Embarrassment swamped me once more, and my stomach did a jig as I took notice of his heat pressed against my side. “Do you want the truth?” Maybe I could blame the half a mouthful of booze for the burning desire to share with him... or maybe it was his steady gaze glued to my face, as if I were the most interesting person in the world.
“Yes.”
I spun the tumbler around until a ring of condensation circles decorated the table. “I usually get judgy looks for ordering anything else, either from the people I’m with or the bartender or server. Inevitably someone brings up the calorie count of the various drinks people ordered. Vodka tonics are a skinny-person drink.”
He leaned back and knocked his knee against my leg. “What would you prefer?”
“Dark beer,” I said without hesitation. “Any kind. I’m not picky.”
He winked, and my face felt like it was two feet from the sun. “I’ll be back.”
The music rolled over me and washed away some of my humiliation. I tried to focus on the stage while calling myself a hundred different names for stupid as I cut my attention between the performers and Mr. Guidry’s back at the bar.
Wick, he’d asked me to call him Wick. I covered my smile with my hand. God, I knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but it was nice to finally get closer to him. When he returned, he slid a beer in front of me and made a big show of depositing the vodka tonic on the far side of the table. We were both grinning when he was done. I took a sip of the beer and immediately the rich taste washed the medicinal horror of the vodka tonic from my palate.
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” He leaned his shoulder against mine, and for a moment his brow furrowed and he appeared confused, but then he smiled again. “I’m not about to judge your tastes because I happen to know they’re exquisite.” He gave my sleeve a little tug that sent a streak of heat directly to my groin, and I took a long sip of my beer to try to ignore my reaction, but he smelled good and he felt good, and he was... being himself.
“Thank you again, W—Wick.”
His eyebrows danced upward and he smirked.
Holy Jesus, this man was going to set me on fire with that look.
“Three! Is that you?” My cousin Lacey was loud and always had been, and she danced around near the table in a tiny black dress that barely covered her behind. Her hair was short in a pixie cut, which was good because she’d always sort of reminded me of some fantastical character come to life. The hoop in her bottom lip glinted as she slid around the curved booth to my side and threw her arms around me. “You are out! You aren’t sitting in that boat of yours on the lake! You aren’t hiding with a book in your house! Are you okay?”
She’d clearly been drinking, but she was sweet, so I didn’t get as irritated with her as I might’ve someone else when she sat back and beamed at me. Wick stiffened at my side.
“And who is this lovely lady?” he drawled, but he didn’t offer to shake her hand like he had with Indy.
Lacey beamed at him, obviously not catching the frost in his tone—or not caring. “I’m Lacey! I’m Three’s cousin.”
“Three?” Wick frowned at me.
I groaned. “I’m Maurice Winston Baranovthe third.”
“Three,” Lacey said, nodding. “I’m his mom’s sister’s daughter. And who might you be?”
“Wick Guidry.” I wasn’t sure when his arm had snuck across the back of the booth, but he dropped it to my shoulders, and I wasn’t in any hurry to shrug him off. He reached for her hand, and I knew what was coming when he leaned closer, but it burned to watch him playfully brush his lips over her knuckles. “I am charmed, Miss Lacey.”
She laughed hysterically, thanks to the alcohol in her system—although, she might’ve done that anyway—and plopped hard against the back of the booth at my side. Then, out of nowhere, she punched my arm.
“Hey!”
She pointed at me and scowled. “That guy from your office? The one I met at the barbecue you had?”
“Edgar Celestine,” I mumbled, the trouble from earlier making me groan. “He’s been bugging me all week.”
The arm over my shoulder tightened.
She shook her head. “I told him I would only go on a date with him if it’s a double date with you and someone else, and now he’s asking if I have a girlfriend for you. Didn’t you tell him?”
I shushed her and could feel the questioning look from Wick. I ignored it.
The beer in front of me was a nice distraction, so I drained half the glass. “Can’t you just tell him no?”
She shrugged and her bottom lip jutted. “I hate confrontation. Normally I would ghost him, but he works with you.”
