Huh, Nico fought the urge to rub his forehead. Was he getting a headache?
“It takes two to tango, but you gotta get them on the dancefloor first.”
Definitely a headache.
“If your heart is pure, love will prevail, but be tenacious as all heck just in case.”
Bloody hell.
“Be supportive of her life choices, and don’t try and push your own agenda onto her. They hate that.”
“Compliment her on her achievements, things she’s proud of.”
“Oh, good one.”
“It’s the little things that will tip the balance. Give her thoughtful gifts for no reason.”
“But not chocolates.”
“Goddess, no. You don’t give a florist flowers and you don’t give a chocolatier chocolates.”
“I love her pineapple and ginger rings.”
“Raspberry rum balls for me.”
“I’m more of a white chocolate, champagne and peach truffle man, myself.”
Nico didn’t suffer from migraines, but he had a feeling this might be his first beginning to gather. He should just let them natter away. Their glasses were almost empty, they rarely stayed for more than two drinks. If he just stood there, gritted his teeth and smiled, they’d be gone in a few minutes. Except, even as he was thinking that his mouth was opening and words were coming out. “A real astronaut? Like going into space and all that?” Surely not.
“He’s still up there, I think.”
“Yeah, there’s been, what, three delays on their retrieval so far?”
“So they broke up because he was going on a long mission?” Who was operating his mouth? Nico no longer knew.
Cain Bright drained the last of his beer, getting to his feet, all the others copying him. For a second Nico didn’t think he was going to get an answer, but Terrance Dunst took pity on him.
“Nah. I think he was willing to give up on all that space malarkey if Gigi had given any indication she was really serious about him.”
“Aye.” Times four in agreement.
“Poor bastard. How’s he going to meet anyone new up there in space and get over our Gigi?”
All five gentlemen expelled solemn sighs and then laughed, Terrance reaching across the bar to thump Nico on the shoulder. “But don’t you worry, lad. We have faith you’ll go the distance.”
“Just remember…”
All five were expounding more platitudes as they exited, talking over one another as they did so. Nico waved them farewell. Saint Medard of the Storms at Sea. He threw Digby, working up the other end of the bar, a clean cloth. “I’m out.”
He couldn’t take anymore well-meaning advice, looks, or platitudes. Hah, but he didn’t really have anywhere he could go. Except upstairs where Gigi was hanging out, doing him a favour today so he could work the bar. Okay, he’d head upstairs and check on her, enquire if she had any thoughts on what they should do for dinner. Whatever it was, he prayed it was something simple and be somewhere private.
Maybe she’d let him hide out upstairs for the rest of the day. His hand reaching for a tall glass, the pineapple juice, some ginger and several sprigs of mint. The mocktail would be a bribe, not a gift. As he mixed the drink his thoughts kept circling back again and again. He thought he’d had Gigi pegged. Small town girl, making good with her shop and catering business. But the woman kept zig zagging. Seriously smart. A rocket scientist, or as good as. And now to find out she’s got a trail of broken hearts in her wake; a scientist, a billionaire, a Think tank genius, a Michelin star French chef… and an astronaut. For some reason that one bugged him the most.
Bugged him? No, he was just curious is all. The elite of the elite and Gigi DeWitt still found fault with those guys. It made him wonder just exactly what would a man have to do and say to actually win her heart?
Merely for curiosity’s sake, of course.
***
