Page 8

First Dates and Bars

“I just think you should be required by law to tell someone if you’re the returning cornhole champions,” MJ said, beer halfway to her lips. Ronnie Roo’s was the perfect unwind for the four of us after MJ and I had lost epically to the resident sharks in town. “There should be a firm declaration.”

“Define champion,” Elizabeth said, in earnest. “We won last week. But not the week before. So by that token, do we declare forever or only right after a win?” Both of these women were ultra-competitive, and I was here for the watch party.

Devyn threaded her fingers through Elizabeth’s at the high-top table we occupied in the bar. She had her blond hair in a ponytail, the picture of sporty and cute. It reminded me of her head cheerleader days. “Elizabeth’s right,” Devyn said. “We’re merely trying to make our way in this big cornhole universe.” She blinked her eyes in innocence that nobody bought. She was a former big-city wheeler and dealer in the corporate real estate world, taking no prisoners. When Devyn went after something, she generally achieved it. Elizabeth had a way of turning her into a warm puddle, however, which was fun to watch in real time.

“I feel like we were hustled tonight,” MJ said to me. We’d teamed up in the weekly tournament and hadn’t had the best showing. Devyn and Elizabeth smoked us easily in round one, followed by an apologetic Maya and Jason for our final elimination.

I touched my glass of Sav Blanc to her pint glass of some local IPA. “I don’t disagree. I’m fairly confident they practice in their backyard while the rest of us sleep.”

Elizabeth nodded solemnly. “You’ve figured us out.”

Devyn shook her head, grinning. “Another round?”

MJ waved her off. “I have an early round of showings in the morning.”

“What about you, Savanna?” Devyn asked.

I was enjoying myself, so why not? “I’m in.”

“Awesome. Be right back.” Devyn disappeared to the bar, and Elizabeth merged into a conversation at the next high-top over with her friend, Dexter, and his fiancée, Amber. Dexter was my strong, bald occasional gym friend who didn’t take any prisoners. When I needed a spotter, Dex was always there. I was surprised when Amber had managed to land him in a forever, head-over-heels relationship. He hadn’t seemed the type until she’d shown up. But that’s what love did, it changed everything you knew about yourself.

MJ met my gaze. “Hey.”

“Hey, back.”

“Today was great,” she said, covering my hand with hers. “I had fun being on your team and listening to you trash talk.”

“It’s the only part of the game I’m good at. I’m sorry about that last round.” I tossed in a wince. “I feel personally responsible for this tragic loss in the parking lot of the hardware store.”

“It’s probably something we’ll never forget. I really wish you’d tried harder.” She leaned in as she broke into a smile and we laughed together. It was nice, enjoying a moment with her. I was comfortable around her and at ease. I also liked the way she teased me. “Want to get together again sometime? Just us?”

The insinuation was clear. A second date. Bam. I was all for it. “Yes. Let’s do dinner,” I said, feeling confident in the decision. “There’s a new little seafood place just outside of town I’ve been meaning to try. It was reviewed by Alexis Wakefield on her blog, so everyone around here’s been feeling a little famous.”

“Oh, I like her. She’s funny in her reviews. Decided. We have to go.” She glanced at her phone. “Speaking of going, I’m getting concerned about the amount of prep I have to do tonight for my appointment tomorrow. I usually have comps pulled and figures ready to go, and I’m behind.”

“Then get out of here already. I’ll be heading out soon, too. Working in the morning.”

She stood and slid her bag onto her arm. “I’m jealous of your job. The grocery store seems like such a cheerful place.”

“Most people don’t get that,” I said, standing up, too.

She ran a hand from my shoulder to my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I wish I could stay longer.”

I smiled and threaded our fingers. It wasn’t a good night kiss, but it was a step. “Me, too. I’ll reach out about that dinner.”

“I can’t wait,” she said, backing away and waving with both hands.

MJ dashed off to say goodbye to Devyn and Elizabeth as I exhaled, alone at the table and catching my breath. The second half of the day had been a much-needed reprieve from my own thoughts. I’d redirected them back to the friends I was with anytime they tried to drift…elsewhere. I’d just have to keep doing that. It was that simple.

Devyn arrived back at the table, placed a drink in front me, and leaned across the table, her palms flat. “So, who do we think the mysterious brunette is at the bar? She’s pulling an audience. The men are tickled, but I’m getting the vibe she’s not into them.”

My stomach went tight. I had a feeling I knew exactly who she was describing. “Oh. Damn.”

“What?” Devyn asked, an eyebrow arched. She turned back to the bar, attempting to see what had pulled my response.

