His to Love (Fireside #1)(35)

“Looks delicious,” I told him when his attention was finally on me. “Can I have a margarita too, please?”

I nodded toward the table of women who were sitting at a high-top, laughing loudly, and looking like they were having a great time. A small ache pierced my chest as Charlie, based on the nametag, turned and filled my drink order. I never had a group of friends like these women. They seemed so close as they boisterously teased one another, laughing loudly and unabashedly.

Turning away, I smiled as Charlie placed the drink in front of me.

“Anything else I can get for you?” Charlie asked.

“A menu, please,” I said, and then changed my mind. “Actually, I already know what I want.”

“Well that’s rare,” he said, grinning.

“What is?”

“A woman who knows what she wants.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes at his flirtatious teasing. “I’ll take a buffalo burger, please. If you can manage that.”

Charlie leaned forward on the bar and placed his elbows on the bar top. “Knows what she wants and has a great appetite. My kind of lady.”

“Does flirting with all your customers help your tips?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

“Yes,” he answered drily.

“Then I’ll keep it in mind. As long as the burger is good.”

He stepped back and patted the bar. “That burger’s the best there is in the state.”

“I have no doubt. I bet Declan is a great cook.”

The waiter turned from his register where he had been punching in my order and arched a brow. “You know Declan?”

“I met him once. We have a mutual friend, I suppose you could say.”

“And would that friend be a man?” Charlie asked, teasing me.

I couldn’t avoid the blush that hit my cheeks. My silence said everything. Charlie threw his head back and laughed.

Then I jumped in my seat as he bellowed across the entire restaurant, “Yo! Declan! Get your butt out here and come say hi to your friend!”

“Oh my God,” I muttered, my shoulders shaking with restrained laughter. “You are insane.”

“I’m incorrigible,” he said, giving me a serious look. “My mom told me that every day.”

Insane, incorrigible, I was beginning to think there wasn’t a difference.

“Blue?”

I jumped in my seat as Declan approached from the kitchen. He had come as soon as Charlie shouted. It had been so loud I’m surprised the lightbulbs didn’t burst.

“Hi, Declan.” I lifted my hand out for him to shake but he didn’t stop moving as he reached me. He leaned forward, clasping my shoulders with his hands, and placed his lips against my temple.

“Good to see you, meeting Ty here?”

I shook my head. “No. He has to work late. I just wanted to grab a burger before I head to my parents’ house.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get right on that for you.”

“No rush.”

“A friend of Tyson’s is a friend of mine, Blue.”

“Thanks, then,” I told him.

He turned his attention to Charlie and scowled, pointing a finger. “You shout like that again and you’re fired.”

“Hey,” Charlie said, lifting his hands and taking a step back. “Of course. Next time a beautiful woman is sitting at your bar, telling me she knows you, I’ll just let you ignore her. Gotcha.”

“You’re a pain in my ass,” Declan muttered as he walked away. Based on the wink he flashed me, I figured he was joking. For some strange reason, Charlie was completely enjoyable. But young, way too young for me. I would guess that he had just barely turned twenty-one, based on the still slightly boyish features of his face.

“You love me!” Charlie shouted to Declan’s back. He showed me a mouthful of teeth with his large grin and shook his head.

“I’m not sure antagonizing your boss is the best choice.”

“We have fun here, and he knows I wouldn’t risk my job by pissing him off. It’s all good.” He gave a shameless shrug and began wiping down the bar top.

I lost myself in the mind-numbing silence of the televisions above the bar and sipped my drink, taking my time and keeping in mind the fact I still had to drive in a little while. I was watching ESPN baseball highlights, something I couldn’t care less about, when a female voice next to me made me jump in my seat for the third time that night.

“You know Declan?”

My head jerked back and I turned to find one of the women from the table who’d been drinking margaritas standing in front of me and smiling happily.

“Umm.” I had no idea who these people were, but when I glanced over her shoulder, they were all shooting me curious looks, giggling into their drinks. “Um…sort of.”

