Page 7 of Just a Number (Magnolia Row #2)

RHODES

M icah walks towards me from across the brewery, and I swear time itself comes to a crawl as she moves in slow motion.

She’s stunning. The dress she’s wearing hugs her round hips and is low-cut enough to leave little to the imagination.

She doesn’t need the sweater she’s wearing, which is probably why her face is red since it’s so hot, but she’s still the most gorgeous person in this room.

“Hi,” she says, awkwardly.

“Micah, it’s great to see you again.” I want to hug her, but that may be weird. And a little forced. I’m so bad at this.

“You aren’t stalking me, are you?”

My stomach drops and I feel the blood drain from my face. I mean, I was hoping she’d be here, but I don’t think I’ve reached stalker level.

“No,” I say, probably a little more defensively than I meant. “Not at all. I didn’t know?—"

“I was joking,” she says, grabbing my arm. “Bad joke. I’m sorry.”

I sigh in relief and feel a tingle of electricity run to my spine from her hand touching my skin. “No, it’s fine. I’m going back tomorrow. I just wanted to check out the town a bit.”

“What do you think so far?” she asks as she gets the bartender’s attention and hands off her empty glass.

“You know, I’d heard about Magnolia Row, but I had no idea it would be so eclectic. It’s a nice surprise. Everything has so much personality, down to the wood grain. It’s refreshing.”

“Well, don’t go telling everyone about us. We like to keep this place a secret.”

I smile and take a sip of my beer. “Did you grow up here?” I ask, desperate to keep the conversation going.

“Yep,” she says, taking a fresh drink from the blonde lady behind the bar, who winks at her then looks at me.

“Put it on my tab,” I tell her.

“Thank you,” Micah says, lowering her head shyly. “I live with my nana. She has some health issues and can’t live alone or drive, so I take care of her.”

“That’s sweet. You two seem close.”

“Yeah, she’s my best friend. She’s raised me since I was little.”

I don’t pry, but I can tell Micah probably had a rough childhood. Kids raised by grandparents aren’t with their parents for a reason.

“What about you? Have you always lived in Birmingham?”

“Basically, yeah. I grew up in the suburbs, then went to Auburn for architecture school. I moved back after graduation and have been there since.”

“You must like living there,” she says, fidgeting with her hair like she’s nervous.

“I can’t complain.”

She looks back towards her table, where her friends are staring at us.

“Is that the girl from the coffee shop?” I ask.

“Yeah, Sistine. She owns it. She mentioned she met you.”

I laugh. “Word travels fast.”

“Welcome to Magnolia Row! Any time a stranger blows through, the whole town knows about it. A big movie finished filming here a few months ago, so you can imagine the excitement that brought.”

“Absolutely. It’s the perfect place for filming. It’s like going back in time. If I were a director, I’d absolutely want to shoot something here.”

There was an awkward pause as we nursed our beers and stared awkwardly at one another.

“I don’t want to keep you from your friends,” I say. “But if you’re free tomorrow, I’d love to take you to lunch before I hit the road.”

“She’d love to,” a voice says from behind me. I turn around to see a petite brunette with a big smile on her face.

“This is my friend, Kendall,” Micah says, and I reach out my hand.

“Rhodes Cauley.”

She stares at us, smiling.

“Um, yeah, I guess we can do lunch,” says Micah, giving Kendall the stink eye.

“Great! What’s good?”

“We can meet at Bread Crumbs at eleven?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s right by the coffee shop on Main Street. I saw it when I got to town.”

“That’s it!”

“Awesome! Well, I’ll leave you ladies alone. See you tomorrow, Micah.”

“Sounds good.”

Kendall grabs Micah’s arm and leads her back to the table. I watch as they sit and the faces of Sistine and Kendall light up, though Micah’s back is to me.

I turn to the bar, run my hands through my hair, and sigh. My first date since my divorce. It’s been five years, so it’s definitely time to put myself out there. I hope I don’t come across as uncomfortable as I feel.

I stay and pretend to listen to the band for a bit, nursing my beer and catching Micah’s eye on more than one occasion. She and her friends are obviously talking about me like schoolgirls at the lunch table, but it’s cute. It makes me feel young again.

I finish my drink, pay, and on my way out the door, I glance back to see Micah staring in my direction. She grins, embarrassed I caught her looking, and turns around to her friends. I grin, leaving the brewery with a light nervousness that makes me feel thirty years younger.