I was enjoying my burger when a man came in and sat beside me. He was looking at the menu and I could tell he didn’t know what to order. I couldn’t help but speak up and offer my suggestion. He looked out of place in his dress pants and dress shirt, but I didn’t mind that he was in the wrong place. He was gorgeous to look at and admire.
He looked at me as I finished chewing my burger. When I met his eyes, he was handsome, like he stepped off the pages of a fireman calendar, drop-dead gorgeous. Wherever he came from, I hoped he didn’t find his way home. I smiled into the beautiful green eyes in front of me and admired the slightly disheveled brown hair—definitely not too long, but not too short, either.
The man introduced himself as Jackson. When I took his hand in mine, it was like a damn lightning bolt shot straight out of the sky. He smiled as I took his hand and introduced myself. I had to remind myself to let go of his hand.
I reached for my drink with a slight tremor in my hand and fought the urge to throw myself right into his arms. I smiled at the image, then chided myself for being ridiculous. He was probably just passing through town, anyway. But my mind kept wandering to what laid underneath that shirt. If the forearms were any hint to what laid beneath… Damn!
So what if he was just passing through town? I didn’t do relationships. One night wouldn’t hurt to just let go, would it? No, I wasn’t going there. Nothing good could come from this man and that body. But what a body. I sighed at the thoughts in my head. It had been a long time since I allowed myself to just dive into a man and let myself go.
“Are you just passing through town?” I asked.
Jackson watched as I took another bite of my burger.
“Nope. I live maybe twenty minutes from here. On my way home from visiting my mother.”
I looked at him as I chewed my burger. I nodded.
“How about you? Are you from around here?”
I grinned. “Yep. I live just a few blocks down the way. I just finished working and stopped for a bite to eat and a drink. This is the best in town, but don’t tell anyone I said that. If the rest of the town found out I was playing favorites, there would be hell to pay.”
Jackson laughed. I grinned at the gorgeous man in front of me. The laugh he let loose with was sexier than anything I’d heard in a long time.
Jackson recovered and crossed his heart. “Your secret is safe with me.”
I took the last bite of the burger and rolled my eyes at the man next to me. Even though I had food in my mouth, I said, “It better be.”
Jackson laughed again as he waited for his burger.
I finished chewing my last bite and then pushed the plate to the edge of the bar. I moved my drink closer to myself, then looked at Jackson. “So, Jackson, what brings you in here tonight?”
Jackson looked at me, smiling. “Actually, my mother.”
Quirking my eyebrow, I smiled. “Explain.”
He looked at me but took a sip from his beer before answering.
“She’s a bit pushy, frustrating, and the most wonderful woman in my life. She insists that I work too hard, don’t date, and don’t do anything but work.”
My lips twitch as he talked. It was his turn to quirk his brow.
“You have a comment?”
I held up my hands, shaking my head no, before I burst out laughing. Jackson smiled while I laughed at him.
“Come on, out with it, Lacie.”
I looked down at the bar for a moment before giving him my attention.
“Did you ever hear the saying Mother knows best?”
Jackson shook his head while he grinned. “I’ve heard it, but never took stock in the saying.”
I watched as Joe brought Jackson his burger.
“Well, maybe you should. Sounds like your mom is worried about you. Is there truth to what she says? Do you work too hard, don’t date, and just work?”
Jackson looked at the burger that had been placed in front of him.
“Can I plead the fifth?”
I laughed. “You can to me as I’m not your mother. However, I don’t think that would work with her.”
Jackson smiled at me. He picked up his burger, but before taking a bite, he said, “I do nothing but work. The last date I had was probably more than six months ago. I cut it short due to a business call. I think my date actually got up and left the restaurant while I was on the phone, never to return to the table, not that I really noticed.”
I couldn’t believe his words. Honest and real.
“Ouch! That’s rough. How could you do that to her?”
Jackson had just taken a bite out of his burger when I spoke.
He shook his head. After he was done chewing, he said, “Of course, you take her side.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “There is no other side to take. I mean, you took a call during your date that wasn’t an emergency phone call, you continued the call even though you had a beautiful woman across from you, and you made no attempt to apologize to her afterward, I assume.”
Jackson looked at me, swallowed another bite of the burger, hung his head, and said, “Guilty. Okay, so you got me.”
I shook my head at him.
“It was, excuse my directness, a dick move. You just don’t do that. Her time is just as important as yours. Besides, you never know where that date would have led. Except you didn’t give it a chance.”
Jackson took a drink from his beer.
“Touché, Miss Lacie. You are right. It was a dick move. The next time I go on a date, no business phone calls.”
He raised his glass to me, and I raised mine to clink with his.
After drinking from his glass, he turned and said, “By the way, you were right about this burger. It’s definitely going to be hard to top.”