“Oh, of course. That was awfully rude. I’m Paige. My friends and I come here almost every Thursday night.” She leaned in and whispered. “In truth, my friends and I love to ogle Declan every time we can get a glimpse of him. He humors us because Thursdays are his margarita night and we drink them by the pitcher. I figure our nights here are very profitable for him.”

“Oh…”

My lips parted, stunned by this woman in front of me. She was either slightly crazy or one of the friendliest people I’d ever met in my life.

“I haven’t seen you here before,” she said. She glanced at Charlie and flashed him a wink as he walked by. “Cute, isn’t he? I tell ya, the men in this town keep getting better looking by the minute.”

My mind whirled, trying to keep up with her.

“So are you new here?” she asked, startling me again.

As her friends went back to laughing, I began to relax. She seemed genuinely curious, if a little crazy.

“Yeah,” I replied. “I’ve been living in Colorado, but Detroit is home. I’m moving into an apartment in town this weekend.”

“And how do you know Declan?”

“I’m sort of dating a friend of his.” I chewed on my lip, wondering if I had said too much.

“That’s fantastic. And we have to hear more. Or anything you know about Declan really. Seriously, my friend Suzanne over there has nightly dreams about the man…but she’s married.” Her hand wrapped around mine and she tugged me off my chair. I had no choice but to follow her, unless I wanted to rip my hand out of hers. That would either cause a scene or spill my drink, so I opted to go with her. “Charlie!” she shouted, seemingly not caring that she was pulling a stranger behind her. “Bring our new friend a chair; she’s joining us.”

“Oh, I really can’t.” I dragged my feet into the carpet. “I’m sorry, but I just came to eat. I really can’t stay.”

“That’s okay.” She shrugged and smiled. Did she ever stop doing either? “You can eat with us. It’s better than being alone.”

She had a point. Still…“I don’t really know Declan. I’ve only met him once.”

“That’s okay, too. You can ogle him along with the rest of Latham Hills.”

I lost the fight and quickly snagged my drink while she tugged me along. When we got to the table, she waved her hand at everyone.

“Everyone, this is…” Her bright eyes widened and she suddenly looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even ask your name.”

“Blue.” I looked at the three other women sitting around the table. Their faces were all equally happy, with slightly flushed cheeks from the margaritas they’d been drinking; they seemed friendly and open. “My name is Blue.”

“Awesome name,” a blonde chirped next to me. She held out her hand. “I’m Suzanne. Ignore Paige, she’s not as insane as she looks, just friendly.”

I laughed along with the rest of them and took a sip of my drink. I was quickly introduced to Chelsea and Camden, both of them sitting across the table from me and just as welcoming as Suzanne and Paige.

“Come on,” Paige said when Charlie appeared behind me with my stool. “Have a seat. We come here all the time, and Chelsea and Camden practically grew up in this town, so they know everyone and everything.” She turned to the table and finally took a breath. “Blue just moved here from Colorado and is moving into an apartment this weekend.”

“The Hills?” Chelsea asked.

“Yes,” I answered, somewhat hesitantly.

As if she understood, she smiled. “Everyone new to the area moves there. They’re great places from what I’ve heard and seen.”

For the next several minutes, while I waited for my burger, I was peppered with questions about everything possible in my life. As the conversation continued around me, I was flooded with a sense of warmth even amidst the confusion stemming from being pulled into a conversation with women who seemed to have been friends forever.

For the last ten years, I’d stuck to myself and Eleanor, and taking online classes in college didn’t exactly give me a great social life. Plus, there weren’t many people my age near where we lived. Yet these women had no problems pulling me into their fold, making me feel warm and welcome. And even if it was just for the night, if we didn’t become great friends, I welcomed what they provided.

A hush fell over the table, and Camden’s mouth dropped open as a shadow fell behind me. Next to me, Suzanne whispered, “Damn he’s fine.”