“You know we’re not going to be able to talk once we get there,” Evie said.
She was right; it would likely be too loud.
“Do you even want to talk? Or just get drunk?” she asked.
As I gripped the grimy pole to keep from losing my footing, I stared out the window at the passing concrete. All my thoughts and emotions were bubbling up inside me, busting to come out. I was afraid if I let them out, said anything, they wouldn’t make enough sense to keep on my current path. And Evie would make sure to point that out.
“No talking tonight for me, what about you?”
“Same.”
Her voice was sad. Get a couple drinks in her and I had a feeling the words would be flowing. It was OK, that’s what we did for each other.
“Where do you want to go?” she asked.
“I was thinking we could go to Maxwell’s.” Their outdoor space was amazing in the warmer weather, but the bar was nice enough inside as well. Plus, I was fairly certain it would not attract a Parker brother. Even though Chase lived on the Upper West Side, not too far from there, he mentioned karaoke. This bar definitely did not have that.
“Perfect,” Evie replied.
As we walked into the bar, we realized we didn’t have a novel idea.
“Shit, a lot of people go out during the week, huh? Definitely no talking tonight.” Evie grabbed my hand as we snaked our way through the crowd toward the bar. We only found one open stool, so we used it to put our bags and coats on as we stood around it trying to get the bartender’s attention.
“Christ, do you think every bar in this godforsaken city is this packed every night?” Evie had to almost scream so I could hear.
Finally, the guy came toward us. Once he did, I wasn’t disappointed.
He had dark hair that hit the tops of his shoulders, and dark chocolate eyes with long lashes that curled better than mine. The black Maxwell’s shirt he wore was stretched tight across his muscled chest and arms. What really stood out were the dimples as he smiled at us from across the bar.
“Hi, ladies, what can I get you?” he asked.
Evie, being who she was, didn’t hold back. She bent over the bar so he could hear her but made sure to give him a view of her as well.
“That’s a dangerous question to ask us on this particular night.”
His look changed from flirtation to curiosity, back to flirtation as his attention focused on Evie.
“I’m listening,” he responded.
“Oh, you don’t want the dirty details, trust me. Just know that if you really want to give me what I want, it’ll have to be after hours. What time do you get off?”
And now I knew what kind of night we were going to be having. Evie was inthatkind of mood. Obviously, Gregory really pissed her off this time, maybe enough for her to end it. She wasn’t a cheater. For her to offer herself up to a stranger wasn’t completely out of character, but she wouldn’t do it while in a relationship, no matter how casual it was.
“I’m Evie, by the way, and this is my bestie, Maryellen.” She reached across the bar even further and shook his hand while he nodded at me. His attention went immediately back to Evie. And I get it, she was hot. She was sexy and sultry in a Hollywood actress type of way with her hourglass shape and long straightdark hair. Her presence commanded attention in any room she was in.
“Well, Evie, my name is Declan, and lucky for you, I get off work in about an hour. Until then, can I get you ladies a drink?”
She continued talking to him once she gave him our order, probably making plans for later. It now appeared our night together wouldn’t be as late as I thought if she was going to be heading out with him, which was fine. It was a Tuesday after all. Leaning against the bar, I scanned the people surrounding us and noticed no one I recognized, which gave me a measure of comfort.
“Here ya go,” a voice said behind me.
Declan placed a glass of white wine on the shiny wood in front of me. His warm smile made me happy for Evie; he seemed nice.
“You OK if I head out with him when he gets off?” she asked.
“That’s a rhetorical question, right?”
She laughed, both of us knowing I had no say in it. But she did want to make sure I was OK getting home alone. We always knew we would Uber home at times like this.
