Page 35 of Striking Heat

“Thanks. Appreciate it. Johnny Walker sounds good to me.”

Mac starts to walk away so she can get back to work, but I call her back.

“Hey, Mac?”

“Yeah?” she says, walking back over with a sly smile on her face.

I return it with one of my own. “How much longer are you working?”

“I don’t know. Why?” She looks from me to John and back. Her eyes are searching for an answer that’s on the tip of my tongue.

“Just curious,” I reply. I want to keep her guessing. I want to keep her on her toes. And John… he should hit bricks. I want to talk to her tonight, and I don’t want him to.

Mac rolls her eyes and walks away from us without another word.

“So, are you two, like, dating or something?” John asks me after Mac is back on the other side of the bar, talking to customers and her friends.

I grab a pretzel from the nearby dish. “Nope, not dating.”

“Are you trying to date her?”

“Nope,” I say and take a long sip of the beer she just brought me.

“Then how do you know her so well?” He watches me, and when I finally turn my attention in his direction, he speaks again. “I can tell there’s something. Just level with me.”

I nod. “Alright, I can do that. I wrote an unflattering article about her. She’s not my biggest fan.”

“Huh, she doesn’t seem to mind you so much tonight,” he admits. Disappointment settles on his face as he looks wistfully in her direction.

“We just like to tease each other.” I don’t wanna give him hope, but I also don’t want to give him any hope.

“I’m guessing you helping me learn more about her is out of the question, then, huh?”

I shrug. “You seem to have been doing alright before I got here.”

John laughs and shakes his head. “Yeah,beforeyou got here. Emphasis on the before part.”

I nod and don’t say anything else. My scotch becomes more interesting by the second. I’m not sure what the guy wants me to say. He’s got her attention, even I can see that. She steals glances our way, either to see if we’re talking or to see if he’s still here. I don’t engage with her anymore. I just keep focusing on my drink and my phone.

Mac comes back down the bar an hour later. John and I are both still here. We’ve talked a little bit, but not about anything too exciting.

“Hey, you need anything?” she asks him,

He smiles and leans in closer to her. A hand coming across the bar, fingertips brushing across her hand. “Do you ever give strange men in bars your number?”

I hate how her smile lights up. “I haven’t done that in a long time. Since college, maybe,” Mac admits with a shrug.

“How long ago was that?” John asks.

Mac’s cheeks flush a pretty pink, and I grip the glass tighter. I hate that he’s making her blush.

“Just a few months ago, actually.”

“Ah, a young one.” He pulls his hands away and leans back to watch her.

“Why? Am I that much younger than you?” Her voice is annoyingly playful.

“I may have a good ten years on you,” he admits. “Would that bother you?”