“What do you have?” she asked. “And please, come in.”
“Ginger beer, vodka, and lime. No mint.”
He remembered.
“Wow,” she said. “Are you going to make it for me?”
“What kind of bartender would I be if I didn’t? Nice place.”
He was sliding his sneakers off before she could tell him he didn’t have to. The orange and red socks on his feet had her grinning. He was full of surprises.
“It’s not as big as some of the other condos in the building. Kind of in the middle, but works for me.”
“This building isn’t that old either. Lots of nice amenities that I could see the few times I was in it.”
She took the bag out of his hand and pulled the contents out to put on the counter. “It’s ten years old. I’ve been here for about five years. My first place that I bought.”
“No house for you? I thought for sure with all your contacts in the area you’d have one built.”
“I’m not sure I’ve got what it takes to care for a house. This is low maintenance.”
“Something tells me you’re pretty self-sufficient.”
“I actually am and thank you for saying that. Then call it laziness. I don’t have to worry about mowing the lawn, or any of those other pesky things. Could I call Gabe or my father? Sure. But I wouldn’t. Do I want to live here forever? Nope.”
No reason to voice that she wanted a house, a husband, and a kid within the next five years. That was a way to make sure it never happened.
“Glasses?” he asked.
She found some nicer ones in the back, filled them with ice, then handed them over. He poured a healthy amount of vodka in both of them while she cut the lime. He squeezed it in and dropped it down, then opened the ginger beer to pour.
She picked her glass up and clinked it against his. “Thanks. I might get spoiled and want this every night.”
“It’s best not to get too used to a good thing.”
“I feel as if there is a double meaning there.”
“Nope,” he said, sipping the drink.
“I bought beer. I wasn’t sure what you drank but noticed you had a lot of Fierce on tap so grabbed two different four-packs of that.”
“Did you want to get me drunk or think I’d come back for more? Unless you’re a beer drinker?”
“Don’t assume things about me,” she said. “I do like beer now and again. I hadn’t planned on anyone getting drunk, and whether or not you come back again is up to you. Could be I’m a horrible cook.”
“Doesn’t smell it to me,” he said. “What did you make?”
She’d asked him what he liked to eat and he said the list was shorter on what he wouldn’t eat. She found that thoughtful.
“Caprese stuffed chicken. It’s got spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella in it. It’s baking now. Creamed spinach on the side since I had it and figured I’d use it, and rice pilaf.”
“Fancy,” he said, drawing the word out.
“Hardly that. It’s a new recipe, so with any luck, it’s not horrible.”
“Anything I don’t have to cook isn’t horrible,” he said.
“You’ve got a pub to get your food at,” she said.
