“Can I have a beer? Whatever you have on tap is fine.”
“You got it,” I replied to Gail, one of our regular customers.
I pulled her draft and set it on the table, taking her offered credit card in my hand.
“You keeping it open or closing it out?” I asked, knowing she sometimes met friends after work.
“Open,” she said with a smile.
I nodded and started to turn when she asked, “That’s it?”
I turned back, a frown on my face.
“Sorry, did you want to place a food order?”
“No, silly,” she said with a giggle and flip of her hair. “I’ll get food later. I mean, usually we do a little flirty banter thing, it’s the highlight of my week.”
“Oh,” I said, rubbing my hand on the back of my neck.
Well, this is awkward.
Gail waited, expectantly.
“You see, I got married, so, I’m cutting out the flirting and teasing, out of respect for my wife.”
Her mouth dropped open so quickly it was almost comical.
“No way,” she denied, shaking her head. “You can’t be married, you don’t even date anyone. It would be all over the grapevine by now.”
I chuckled, because, honestly, I was surprised all of Cherry Springs didn’t know about Jazzy and me by now.
Gail glanced down at my naked ring finger and I fought the urge to move my hand out of sight.
“It’s true,” I told her. “Jasmine Lewis and I said our vows in Las Vegas. We just got back from our honeymoon.”
“Jasmine? I see. Well, then, congratulations, I guess,” she said with a frown before spinning on her heel.
“Thanks for that, I guess,” I called out after her, shaking my head and taking a rag out to wipe down the bar.
“Well, the lid is getting blown off now,” Becs said from behind me. “Hearts will be breaking all over Cherry Springs tonight.”
I turned to look at her questioningly, then followed her gaze to where Gail was standing with a group of women and all eyes were on me.
I waved.
“They’ll get over it.”
“I’m not so sure they will,” Becs said with a sigh. “You were the last single guy in town who’s not either a prick, mama’s boy, or bum.”
I chuckled.
“That’s not true, Becs, there’s plenty a good ones around. What about Mikey from the hardware store, or Donovan from the autobody shop,” I asked. “Oh, and didn’t you have a date with Trevon, that guy who owns the boxing club?”
“Trevon’s dating someone else, Donovan hasn’t brushed his teeth since twenty twelve, and Mikey lives in his mom’s basement.”
“Oh,” I said, not knowing what to say, since none of that sounded promising. “And, gross … But, Becs, there are more than three single blokes in Cherry Springs. Maybe you should try meeting them somewhere other than here, at the bar.”
Becs rolled her eyes at me, reminding me of Jasmine.
Shit, I wondered what she was doing, and if she wished I were home right now. I knew I sure did.
“Ugh, you’re doing it again,” Becs complained, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“What?”
“Getting that dreamy look on your face so I know you’re thinking of Jazzy and not listening to me. You’re so annoying,” she said, turning with a huff.
“Good talk,” I called after her, laughing when I saw she was flipping me the bird at waist level, so as not to alert the customers.
The rest of the night went off without a hitch.
I had a few curious customers ask about me and Jazzy and I happily answered them all.
After a week off, and away from the bar schedule, I drove home exhausted and thinking maybe it was time for me to start looking at other career options. Obviously, staying in town for the next few years meant there weren’t a lot of options to use my biology degree. And, I was getting older now, and a husband, so maybe working nights at a bar wasn’t what I should be doing either.
But, what else was there?
I wasn’t qualified for much else, unless you counted music and surfing, and last time I checked there was no ocean near Cherry Springs.
I parked the car and felt a little lighter when I saw Jasmine had left a few lights on for me. I walked through the house, turning them off as I did, before going into the living room to find she’d also made up the couch.
I turned my head and looked longingly at Jasmine’s closed door, before I took of my clothes and draped them over the chair. Clad in only my boxer briefs, I slid under the covers and tried to get comfortable.
Eventually, I fell asleep, and when I woke up, it was way too early and because something was licking my face.
“Daisy,” I grumbled, not awake enough for it to register that Daisy’s tongue wasn’t that big.
I reached up to push her off, pausing when I encountered a floppy ear.
Opening one eye, I was shocked to see a beagle puppy, paws up on the couch, the little white goat jumping happily around it.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice rough with sleep.
The puppy yipped excitedly as I rose to sit and lifted it onto my lap.
“Sorry, I meant to let you sleep in longer, but he got away from me.”
I looked up from the straining puppy, who was trying his damnedest to reach my face with that tongue, to see Jasmine standing in the doorway, dressed for work in a suit.
“What time is it?”
“Almost noon. I picked him up on my lunch break. I hope you like him. You never said what breed…”
Jazzy stopped midsentence when I stood and started toward her, wearing just my briefs, the puppy tucked against me.
Her eyes widened and I didn’t miss her quick perusal of my naked flesh, before those green eyes flashed and made their way back to my face.
“He’s perfect,” I assured her. “You didn’t have to.”
I stopped right in front of her and stared down at her beautiful face.
“I wanted to,” she said softly.
“Thank you,” I murmured, then leaned down and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose.