Violet was nowhere to be seen.
Heart sinking, Dex headed toward the bartender. He was new, and Dex couldn’t recall the guy’s name. “Hey, is Violet working today?”
“Nah.” He gave an apologetic smile. “We swapped shifts. Can I get you anything?”
Dex ordered a beer because it seemed rude not to. He dropped a tip in the jar and took the pint to a stool at the opposite end of the bar.
Well, this was a bust. Now he was day drinking alone.
Dex pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Violet.
Dex:
You’re not working this afternoon?
Violet:
No. I’m out of town for Luna’s cousin’s wedding. We’ll be back tomorrow night.
Dex:
That’s right. Have fun!
He’d forgotten the wedding was coming up. Luna was Violet’s girlfriend. They’d been together since all three of them graduated from college. Violet had studied art with Dex, and he’d met her in a pottery class in their first year.
One of Violet’s steel sculptures was mounted on the wall behind him, her work as bold as she was. Dex loved it, even if he personally hated using metal as a medium. Welding was not his thing. But Violet kicked ass at it.
Dex sipped his beer and opened his email app, readingthrough his messages. His realtor had sent one a few hours ago outlining the open home she’d organized for this weekend. Dex hit reply and stared blankly at the new message field.
Knowing his first open home was around the corner released some of the tension from his shoulders and immediately filled him with guilt. What would his parents think of him selling the home they’d loved so much?
He remembered painting the living room with his parents in high school. His dad had stepped in a paint tray and ruined his shoes, and his mom hadn’t stopped laughing.
Dex’s chest tightened, and he rubbed his sternum. That weekend had been so fun, but these days, seeing the soft blue accent wall left him cold and empty.
He had a long sip of beer and replied to the realtor. Getting out of the damn condo was well overdue. It was a time capsule that he couldn’t bring himself to change, and it was stifling him. He had to escape. It was hard to believe he’d found living there soothing a few years ago.
With the email sent, Dex placed his phone face down on the bar. That was his life admin done. Maybe he should head over to his pottery studio after he finished his drink.
The stool next to Dex scraped along the floor, and he turned, finding a tall man beside him.
“Mind if I join you?”
Dex blinked.
Had this guy walked off a fall photoshoot or something? He wore a black coat that no one in their right mind would wear during summer, and it looked expensive as hell. His hair was perfectly sculpted, effortless waves framing his chiseled face, and he stood as if he were posing, but in a way that seemed natural, like he was so used to displaying himself in the best light that he didn’t need to think about it.
Dex’s body flashed hot, and he cleared his throat. “I don’t mind.”
The man set his beer on the bar and unbuttoned his coat, revealing dark slacks and a dress shirt undone at the collar. Even as he sat, their height difference was apparent.
Dex’s face heated, and he sipped his drink. Hooking up hadn’t been on his radar for the afternoon, but damn, it was now.
“I’m Luc.” He extended a pale, long-fingered hand with blunt wine-red painted nails.
Dex swallowed, his throat parched despite the recent sip of beer. “Dex.” He shook Luc’s hand, his palm warm and grip firm, but not in an obnoxious way.
Luc’s thin red lips turned upward. He had to be wearing a lip stain to get that kind of color. “Dex. Is that short for anything?”