I threw a glance behind me and confirmed the suspicion. “That’s…Kyle.” The sound of her laugh hit, and I closed my eyes briefly at the familiar sound. She had her hair down. The thick, dark strands fell halfway down her back with a hint of a wave. She wore a forest green sweater and what looked to be dark jeans or pants from what I could see. The bartender laughed at something she said, and Frazier Jeffries, who seemed to own his barstool, watched her in utter fascination, probably thinking it was his lucky night. He was single these days and let everyone know how wonderful a pot of chili he made. I grimaced. She turned to him and offered a full wattage smile as my stomach roiled. I had prepared myself to see her in the wild, but I wasn’t prepared for it to happen so soon and with Frazier smiling like a happy cat about to have dinner. Deep breath. Nothing to see there.

Elizabeth, mid conversation, whirled around. “Did you just say Kyle ? Surely not the Kyle.”

“The Kyle,” I said simply.

“Who is The Kyle?” Devyn asked in full squint. “And how do you both know her?”

Elizabeth was immediately at her side. “Last year, Savanna had this sexy whirlwind weekend with The Kyle and they made a pledge to meet a year later on this suspension bridge in Charleston. Crazy romantic, right? Guess who didn’t show?”

I couldn’t hear this story again. “I’ll speed this along. Not me.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. One of the most humiliating things that had ever happened to me was becoming a wider known story, and it pained me.

“Why is she here?” Elizabeth asked, whirling back to me. “Is she trying for a second chance?”

“She said she’s always wanted to see the Bay,” I said, using the local shorthand. I caught them up on the rest of my conversation with Kyle, including her invitation to talk at some point. “I don’t think I’m interested in that conversation anymore,” I said, just in time for another round of Kyle’s laughter to float across our conversation like a freezing cold blanket.

“You just winced,” Elizabeth pointed out. “She’s getting under your skin. Do you want to go?”

“No,” I said emphatically.

“Who cares about her?” Devyn said with a dismissive shrug. “You have things starting to cook with MJ, who is awesome and smart, and very pretty, by the way.” Devyn was practical, and in that moment, made a ton of sense. In fact, I longed to be more like her. Devyn owned every situation she walked into like the calm, cool, and collected corporate badass she was. With, of course, the exception of Elizabeth Draper, who’d turned her life upside down and dismantled everything she thought she knew about herself. It had been amazing, the way the two of them had fallen desperately in love when Devyn had returned to town. If love had been my goal, these two would be the blueprint. Luckily, it wasn’t. If anything, getting to know MJ might be a recipe for sexy fun, and I could certainly use a little of that in my life.

“Good point. Bring on more MJ.” I tossed back some wine like it was a shot. See, look how carefree! This wasn’t Kyle’s bar. It was great she was there, the more the merrier. I wasn’t about to lose another moment’s thought over the situation. We’d all moved on from the events in Charleston. There was a period at the end of that sentence.

“In fact…” I smiled with confidence at my friends. “Be right back.”

“Um, Savanna,” Elizabeth called from behind me. “Are you sure you wanna…?”

I waved her off, determined to make my presence known and extinguish anything awkward. I arrived at the bar and paused two seats down from Kyle, placing my forearms on the polished oak surface. “Hey, Sean. We’ll take an order of mozzarella sticks at table four when you have a chance.”

Sean began typing on his mobile screen. “You got it, Savanna.”

At the mention of my name, Kyle turned mid-conversation. When her gaze found mine, everything about her softened. Her shoulders. Her eyes. Her entire demeanor. I blinked, caught off guard. I’d spent months constructing her villain persona. She couldn’t come in here and soften at my presence , torpedoing the whole project. That wasn’t how this worked. I needed her to behave like a self-centered bitch. Why wasn’t that happening?

“Hi, Savanna.”

I wished her voice wasn’t butter smooth. “Hi.” I flashed a brief smile and then faced the front, waiting for Sean to run my card for the food I didn’t actually want. We’d grabbed tacos from the truck on the beach after cornhole, making this whole exercise now feel manipulative and like a big ole staged show. For what?

“How was your date?”

“My date?” I blanked. That’s right. I’d had one of those. I took a minute to remember the details, off balance. “You know, it was nice.” That needed more. “ Fabulous , actually. We lost the cornhole tournament, but what are you gonna do? There was so much laughter, though.” I nodded eight times. “Which is what you want. At a tournament.” A nod. A shoulder lift. “On a date or whatever.” I was awful at playing it cool. I struggled with aloof. I needed lessons, I realized, as my heart hammered endlessly.

“I don’t have a clue what cornhole is, but I’m sorry you weren’t victorious. Laughing is my favorite, too.”

Damn her and her serenity. She didn’t need lessons.

Kyle gestured to an empty stool. “Do you want to join us?”

My gaze moved from Frazier to Kyle to Sean. All eyes were on me. “No, no,” I said, springing back into animation. I hooked a thumb behind me. “My friends are waiting for me.” Kyle turned, so I did, too, just in time to see Devyn and Elizabeth instantly look away, feigning exaggerated interest in the décor, the table, and each other. Zero points awarded for believability.

