I took a sip of my margarita, and my eyes watered at the overpowering taste of tequila, burning its way down my throat. Damn, Theo really needed to YouTube a how-to on those cocktails he offered. Or remove them from the menu altogether.
I grabbed my half-drunk water and scooped the ice cubes out, dunking them in my glass to make it a tad more palatable.
The silence around the table was starting to annoy me. I glanced up at the girls as they watched me back. Shit, was I supposed to buy everyone another round again?
"What?" I snapped.
"Umm…who was the hottie?" Charli asked, ignoring my sharp tone.
I bristled as I dumped more ice cubes in my drink, sloshing a few contents on the table.
"That was Brian," I reluctantly confessed. I risked another sip of my drink, hoping the girls would drop the subject.
"That'sthe married guy?" Linda incredulously asked.
"Who's married?" Rachel piped in.
I tilted my head to Brian, who had taken a seat at a far table with a group of guys.
"Wait!" Vivi gasped. "I thought he looked familiar. I know him. Well, I don'tknowhim, know him. But I knew Hannah. She was his wife."
Even though I knew he was married, hearing it confirmed still hurt. "Ha! I knew it!" I took a bigger gulp of my drink. It was starting to go down a lot smoother.
"Washis wife," Vivi gently emphasized. "Hannah died a few years ago."
My head shot up at her words, and I almost choked on my drink. "Wait, what?" With a shaky hand, I placed my glass back down. I suddenly felt very sober.
"I forgot her married name but I think she was a few years ahead of you. She moved away for college then moved back with Brian," she indicated to his table and I chanced a look at him. His eyes were on his beer as he fiddled with the label. "Like, less than two years later, she passed away. Think it was cancer."
Well, fuck. That made me feel like ten shades of shit.
The name sounded familiar, and I vaguely remembered hearing something in the grapevine about a past pupil who died. But since I didn't know Hannah that well, I didn't look into it. Or cared about it, admittedly.
I tried to remember who her family were, but I drew a blank. I conjured the brief snapshot I saw of Hannah in her wedding dress, and I slumped in my chair in guilt.
A widower.
Huh.
Well, that changed things, but it also didn't. I’d jumped to conclusions, yes, but I also barely knew Brian. When I saw that photo he still carried around, it had floored me. I'd never been with a widower. Or a single father. Shit, did he have kids? I wasn't a kid person.
He hadn’t been wearing a ring, but he still kept a photo of his late wife in his wallet. He obviously missed her. I mean, as he should, of course. I wasn't sure what the etiquette was for these sorts of things. Was he still in mourning? Not to be a bitch, but I wasn't sure I had the emotional capacity to deal with a grieving man. I had my own issues I needed to focus on.
But then again, Brianhadbeen flirting with me at the coffee shop, and he did ask me to wait for him before I bailed. Surely a man who was still grieving his wife wouldn't be cruising a coffee shop for dates? Also, the fact that he’d previously been married meant he probably wasn't afraid of commitment.
"He can't take his eyes off you," Linda murmured across the table.
My chest warmed when my eyes clashed with his. Considering I had iced him out twice now, I knew the ball was in my court. I gave him a small smile, not knowing if it was welcome. His eyes widened, and a smile of relief washed over his handsome features. He lifted his hand from the rim of his beer briefly. The warmth in my chest spread, and I hid my smile behind another sip of margarita.
I didn't want to be rude and leave the table to talk with him. I also didn't want to disrupt him on what I could see was after-work drinks with his workers. I also needed to play it a tad cool, so I forced myself to relax and joined in the conversation around me.
With Lissa forgotten and the thrill of a possible meeting with Brian on the horizon, I started to enjoy myself. I nursed my margarita, not wanting to get too tipsy before I spoke with him.Even though I was an active participant in the conversation around me, my body was alive in awareness of Brian sitting close by. Every time he got up to use the bathroom or buy a drink, our eyes met and held. I squirmed in my seat, indulging in the heightened thrill of our eye fucking.
It wasn't until later, when I got up to use the bathroom, that we were able to speak. I wasn’t surprised when I exited the ladies to find him waiting.
"I think we left off on the wrong foot," he started. His eyes raked my body, and I wondered if he would still find me dateable if I had worn my usual short skirts and cleavage-baring tops.
I gave him a slight grin. I went to twirl a piece of my hair before remembering that I had cut off my locks.
