Cautiously, she sat up and looked out the window to see a Prius turning right out of the parking lot. Sighing in relief, she sent a reply to Jules’s earlier text.
E: Date sucked. Details later.
She stuck the key in the ignition and turned.
The engine gave a tired whine, the lights flashed, and nothing.
Dammit.
Elissa turned the key again, sending a prayer to Saint Eligius, the patron of mechanics. And to hedge her bets, Saint Jude. She hoped Bertha wasn’t a lost cause just yet, but the car was old enough to drive itself now. No luck. Grrr-grrr-grrr went poor Bertha’s engine.
She bent forward until her forehead touched the steering wheel. Could anything else go wrong tonight?
twelve
the least i could do
Ryan watched the sway of Elissa’s generous hips as she left the restaurant. Fuck him, this was the last thing he’d needed tonight. Faced with his most recent mistake appearing at his workplace, he’d tried to pretend he’d never seen her before in his life. He enjoyed her expression when he refused to acknowledge their previous acquaintance, somewhere between disappointment, annoyance, and surprise.
Her date waved at him, and Ryan hurried over. Mr. Nerd, in his shirt and tie and hair straight out of 1950s Hollywood, smiled cooly at him.
“Ready for the check?” Ryan asked.
“Just put it on this.” He handed over a credit card.
Ryan waited half a beat. Most people added a please or thank you, but he guessed the douche was used to being waited on. Admittedly, so was he, but his Nonna drilled in good manners no matter what. He was excellent at remembering with retail and food workers, but sometimes forgot himself when dealing with assholes, returning their own energy.
“Of course. Be right back.”
Ryan walked behind the bar to run the card. As he slid it through the machine, he noticed the dude’s name was Ryan, too. No wonder Elissa had believed he was there to meet her. Same name, a set-up date, and he’d forgotten who he was supposed to meet. It had been a recipe for disaster. Well, at least this Ryan seemed suited to her. Neither had raised their voice, nor had anyone left in a huff. Tonight appeared to be going better than last Tuesday.
Receipt in hand, he sauntered over with his best customer service smile on his face.
“Thanks so much for coming in tonight. Have a great evening.”
“Hey, I have a question,” the other Ryan said, stopping him before he could go check on the rest of his customers.
“Sure.”
“Do you think the date went well?”
“I’ve seen a lot worse.”
The other dude smiled, turning his attention to the receipt. “I thought it went well, too! Have a great night.”
Poor clueless nerd. He’d been honest. As a bartender, he’d seen good dates, bad dates, and a few ugly ones, too. That had been mediocre at best, and it had probably been his fault.
After she recognized him, he tried to play it cool, but his attention kept straying in her direction. And every time he glanced over at their table, she was looking at him.
Nerdy guy yammered on, but her focus hadn’t been on him. When she would realize she’d been spotted, pink would tinge her cheeks, and she’d turn to her date. The first time it happened, Ryan assumed she was still working on accepting the fact he’d showed up again in her life so soon. The second time, he assumed they needed something, but their drinks were only half empty, and the chip basket was still full.
The third time he caught her watching him, he gave her a slow smile, putting as much sex into it as possible. He was a DeMarco—there was a lot of sex in his smile. Her cheeks went from pink to red, and he winked at her before she jerked her attention back to the other guy.
And now she was gone, and he’d lost another chance with her. Admittedly, it was a snowball’s chance in the middle of an Arizona June, but still a chance.
He slid behind the bar. The crowd was big but manageable, and he could use some fresh air. He turned to the other bartender.
“Hey you good for a few minutes? Could use a short break.”
