“We don’t have to have this awkward conversation.”He held his hand out toward her, and she climbed into the car.
“I didn’t mean for it to be awkward.”
He laughed.“It’s Valentine’s day, and my ex put us both together.”
“You know, I noticed, does that bother you?”
“It doesn’t.Nancy has a good heart.”
“So, you two are as close as you seem?”Maeve settled into the car as Doc moved around toward the driver’s side and climbed in.
“We’re as close as two exes can be, and we do everything we can for Charlotte.She’s my only daughter.My everything.”
“I heard about your son.I am so sorry for your loss.”
Doc looked at her.“As I am about your parents.”
“Loss sucks.”
“It certainly does.”He turned over the ignition, pulled away from the curb of her house, and took off toward the bar.
“It’s a good night.Nice weather.”She never had a hard time talking to anyone.She was quite happy to talk to anyone and just enjoy their company.
This was different.This was Doc.She had no idea why Nancy would even put the two of them together.
The drive to the bar was not long, and she noticed he did park quite a bit away from the main bar.She imagined that was down to getting out at the end of the night, which made a lot more sense.
Maeve climbed out of his car, and he was there, holding out his hand for her to take, which she did.
“Thank you.”
Doc didn’t move toward the bar, though, he pressed her up against the car.
“This doesn’t have to be awkward between us,” he said.
“It doesn’t?”
“No, forget Nancy and everything else that has put us together.Let’s just have some fun tonight.You and me.Treat it like a date between friends.”
Maeve didn’t know if she was going to be able to forget that he was Nancy’s ex.She tightened her grip on his arm.“Agreed.”But it would be nice to remove this awkwardness.
They walked to the bar, and there was already loud music coming inside.She noticed people moved out of Doc’s way as they made their way toward the bar.It felt somewhat refreshing as they did that.
Within minutes a couple of beers were placed in front of them, and Doc moved them to a corner of the bar.There were a lot of couples as well as singles enjoying the Valentine’s Day rituals.
She tilted her head back as she watched Doc take a swig of his beer.For a long time, she had silently believed him to be one of the sexiest men in town.She loved an older man, and her type had not changed in the last thirteen years, or even longer.Since she was a teenager, she was always more attracted to older, mature men.
She took a long swig of her beer, and since she had noticed Doc a few years ago, there had been a lot of moments where she’d just watched him.Kind of like a ridiculous crush.Not for a second did she imagine she’d be spending a Valentine’s Day with him.
****
Doc didn’t mind thebar, or a party, or having fun for some lame-ass event.He’d have gladly taken Maeve wherever she wanted to go.She was absolutely stunning in the dress she wore that clung to her body, enhancing the curves she possessed, making it impossible for him to even think straight.She was a stunner, no doubt about it.
Tipping his beer to his lips, he watched Maeve as she watched the bar.It was a little crazy as he stood in front of her, with her back against the wall.He had a hand on her waist, and he couldn’t take his gaze away from her.For several months now, he’d been drawn to her.
At the Easter Fair last year, he’d been able to spend quite a bit of time just watching her as she painted kids’ faces in any form they wanted.She took her time, which made some of the parents irritable, as they wanted it to be slapped on as quickly as possible.
She was an artist.Of course, he knew she was a makeup artist, but this was different.She took pride in her work, even at a silly town event where no one cared.He noticed her attention to detail.
