We clinked them and threw back our drinks simultaneously, then slammed the empties on the bar.
“Wow, you downed that like a champ.” He lifted an eyebrow.
It burned my throat, but I refused to even sniffle.
“I’m no stranger to liquor.” I shrugged, until I realized howit sounded. “Not in an alcoholic way, of course. I can appreciate it, is all.”
“Good to know. Not every woman can handle the hard stuff.”
I had to clench my teeth to keep the dad joke inside.
Kai was already diagnosing me as a not-like-the-other-girls cool girl even though it wasn’t how I identified. Whatever, it seemed to be working for me.
It took a few seconds for me to come to terms with the fact that after manifesting this moment for weeks, it was actually happening. Kai and I werehanging out. We had an ongoing virgin joke, and we’d done a shot together.
Was he in love with me yet?
And almost as important, was my muse back?
“What’s with the yellow?” Kai pointed at my dress. “You look fantastic, but you should be wearing the team colors. Happy birthday, America!”
He gestured to his button-down featuring a red, white, and blue popsicle print; red shorts; and boat shoes. Post-shot was not the appropriate time to get into the fact that I was a citizen of our country, not a rabid fan, especially given the political climate.
“I don’t know. I just wanted to wear this. And I sort of forgot, to be honest.”
“Well, you’re making it work.” Kai grinned at me, and I felt my cheeks go warm at the compliment.
The party lights under the tents came on and the DJ seemed to take it as his cue to level up the music.
“Nice. Hungry Man is amazing,” Kai said as he bobbed his head. “I saw him do a set in Ibiza, and it changed my life.”
I laughed, only to realize that he was serious. I’d never been to Ibiza and it was my first exposure to “Hungry Man,” so whoknew? I was banking on connecting with a stranger to mystically help my writing; maybe a life-changing DJ set should also be within the realm of possibilities?
A group walked over to the bar, so we stepped away to give them room. I held my breath, waiting for Kai to go find someone more exciting to talk to, but he seemed totally focused on me, to my delight and terror.
“Let’s sit.” He pointed to a grouping of teak furniture that was off to the side, with thick navy cushions that didnotlook weatherproof. “But first... another drink. What can I bring you?”
“Gentleman’s choice,” I said coquettishly. I heard Meredith’s voice in my head, cautioning me about accepting open drinks from strangers, so I craned my neck to watch him take the glass of wine from the unhappy bartender.
His hand remained on the stem the entire time.
He served it to me with a flourish. “Starting the night off nice and easy.”
“Minus that shot,” I reminded him.
“Nah, it was nothing more than light pregaming; you’re good.” He dropped down beside me on the couch. “So what do you do when you’re not living it up in the Hamptons, Brooke?”
After imagining it for weeks, my name coming out of his mouth didn’t seem real. I was thankful for the shot warming my belly and taking the edge off my nerves. I took a gulp of my wine.
“I’m a writer. Mainly romances.”
“Nice.” He nodded. “I gotta admit, I’m not much of a reader. I get bored.” He paused. “Is that bad?”
I realized that my expression must’ve shifted from liquor-drinking cool girl to mild horror.
“Maybe you’ve been reading the wrong books?” I offered quickly. I took another gulp of wine that brought my glass down to a quarter full. “What sort of stuff are you into?”
“Nothing that’s in a book.” He laughed. “So talk to me about pickleball. When did you start playing?”
