“Whatever that means,” she said before taking a sip. When she set her glass down again, her cheeks were pink. “I know it’s odd that you could motivate me like that.I mean, I just met you ... I’m sure you think I’m a nut.”
“I don’t. Flattered, maybe, but I don’t think you’re a nut.”
She tilted toward me, her layers of hair cascading to one side. I couldn’t help myself, but my hand traveled to her bare shoulder and skimmed her hair behind her. Goose bumps flitted across her skin, yet my palm felt on fire.
“It’s just you made me think about a better space for me ... and my daughter. Hearing your story, I could see how the situation still affects you. I don’t want that type of story for Priscilla. This may sound bad, but I want to be her hero, not the other way around.”
Swallowing, I took in Margo’s made-up face, and I wanted to wash off all the makeup and get to know who she really was underneath. “No offense taken. I commend you.”
“Good. I just wanted to get that out of the way. This is such new territory to me.”
“Another toast, to new territories.”
We clinked our glasses together and then drank.
Margo leaned an elbow on the bar and faced me, looking more relaxed. “So, tell me about your day. It must’ve been more exciting than mine.”
“I don’t know about that. I usually work a bit on the weekends. Today, I ran over numbers, seeing how many employees we can keep on. That’s the shitty part about what I do. Letting people go. Whether they’re good at their job or not, they’re still people.”
“I didn’t think about that,” she said, then sipped her wine. Her lips curved over the glass, leaving a red stain from her lipstick behind. “My dad lost his job when I was young, then my mom kicked him out. Eventually, he got a new job and she let him come back. It’s been a rough road for him, and my mom is the least sympathetic person I know, so she didn’t have any regrets about kicking him to the curb. She’s not one to understand much or help others.”
I could tell Margo’s mind was wandering toward something else, but I didn’t push.
“We don’t talk all that much anyway,” she said with a small shrug.
“Sounds like you and your mom are pretty different.”
“We are.” Her smile widened. “I try to be a different type of woman and mom. At least, when I’m not with him. It must be something learned inside of me ... to take that type of ... whatever it is.”
She let it hang there open-ended. When her smile faded, I gently touched her chin, tipping it toward me. Despite the electricity running between us from the tiniest bit of skin-to-skin contact, I kept my cool.
“Hey, don’t do that. You said you’re pushing forward. Think about that, not anything else. Hear me?”
Margo shook her head. “Let’s change subjects. We came here for a good time, not for you to shrink me.” She laughed at her own joke and took a big gulp of wine.
“Fair enough. Tell me about your day. Busy with your daughter? Writing anything interesting?”
That’s when Margo really came alive, telling me about making lunch with Priscilla and then sitting down to write her latest piece. With her eyes sparkling from excitement, her hair bouncing all around her face, and her smile expanding by the minute, I knew I had to be careful when it came to this woman.
Margo could sweep me up into her arms, and I wouldn’t want to untangle myself. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
Margaret
“Ugh, I’m sorry for rambling on and on,” I said to Mick. “It’s just I’m so excited over this piece. I’ve been watching this trend for a while, gender-neutral clothing, and I was so excited they asked me to write about it. I don’t get to talk about work a lot, so thank you for humoring me. Or at least, tolerating me.”
Finished with my monologue, I went to take a sip of my wine and noticed the glass was empty. “Shit,” I murmured.
I was seriously screwing this up. Whatever this was, which was nothing.
“Don’t be like that. I like it. I’m a business guy, intrigued by all things happening out there. I never even heard of this trend. I’m not really into fashion,” he said, gesturing to his attire. “Don’t tell anyone, but my assistant orders most of my stuff online for me.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” I said before pretending to zip my mouth shut.
“Now, how about another round?” Mick asked. “And some food. So I can hear more.”
Who was this guy? He wanted to hear more from me. And he wanted to eat at the bar, with no one waiting on him hand and foot, attending to his every need.
“Uh, yes. Let’s. I don’t have to drive, and I am kind of hungry.”
