Page 15 of The Anatomy of Matchmaking

Nick; handsome obsidian frames and all.

He walks my way, then slides onto the barstool beside me.

Chapter 3

Nick

I sit down on the padded vinyl barstool next to Maddison just as The Buck’s bartender, Steve, approaches.

He gets the first word in, even before I can greet Maddison. “What’s up, Doc? The usual?”

“Yeah, sure. But if you could avoid making me sound like some lonely regular with a drinking problem, that’d be great. Oh, and a plate of nachos.”

“You got it, boss.”

Maddison grins at me. “The usual? What is this, your after-work watering hole?”

“I have developed certain routines over the years.”

“And stopping in at The Buck is one of them?”

“I have one microbrew, and then I go home.”

I catch the way her eyes flick down to my hand. She recovers swiftly and pretends to be checking her watch, but I saw the way she looked for a band.

I hold up my left hand so she can get a better look, and make a show of wiggling my bare fingers. “I am unhitched, Purple Glasses.”

“I thought so. Roxie does fill me in on the big news around town. Girlfriend?”

“Not right now. How’s Sylvester?”

“Fine. Probably. Basking in sweet victory. The jerk.”

“Hm?”

She lifts her wineglass and hesitates before taking a sip. “Ow.”

“What?”

“Ugh. Adrenaline spike. Can we backpedal?”

“I’ll allow it.”

“Nick, besides aggravating old ladies at the bank, getting that fancy white coat to wear, and developing a beer-a-day drinking habit, what have you been up to… really?”

“Okay, we’re going toreallytalk?”

“Yes. I could use a person to talk to. My life’s…ugh. Honestly, not great. And Roxie means well but she wants tofix. You’ve never tried to fix me. And my parents are… impossible.”

“So, you need a friend?”

She frowns. Her eyes shimmer with sadness. She taps her fingers on the base of her wineglass. “Yeah… I guess I do. Does that sound pathetic? I know we haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Maybe not, but it feels like just yesterday.”

The sad pull at her lips eases away. She gives me a shy smile. Behind her glasses, I can see her eyes spark to life. “It does, doesn’t it?”

Her dark hair is swept up in a spiky bun, a few layered strands framing her face. Her skin is sun-kissed, her eyes as luminous as ever.

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