“Ah, I see. No worries at all.” She sipped her drink, which I recognized as Sean’s Old Fashioned. He was pretty proud of that recipe. Something about walnut bitters. I wondered what she thought of the bar. Apparently, I wouldn’t find out because Frazier had launched into a speech about tax season and what a bitch it was this year. His amazing pot of chili was surely next. I closed out the check and returned to my table, off center and feeling unsatisfied by the whole exchange.

“How’d that go?” Devyn asked.

“She’s really pretty, isn’t she?” Elizabeth said, risking another glance back.

“Um, I’m not exactly sure how it went. Fine, I guess?” I told Devyn. My mind raced. “She was nice. Again.” I turned to Elizabeth and nodded. “And hot, which she has no right being, because this is my town. I should get to be the hot one.”

“Maybe she thinks you are,” Devyn said.

“Not helping,” Elizabeth said quietly.

“It’s fine,” I said, waving the whole thing off. “Totally fine.”

“Which is what all fine people say,” Devyn pointed out.

They exchanged a look. I was confident they saw how rattled I’d been on the return.

“It’s okay to be thrown for a loop,” Elizabeth said softly. “It was pretty bold of her to show up in your hometown, in your Airbnb of all places. She could have reached out first. Seen how you felt about her coming to stay.”

“That’s true. A thoughtful person would have done just that.”

“She’s a doctor, you know,” Elizabeth said quietly to Devyn, whose eyebrows hit her hairline.

“Lots of people are doctors,” I said automatically, refusing to hand out the credit. “Anyway, MJ and I are going to dinner soon. It’s like the stars aligned and sent her at the exact right time.”

An order of mozzarella sticks was placed in the center of our table. I lifted my gaze to thank Sean only to see that Kyle had delivered them. She shrugged. “He seemed busy and I wanted to introduce myself to your friends.”

“Why?” I should have maybe said that in a nicer tone, but my mouth had lost its filter in Kyle’s presence, apparently.

“Because I’m friendly and nosy and wanted you all to have your mozzarella before it got cold sitting on that bar waiting for Steve to walk it over.” That shut me up.

“That’s friendly of you,” Elizabeth said conservatively. “I’m Elizabeth and this is Devyn, who I’m desperately in love with.”

Kyle nodded. “It’s awesome to meet you both. I’m Kyle, a friend of Savanna’s.”

“Oh, we know,” Devyn said with pointed eye contact. She was so good at this.

Kyle shifted her aqua blue eyes to me, her brow furrowed. “At least, I hope we’re still friends. I suppose time will tell.”

“Sean,” I said.

“I’m sorry?”

“His name is Sean, the bartender. You called him Steve. He’s a friend of ours, so just wanted to set that straight.”

Kyle’s mouth formed the shape of an O and she placed a hand on her chest. “That’s on me. I’m so sorry. Sean, from now on.”

“And that rhymes,” Elizabeth said with an uneasy smile. She never was one for tension and would do anything in her power to make choppy waters calm.

Kyle offered her a smile and tapped the table. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your evening and the cheese sticks.”

Once she was out of earshot, Elizabeth’s eyes went wide. “Wow. So that’s Kyle. Wow. Wow. Wow. I get it.”

I closed my eyes, knowing exactly what she meant. Kyle was gorgeous up close and had presence for days, more so than my memory had even allowed for. “That’s her,” I said with a sigh.

“And you’re certain we can’t forgive her?” Elizabeth asked, having totally changed her tune. The Kyle effect, I realized.

I leaned forward. “Do not get weak on me just because she’s friendly and has impressive lips. She’s a no-call, no-show variety.”

“You’re totally right,” Elizabeth said weakly, her eyes darting toward the bar and back. “She’s tricky, though,” she whispered. “Because she seems human and nice.”

I touched my forefinger to the table. “We will not fall for her smile, her hair, or her charisma.”

Devyn looked between us. “I’m Team Savanna. But I need marching orders. Are we icing her out? I’m the best at that.”

Elizabeth’s eyebrows dipped with concern. “Icing is hard, but I can do it.” She folded her arms as if closing herself off. I felt awful, because that actually wasn’t what I wanted for anyone. Plus, I wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing. I simply knew that I was feeling defensive and not sure which end was up.

“No. No icing. I’m going to be myself and you should be yourselves, too.” I sighed. “It’s such a unique situation.” I lowered my voice in case it carried to the bar. “We were never in a relationship. It was one weekend, but it affected me.”

“It would affect anyone,” Devyn said quietly. “You waited a year, anticipated the meetup, and were ghosted.”

I shook my head. “I don’t hate her, though. I just don’t want to get mixed up with her again. I’ll be nice and ride out her short stay in town. It’s just a few days. How hard can it be?”

Devyn raised an eyebrow.

“Pshh.” Elizabeth reached across the table and covered my hand. “If anyone is capable of being the bigger person, it’s you, Savanna. I have all the faith in your ability to protect yourself and hold your head high with grace.”

I exhaled slowly, feeling better just having a plan. “This town may be small, but it is definitely big enough for the both of us.”