Still one to avoid conflict, I looked away.
Not Val. She said, “It’s not nice to eavesdrop.”
“Couldn’t help myself,” Mister Sexy and Unattainable said.
Val continued to poke at Ford. “I know who you are, and I don’t care.”
He held his hand in the air and motioned for the bartender. “Another round, ladies?”
Val answered for us with an affirmative nod and Ford turned to the bartender and whispered instructions. I wondered what all the secrecy was about, and worried if he was doping us, wiping our memory of seeing him today. Watching the bartender make our drinks, I sat next to the man who starred in and haunted every one of my dreams, my leg jumping up and down in a nervous fit.
As our drinks made their way onto the bar, he spoke quietly. “I’m not trying to poison you. It’s just my way, to speak softly when ordering. Back home there are people listening. They’d make a dance on TikTok or a raunchy meme about what I put in my smoothie if they could.”
With my head spinning from the night’s turn of events and Ford’s amazing perception of the scenario, I needed a big gulp of my drink. “Oh,” I said to Ford’s smoothie monologue before having yet another sip, and then almost choking as his hand settled on my knee, stilling my dancing leg.
The man was morphing from a five-hundred-piece puzzle into a thousand-piece I’d never be able to put together, yet I wanted to try in the worst way.
“Back to what you were saying.” Ford caught my attention. “You dumped who?”
“It was a long time ago. By the way, how did you find us? Me?”
He ran his hand through his messy, sandy blond hair and winked. “Having your name on the wing of a hospital helps. I asked your assistant.”
“I’ll have to talk to her tomorrow, but as a reminder, I knew you when you used to pee your pants, so the family lineage thing doesn’t excite me. All those favors people do for you are not that impressive.”
In a matter of moments we were back to the Ford and Jamie of yesteryear, cracking jokes at one another’s expense. In other words, friend-zoned.
“Wait, I thought you knew Ford from college?” Val piped up, wanting answers.
“Try again. Born in the same hospital. Maybe you can tell me who she dumped, then?” Ford answered, bypassing me.
“Her slime of an ex-husband. Didn’t deserve her.”
“How could I not know?” Ford spoke, looking right at me.
I had no retort. I lost my words in these moments. It was a bad habit when it came to Ford—I became a silent witness. I vowed to do better.
“Excuse me, do you know why I don’t know someone mistreated Jamie?” Again, he bypassed me, addressing Val.
I finally spoke up. “Because we lost touch. You never called, texted, nothing.” My voice was low and scratchy, and an ache settled in my gut. Would he have cared?
“Neither did you,” Ford slung back at me.
He continued to stare me down. Speechless, I stared back.
“Oh, look at that.” Val broke our staring contest with her impeccable timing. “Max texted from work. Last-minute meeting.”
Of course she would do something like this. She probably thought my budding love affair would be inUs Magazinetomorrow. She was leaving me with the guy of my dreams in hopes of waking up both my vagina and heart from their deep slumbers.
“Oh, come on,” I said while she downed her drink and started to give me a hug.
“Have fun. Do everything I would do,” were the words she whispered in my ear. “No sense in you leaving with a full drink,” she said so the whole bar could hear.
I took in my three-quarters-full cocktail and considered shooting it, but that wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“Thanks for the drink, and wow, just meeting you. I’m sorry about your dad too,” she said to Ford and was out of there, leaving me in some version of my worst nightmare.
I heard the door close behind Val and a tiny chill crawled up my spine. It wasn’t an entirely negative chill either. That was the issue. There was the slightest bit of excitement fizzing around my veins.
