Page 50 of Wish I Might
He nodded, appreciating the honesty.“Can I order some lunch while you decide?”
“Oh, sure,” she said with a wide smile and a gleam in her eye that told him whatever he ordered would come with the addition of spit.“What can I get you?”
“On second thought, I’ll just have a beer.In a bottle.Leave the top on.”
“Babe?Everything okay?”
Chloe glanced up, and everything about her went soft.He wanted to turn, to see who had put that dreamy look on her face, but he wasn’t at all sure her pen wouldn’t end up in his ear.“Yeah.I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I will be,” she said, looking at Nash again, murderous glare firmly back in place.“When thiscustomer—” she spat the word out—“leaves.”
“Yeah?”There was a rustle as the newcomer sat on the stool next to Nash.“What’d he do?”
Nash risked a glance to his right.The man was looking at him with suspicion, brown eyes narrowed and scruffy jaw clenched.He had the tough build of a laborer, was almost comically handsome, and when he looked at Chloe it was clear he’d fight a grizzly bear if she asked him to.
One of the boyfriends, he decided, and began to calculate his chances of leaving this bar with all his teeth.
“He dumped my best friend.”
The boyfriend blinked and, to Nash’s surprise, let out a rumbling laugh.“Really?”
“Yes, so don’t be nice to him,” Chloe ordered.
“Okay.”Boyfriend turned his smile on Chloe.“You gonna kiss me hello or what?”
“I’ll give you or what,” she muttered, but she was smiling when she leaned over the bar and pressed her lips to his.
“That’s all I get?”he complained when she eased back.
“You were nice to him,” Chloe said tartly and turned on her heel to sail into the kitchen.
“Sorry.”Nash kept one eye on the swinging door.He wasn’t altogether sure she wouldn’t come back with a knife.
“You should be,” Boyfriend said mournfully.“I’ve been looking forward to that kiss all morning.”He eyed Nash curiously.“Who’d you dump, Bailey or Gwen?”
“Bailey,” Nash replied.“Eight years, three months, and thirteen days ago.”
There was a blink of surprise, then realization.“You must be Nash.”
Nash laughed.“I guess my reputation precedes me.”
“Reputation.”The man grinned.“That’s a good word.I’m Jesse.”
Nash took the offered hand just as Chloe came swinging through the kitchen door.
She glared at Jesse.“What did I just say?”
Jesse dropped his hand, but kept the grin.“I’m just being polite.”
“Well, stop.”She turned to Nash.“Are you eating?”
With an internal sigh, Nash decided a little spit never hurt anyone.“What’s good?”
The smile she gave him was so sharp it could’ve cut glass.“Oh, it’s all good.”
Jesse disguised a chuckle as a cough, and Nash picked an item off the chalkboard at random.“I’ll take a Reuben.”
