The bartender handed me my drink, a gin and tonic. The glass was cool and slick, condensation gathering already, and somehow, I fumbled and it slid out of my hand, clattering to the bar and splashing the person standing next to me. I didn’t look at him before grabbing a handful of cocktail napkins from the caddy. “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”
“It’s—wait,Micah Pollard?”
My gaze snapped up then, and fell on a tall, muscular man who I immediately recognized as my childhood best friend. A grin crept onto my face, heat rushing through me. “Asher Morris?” He looked the same, except grown up… and hot. I’d always been a sucker for strength, and by the looks of his thick arms, he was definitely strong. I had a sudden vision of him tossing me onto a bed and my cheeks heated, my stomach doing a somersault. I shook my head at myself. What was I thinking? I’d only just seen the guy for the first time in maybe twenty years. Why did my brain always default to the sexiest situation possible? “I amsosorry,” I repeated, trying to refocus my mind on the situation at hand.
He chuckled and took the cocktail napkins from me. “It’s fine. God, I’m going to smell like pine needles all night, aren’t I?”
“Juniper, actually,” the bartender said with a little grin. He handed us two clean hand-towel-sized bar rags before sweeping the ice cubes into the well.
“Right,” Asher muttered. “Juniper.” As he mopped the mess off his shirt with beautiful, broad hands and the bar rag, he looked at me. “What are you doing here? I thought you moved to… Vermont?”
I nodded. “And then New York. I’m down here for work.”
“Yeah? What are you up to these days?”
The bartender handed me a fresh drink, and I took it in both hands, carefully setting it in front of me. “I’m a set designer on TV shows. I’m here withHeartland Overhaul. We’re working on the old post office right now.”
Asher took two beers from the bartender and tipped his head to the side curiously. “Really? What a coincidence.”
“You’ve heard of it?”
“It’s a small town. I’ve heard of it. As a matter of fact, the foreman, Jake, just hired me to be the carpenter for the current project. I was at the site earlier today.”
Of course he was a carpenter. That explained the arms. He’d always been good at building things, even as a kid. I lightly pounded a fist on the bar top and laughed. “Small world.”
He chuckled. “Small town.” Before I could speak again, Asher glanced over his shoulder and nodded at someone standing by the pool tables.
I cleared my throat. “Oh, shit. Sorry. Are you here with someone?”
“Oh, no. I mean, yes, but not like that. That’s Jackson, my best friend. You want to come say hi?”
“Yeah, of course.” I slid off the bar stool and grabbed my drink—firmly in hand—before following Asher across the room.
He handed Jackson the second beer and gestured toward me. “This is Micah. We were friends when we were kids. Micah, this is Jackson.”
I offered my hand to shake and nodded. “Great to meet you, man.”
Jackson grinned at me and leaned in. “Well, aren’t you adorable?”
With a laugh, I winked at him. “Some people say that.”
Asher put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder and tugged him back, away from me. “Alright, alright. He’s straight. Leave him alone.”
“Actually…” I said with a laugh. “I’m pansexual.”
Jackson leaned forward again. “Oh really?” He drew out the vowels on “really” a bit longer than necessary. “Cuteandqueer? I never get this lucky.”
“Jack,” Asher said sharply, a warning growl in his tone.
Jackson blinked at him innocently. “What? Just trying to offer the newcomer a warm welcome.” He smirked.
I smiled and shook my head. “I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. But I just got out of a relationship, actually. It ended kind of messy. I’m not sure I’m ready for anything, not even a rebound.”Messywas an understatement. My ex had been toxic and controlling and the breakup had been explosive and dramatic. I was glad to be away from him.
Jackson sighed and shrugged. “Just my luck. Maybe another time, then.” He meandered away to the other side of the pool table and began racking the balls.
Asher looked at me curiously. “Pansexual, huh? I didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t come out until I moved to New York. Didn’t actually date anyone until then, either. Kind of a late bloomer, I guess. After that, there were lots of people—men,women, non-binary, all along the spectrum.” He shifted, looking uncomfortable, so I pivoted. “How about you? Seeing anyone these days?”
