Glancing back her way, I watched as she studiously made another shot. She was good at pool.
But then a cowboy type rolled right up on her, pulling Amy into a familiar hug. A man didn’t hug a woman like that unless he was all up in her business.
Those two hadfuckedbefore. I was certain of it.
Her t-shirt had been advertising her true preferences.
She didn’t want a man like me. She wanted the hat and the flashy boots.
I was just a mountain dude with dried dirt on my work boots and an old, frayed t-shirt on under my flannel. Nothing flashy here.
I groaned as the man hugged Amy for a second too long, and Wade shook his head. “Sorry dude. You can’t win them all.”
“But Iwant,” I whined.
Wade laughed. “Not going to happen. Iknowwomen. This one doesn’t want you. She wantshim.”
I let out a scoff as my mood soured. “Oh, you really know women? How many years did it take you to tell Aster how you felt about her?”
But Wade just gave me the smile of a contented man. He’d found the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with. I was still stuck in the search.
The last date I’d gone on had been an absolute disaster. Well, maybe not for the woman. It had been set up by her friend, and when I showed up with flowers in hand, Gwen had no idea Emerald had arranged for me to come by.
So, I’d stood there with those flowers, feeling like a fool asanotherman took that moment to declare his undying love for her. And there went my date.
Turned out Knox and Gwen were a cute couple, but it didn’t exactly help me end my solo days.
Waving at Max, I hollered out, “Can I get another beer here?”
Chapter 5
Amy
Ugh. Save me from tonight.
Chris was on me and pulling me into a bear hug before I even knew he’d spotted me.
“Amy, it’s been way too long. And damn, girl, don’t you look fine tonight?”
He planted a kiss on my cheek, just like he had with his date a few minutes ago.
“Hi Chris,” I told him as I put the pool stick down and stepped away from the table.
We were still friendly with each other. The split hadn’t been a total disaster.
It had just made me feel like he’drentedme for six months before getting tired of sleeping with the same woman and choosing a different, fresher version of me.
The trouble was he’d sold me a fine vision of our future life together. The man could talk a good game. And all he had to do was bat his baby blues, and women seemed to go weak in the knees for him.
At leastIhad.
But those days were over.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as he reached out and touched my elbow.
I pulled back out of his grasp. “Just hanging with the girls. I didn’t know you ever came out this way.”
“Ah, well, I’m here with my friend, Mary, tonight. She lives here on Red Oak.”
