Page 8 of Starting Back
A small smile ghosted across his lips.
“It doesn’t feel as if I’mdealingwith you at all. In fact, you’ve been the highlight of my day so far.”
“You’re very sweet.” I poked at the rest of my drink with my straw. “So far, you’re the highlight of mine too.”
His eyes danced as his smile grew wider. Maybe I wasn’t so bad at flirting after all, even if it did take three servings of alcohol to muster up the courage to try.
He came closer and opened his mouth to say something when a throat clearing behind us interrupted.
“Hey, Reyes,” a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts said as he came toward us, regarding Leo with a smirk. “Can I tear you away from your new friend for a few minutes to give me a hand with the crowd at the end of the bar?” He tilted his head toward the cluster of women with almost identical string bikinis who, judging by how loud they were laughing, appeared to be a few more drinks in than I was.
That used to be me in my college days, but I wasn’t so old that I shouldn’t have been able to just enjoy a drink by a pool. I could reason it was from missing my girls, but there was more to it than that, more than I liked to ponder or acknowledge.
Fun shouldn’t have been something I had to learn. Talking to Leo was effortless fun, and although I’d expected it to, I was sad to see it end.
“I’m sorry.” I pushed off the stool and fished my wallet out of my purse. “You’re busy. Thanks for the drinks—”
He grabbed my wrist as I was about to drop cash for a tip onto the bar.
“Stay. I won’t be long. Other than them and you, the guests are fading for the day. I’ll be right back. Sit. Please.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely,” I teased and slid back onto the seat. As much as I’d been afraid to speak to him at first, he didn’t have to twist my arm to stay.
I watched Leo pour drinks and hand them to the women, a few of them giggling when he turned his back, probably commenting to one another about how hot he was.
If Nicole were with me, we’d have done the same thing. But had she been here, I probably wouldn’t have spoken to him other than my drink order. Traveling alone made a person do crazy, impulsive things.
So far, I didn’t hate it.
I was so into what Leo was doing that I jumped when my phone buzzed against my lap.
Chloe:Having fun? Are you okay there alone?
I peered down at the screen with a smile. Emma was easily distracted, but my firstborn still thought about me.
Me:At least one of you misses me. Your sister forgot all about me when Uncle Jake showed up with donuts.
Chloe:Can I call you now?
Leo was still pouring drinks with his back turned. Tearing my eyes away from him was a greater struggle than it should have been as I slipped off the stool and dialed my daughter.
“Hey, are you okay?”
My heart squeezed at the concern in her voice.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. It’s nice weather, and I was just sitting by the pool.”
And now maybe looking back to the bar to see if the bartender noticed I was gone.
“I could have come with you. Then you wouldn’t be alone.”
“This isn’t a resort for kids, or I would have brought you with me. I promise I’m fine, and I’ll come back nice and relaxed.”
I leaned against the wall next to the bar, unnerved by the long silence.
“Areyouokay?”
“Yeah. I keep telling Emma to stop touching Aunt Peyton’s stomach.”
