up until he finished.

I was impressed with how good he was and assumed his skills as a doctor gave him a steady hand, which led us to discuss some of the strangest things he’d seen as an emergency room doctor.

“Yes, way.” He nodded. “The guy said he wanted to see how fast his reflexes were, so he stood a foot in front of the pitching machine. And it would have been one thing if it was a child or something, but this was a twenty-five-year-old grown-ass man who didn’t realize it was a bad idea until he woke up in a hospital bed that night.”

“What else?” We were on opposite sides of the couch, and I crossed my legs and leaned closer to him.

He slapped his hands on his thighs. “It’s time for a drink, don’t you think? If I remember correctly, you’ve got enough wine in your fridge for a year. I didn’t bring any alcohol.”

“Do you like wine?”

“Love it,” he replied.

“Really?”

He tilted his head. “Yes, really. Why do you say it like that?”

“I dunno, I’ve discovered that most guys down here only drink beer or whiskey.”

“My mom’s a big wine drinker, so when I was in high school, I’d sneak whatever she was drinking and ended up liking it.”

“Didn’t your dad have whiskey you could sneak instead?” I asked teasingly.

His mouth curved into a grin. “I tried it once, and it burned my throat so bad I was afraid to try it again.”

“That’s kind of how I felt about wine… but not the burning part, just that it was gross. Even now I’m not really adventurous with it. I just know I like white wine, and I like it cold.”

“Works for me. How about you pick the wine, and I’ll get the glasses.”

“No argument from me there.” We went to the kitchen, and after I selected a Pinot Grigio, he took it from my hand and opened it, then neatly poured it.

I took my seat on the couch, and he opened the front door, then set the wine on the porch before quickly closing us back in. “Should keep it cold enough.”

That was smart. “So… tell me another story.”

He lowered his tall, lean body onto the couch and took a sip before setting the glass on the coffee table. “An older woman came in, and after I examined her, she told me I looked like her fourth husband. I chuckled and asked how many times she’d been married, and she waggled her eyebrows, put her hand on top of mine, and said, three.”

Bad time to laugh in the middle of swallowing. “Oh my God.” I coughed.

“Yeah, she was a hoot.”

“That reminds me of my grandma,” I said.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” I sighed sadly.

His eyes softened, and he reached for my hand. “Tell me about her?”

CHAPTER 7

Matthew

Everything had been fantastic with Bristol today. She finally relaxed around me and smiled a lot. She even had these moments when she wasn’t trying to protect herself that I saw who she really was. It was beautiful.

She was beautiful, even with her hair in a messy bun, no makeup, and thick layers of baggy clothes. The innocence that shone behind those warm honey eyes and the flirtatious looks she’d flash me were just a teasing promise of what she really had to offer.

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