“Is it six thirty already?” She glanced at her phone. “Why don’t you go across the street to The Mineshaft and get us a table? I’ll be there in ten minutes, promise.”
“I never say no to ribs.” Trip leaned across her desk to give her a quick kiss, then set the bag containing the lotions and journal he’d picked up earlier today in front of the keyboard. Jessie’s smart-ass remarks about local bets zipped through his mind, but he brushed them aside. “By the way, I got you some more little surprises.”
Her face lit with a smile as she peered inside the bag and pulled out its contents. She thumbed through the pregnancy journal, her eyes growing misty. “I love this!”
“Good. Now finish up your work so we can eat and go home.” He kissed her once more for good measure. “See you soon.”
Knowing Kelsey’s tendency to get lost in her work, he figured ten minutes could easily turn into twenty or thirty, so he opted to sit at the bar rather than wait alone at a table.
He was chugging from an icy mug of beer when a pretty brunette sidled up to him. Although she was petite, he could discern her athletic build from the fit of her clothing. Her hazel eyes scanned him quickly before crinkling above her broad smile.
“Trip, right?” She smiled at him expectantly.
“That’s me.” Dimly lit bar or not, normally he remembered faces, but he didn’t recognize hers. “I’m sorry, have we met?”
“You don’t remember me?” Her sly expression warned of an intention to toy with him.
Surely he’d remember if he’d had sex with her. Then again, there had been a few nights last ski season when he’d been drunk enough not to remember much of anything. He needed to deliver a smooth line to wiggle out of this pickle. “Well, my bad memory is certainly no reflection on your pretty face.”
“Still a flatterer, I see. Guess it takes more than sweat-soaked skin and ropes to retain your attention.” Her eyes twinkled with good humor.
Sweat and ropes? How in the hell could he forget a night like that? His face must have revealed his confusion, because she finally chuckled aloud and let him off the hook. “You led my buddies and me on a climb this summer. Seems all that attention you showered on me was more about business than anything personal.”
“Now I remember. You were with three guys. We all crack climbed a chimney.” Trip raised his glass in a toast, relieved he hadn’t actually forgotten having had sex with a woman. “If I recall correctly, you had natural skill. Ellie, right?”
“Ali, and thanks.” She leaned close, her thigh brushing against his, humor now replaced with genuine flirtation. “If I recall correctly, you promised to show me a good time next time I saw you.”
That he had. Of course, now he couldn’t make good on that promise. More importantly—and somewhat shockingly—he wasn’t even interested. Unfortunately, Kelsey walked in just at that moment, looking none too pleased to see him at the bar with another woman practically sitting in his lap.
He waved Kelsey over while replying to Ali. “Well, my circumstances have changed, but we can still have a good time up on the big mountain.”
Kelsey stopped beside him, wearing the phoniest smile he’d ever seen on her face. Her misty gaze barely met his before darting to Ali. Was she about to cry? He stood and kissed her cheek and draped his arm around her shoulder to reassure her. “Hey, princess. This here is Ali.”
“Hi!” Ali extended her hand to Kelsey. “Trip and I were reminiscing about our summer climbing excursion.”
“Nice to meet you.” She briefly glanced at Trip, her demeanor almost as chilly as his draft beer. “With ski season on the horizon, I suppose you two can hook up on the mountain again soon.”
He didn’t know if Ali caught the wordplay, but he certainly hadn’t missed the hook-up remark. Kelsey may have been on the verge of tears, but his princess still knew how to push back on him, God love her.
“That’s right.” Ali touched his arm. “We talked about a backcountry tour, didn’t we?”
“We did. So give us a call once some serious snow falls.” Trip tossed ten bucks on the bar. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got dinner plans.”
Once he and Kelsey were settled at a table with menus, he gave her a questioning look. “Okay, what’s going on with you? You don’t expect me not to talk to clients, do you?”
“You can do whatever you want.” She barely looked at him, pretending instead to be studying a menu he suspected she knew inside and out. “In fact, I’m quite sure you will regardless of how I feel about it.”