Wait. Did I transport into a rejected mate shifter romance? Those usually ended with a happy ending when the girl ended up with the boy who was oh-so-wrong but all kinds of right for her. And by “all kinds of right,” I meant he had the most impressive trouser monster in the pack.
“We have what you see on the wall behind me,” Dixon grunted.
Raff squinted at the wall of booze in front of a cloudy mirror. Someone else who was too vain to wear glasses in public. Ha! He pointed to the back row. “Fine. The best single malt you have, then.”
Dixon crossed his arms and leveled a glare at Raff that would’ve cowed bigger men. Raff lifted his chiseled jaw. Dixon squinted. Raff raised an eyebrow. It was as if these two were conversing in a way only cavemen could understand.
My phone vibrated for real this time.
Joy
How are you holding up?
Me
I’m good. So good. GOOOOOOOOOOD.
Joy
That, in fact, tells me you are not good. Far from good. Not even on the outskirts of good.
Me
*gif of Earth being destroyed by a cat with laser eyes*
Joy
Don’t distract me with laser cats, Ken.
Me
*gif of a kitten trying to jump from the back of a couch to a counter and failing miserably*
Joy
Knock it off.
Me
*gif of cute kitten knocking everything off a counter*
I’m fine. Everything’s fine. A-OK. All systems G-O. GO.
A new Salty Dog cocktail appeared before me on the bar, glistening with condensation, and I couldn't help but steal a glance at the handsome stranger seated beside me. The edge of a tattoo peeked out from beneath his green short-sleeved shirt,hinting at an intriguing and maybe salacious past. It resembled the edge of an anchor, but it could be anything.
"Are you a sailor?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
"I've floated around," Raff replied with a sly grin, revealing a set of straight, pearly white teeth framed by his soft, full lips. His smile made me momentarily forget the impending marriage of the love of my life to someone else.
Jesse.
A mental record scratch jolted me back to my current heartache.
“Ach. And we were having such a good time, too,” Raff said. “What’s with the frown?”
“My best friend is marrying someone else.”
Raff's full lips twisted into a grimace. “And you wanted her for yourself?”
