Page 7 of The Replacement Wife (New Hope 2)

When the bartender placed the drink in front of her, she looked up from her phone. He nodded in my direction. Her eyes landed on me. “You.”

“I hope this isn’t too soon for you,” I said, toasting her with my water.

Her finger trailed the rim of her glass.

“A peace offering.”

Her eyes met mine. “How presumptuous of you.”

“No,” I told her. “Gentlemanly.”

“Well, at any rate, you owe me.” She twisted on her stool and brought her legs from under the bar. “My knee,” she pointed. “I think you broke it.”

I studied the bandage and then raised my brow. “Looks good as new to me.”

“Yeah, well,” she twisted back. “I guess we see what we want to see.”

“That or we aren’t looking at all,” I said, a subtle reminder who’s at fault.

“Funny.” She took a sip from her glass and then held it in my direction. “Thank you for the drink. But I don’t think we should talk anymore.” She blushed when she said it, and I wondered if the rest of her was as flawless as her face. “I’m meeting someone.”

God, she’s young. “What a coincidence. I am, as well. ”

“Your wife?” I followed her eyes to my left hand.

“No.”

Her face fell. I was expecting the opposite effect. “Oh.”

There was a lull in conversation. I knew better than to fill it.

“What’s it like?” she asked, finally. “Being married.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to talk anymore…”

She shrugs. “I’ll never see you again…” she said. “So, I just have to know the stranger I met in a bar once upon a time was happy.”

“Can I offer you a little wisdom?”

“That’s why I asked.”

“Most people you’ll meet in bars aren’t happy.”

She laughed. “But you see, I wasn’t asking about most

people.” I watched her lips as they met her glass. I felt a pang of something. Jealousy, maybe. She looked up then. “I was asking about you.”

“It’s everything,” I answered. “It’s being as happy as you’ve ever been…”

She cocked her head. I could see she thought I was joking. “Is that even a thing?”

“You tell me.”

She gaped at me. “I wouldn’t know. I’m never getting married.”

“That’s a shame.” I checked my watch. “I guess you’ll never know.”

She looked away. “Are you expecting your mistress?”