Joe walked over. “Another beer, Lace?”
I looked down at the money sitting in front of me. I counted what was there, then shook my head. “No, I’m good, Joe. Thank you.”
Jackson held up his hand. “Wait. I’d love to buy you a drink if you’ll stay and have it with me? Call it payback for the wonderful recommendation. I’ll even promise not to take any business calls while we enjoy one another’s company.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I couldn’t help but laugh. I nodded, and Joe went off to fill up my beer.
“Okay, so now that you know about me, what’s your story? What brought you out tonight?” Jackson asked.
I looked at the beer in front of me. “I got guilted into it, much like you, actually. Only not by my mother, by one of my friends who is like a mother to me.”
Jackson chuckled. “Ahhh, isn’t that interesting? So why did you need to be pushed into going out? Fight with the boyfriend, husband?”
I arched my brow.
“Smooth, Jackson. I’m not married, nor do I have a boyfriend.”
Jackson held up his hand. “I wasn’t fishing, I swear.”
I shook my head. “I work a lot and when I’m not working, I’m spending time at work helping out. It’s been longer than six months since my last date.”
Jackson shook his head. “What is wrong with us? I work too hard, putting in way more hours than I should. You put in your time, then give your own time. Neither of us have had dates recently and here we sit, laughing about our sorry asses.”
I smiled at him.
“Hey, speak for yourself. I enjoy my time alone.”
Jackson arched his brow. “Really, then maybe I should have sat across the bar to give you time to enjoy yourself, alone.”
I chewed my bottom lip. “Okay, point for the workaholic. As much as I didn’t want to come out tonight, I really am enjoying myself.”
“You sound surprised that you’re enjoying yourself. Did you expect a boring evening when you set out tonight?”
Jackson moved his plate aside as he had finished his burger, then turned his attention fully to me.
I swallowed under the weight of his stare and questioned why I was still here. I should have headed home a while ago now.
“Honestly, I expected to eat a burger, drink a beer, then head back to my apartment to get ready for bed. I truly didn’t expect to meet someone and laugh as I have. So yes, I expected to have a boring evening, but once you walked in, it was anything but boring.”
I really should not have just said that. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, I was thinking about how gorgeous this man was and still wondering what hidden treasures he held under those clothes.
Jackson was staring at me as I answered.
“I have never met anyone like you. You bite into a burger like you mean business, you call me out on my dickish behavior, you call me out about being a workaholic, even though you are as well. But mostly, you laugh like an angel and you are refreshingly honest.”
I cleared my throat. “I-I mean…”
Jackson laughed. “I believe I rendered you speechless.”
I smiled. “No, not speechless, just not sure what to say. I’m nothing special, Jackson. Just a girl in a bar.”
Jackson shook his head. “No. I don’t believe that for a moment. How could you think you’re nothing special? Since the first words you spoke to me tonight, I’ve been captivated by your beauty, inside and out. Do you want to know why I don’t date?”
I nodded, still being held in place by Jackson’s words.
“I don’t date because I haven’t found anyone who has interested me in a long time. But mostly, I don’t date because most women are too afraid to eat real food when you take them out. They don’t let themselves be real. I want someone real in my life. Not some person who says and does what they think I want or what they think is ‘expected’ of them. I just want honest and real. Not someone trying to be something they’re not. Maybe then I wouldn’t bury myself in my work all the time.”
I didn’t handle compliments well. My dad and mom were the only ones I ever believed when they said sweet things to me. Others lied. I didn’t trust easily, but I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and I felt my body responding to this man. My body was not behaving, I could feel my nipples tingle against the fabric of my bra, I felt my core clenching and dripping for this man and I picked up my drink, finishing the last swallow. I pushed a tip to the edge of the bar. “Thank you, Joe, for the burger.”
I stood on the rail to the bar and leaned over to kiss Joe on the cheek.
“Aww, Lace, anything for you. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”
I nodded. “Let me know if you have any extra shifts. I’ll be happy to fill in whenever you need it, Joe.”
“You got it, sweetheart.”
I turned my attention back to Jackson.
“It was nice to meet you, Jackson. I guess I’ll see you around. Thank you for the beer.”
I reached my hand out to him.
Jackson looked at my hand as though I slapped him.
“Really, a handshake? Joe got a kiss on the cheek. Next time, I’ll buy you the burger if I can get one of those.”
I laughed.
Jackson took my hand to shake it.
“It’s been a pleasure, Miss Lacie.”
I lowered my eyes for a moment then looked back up at him. I moved in and kissed his cheek. “Don’t give up looking for ‘real,’ Jackson. Most people don’t want to put themselves out there. But then again, some people are just trying to hide the ‘real’ in their lives, looking for an escape, looking for a way to just be someone else. Good luck to you.”
I turned and headed to the ladies’ room before going home.