Derek took another swig of his root beer. Caleb was being melodramatic and medieval, and Hannah was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. A beautiful, sweet, sexy woman he was still determined to take out for a drink. But he wished he hadn't heard Caleb because one thing was definite-Derek was no squeaky clean boy scout.
Chapter Three
At eight o'clock on a Friday night, Jimmy's bar was hopping. Hannah sat at a table with Nicole and Amber, her best friends from high school. She'd been back in Pine Falls a few weeks, and this was the first real girls' night out for the three of them.
"Mm, I'm in heaven." Nicole nodded appreciatively. "I have a glass of wine in my hand, a bowl of nuts, and my man is babysitting the kid at home. Couldn't get better."
"You're easy to please," Amber said. "I like my wine and nuts, but I enjoy them more when there's some man candy around for me to objectify."
"What about that sexy mechanic of yours?" Nicole asked. "I thought you two were still dating."
"Oh, we are, and he's a sweetheart, but there's no harm in looking, is there?" Amber turned to Hannah. "And besides, I'm doing it for you."
Hannah held up her hands. "Hey, I already told you guys I'm not looking for a new man. And when I am ready, I'm going to choose someone who's mature and stable and steady."
"Wow, that asshole Rick really did a number on you, didn't he?" Amber said.
"I'm learning from my mistakes. When we split up, Rick said to me he was too young to get married at twenty-four, and for once he was telling the truth. He wasn't cut out for marriage. He always had the mindset of a player. I'm not going to fall for the wrong guy again."
Amber reached across and lightly squeezed her hand. "And we hear you, but you can look without buying, you know."
Amber had always been the boldest of the three. She went after what she wanted, and men fell for her like nine pins, even when she left them heartbroken. Nicole was more like Hannah. She'd married straight after college, but unlike Hannah, her marriage was still going strong. She and Craig had a two-year-old boy and were planning on having more children soon.
Hannah felt like the odd one out, neither happily single nor married. Up until nine months ago, she'd thought her life was all figured out. But then she'd come home early one day to find her husband naked on the dining room table with another woman-a younger, prettier woman-and now she found herself divorced and sitting in a bar wondering if she'd ever be as carefree as the people around her seemed to be.
Amber narrowed her eyes at Hannah. "Let's see, who would I pick for you? Someone tall and dark, I think, because you don't want to be reminded of your stupid ex. Someone with a great body and killer eyes-blue's my favorite color-and a nice, sexy smile."
Good God, she might as well be describing Derek. Hannah pressed her lips together but couldn't prevent an image of Derek from floating into her head. She'd been thinking of him constantly for the past two days. Why couldn't she stop? Why did the thought of him make her so hot and flustered?
Nicole released a loud gasp and grabbed Amber's arm. "Oh. My. God. Are you a witch or something? Because the man candy you're describing just walked into Jimmy's."
A prickling sensation tickled Hannah's neck, intensifying as she looked up in time to see Derek sauntering into the bar.
"Wow, I'm a frigging genius," Amber murmured as she rested her chin on her hands so she could gaze at the newcomer. "Isn't he divine?"
Yes, Derek looked heavenly, Hannah silently agreed. Tight jeans emphasized his long legs, while his tailored charcoal shirt hugged his torso, making the most of his broad shoulders and chest. He stood a few inches above most other men, his slick, walnut hair gleaming in the lights, the quarter inch of stubble on his jaw immaculately groomed. How did he manage to look rugged and crisp at the same time?
"I love my husband to bits," Nicole said, eyes glued to Derek, "but even he wouldn't blame me for drooling over that."
Hannah remained motionless in her chair. The bar was crowded, and their table was near the back. Derek wouldn't see her. So why was she acting like she needed to blend into the background and hide from him?
"Well, Hannah?" Amber nudged her shoulder. "What do you think? A few hours with him and a girl would forget her own name, never mind her douchy ex-husband."
Hannah cleared her throat. She couldn't suppress the truth any longer. "That's Derek Carmichael," she said. "My kid brother's friend."
Two pairs of eyes swiveled in her direction.
"Derek Carmichael? I remember him." Amber let out a low whistle. "Wow. He's grown up in all the right places."
"He's five years younger than us," Hannah pointed out. "He's only twenty-four."
"So? He's legal."
"Amber!" Hannah's face heated.
"What? All I'm saying is he's one fine specimen of a man, and he's old enough for me to admire his body without feeling skeezy."
"Derek Carmichael, of course!" Nicole snapped her fingers. "He's the hunky carpenter on the Better Homes show, isn't he? I saw an episode at my sister's place, and I remember her telling me he used to live in Pine Falls. I didn't realize until now he was the same Derek who used to hang out at your place, Hannah."
Amber's eyebrows shot upward. "Oh, so he's the Derek Carmichael who's been hanging out with Marla Beaudry?"
"According to him, they're just friends," Hannah felt compelled to say.
"Yeah? He looks like a friendly guy. Call him over and invite him to sit with us."
"I'd rather not," Hannah said quickly.
"Why not?"
Hannah hesitated. She couldn't confess that she'd been daydreaming about Derek for two days. She couldn't confess that that made her feel guilty and weird and awkward. She glanced surreptitiously in Derek's direction again, and her stomach muscles tightened. Derek wasn't alone anymore. Three women surrounded him, young and confident with short skirts and stilettos showing off tanned legs. They were all chatting with Derek, giggling and flipping their hair in front of him. Derek appeared laid-back about being the center of attention, but he certainly wasn't discouraging the girls.
Hannah turned back to her friends. "Looks like he's already occupied."
"Pfftt! Those small fries," Amber scoffed. "He'll be bored with them in no time. He'll thank you for rescuing him."
"He doesn't need any rescuing. He's loving the attention."
Hannah shifted her chair around so she didn't have to look at Derek. She didn't need to watch those girls flirt with him. So stupid of her. It wasn't any of her business who Derek mixed with. And she shouldn't let him spoil her night out with friends.
"Did I tell you guys about my new manager?" she said, eager to steer the conversation away from Derek. "She's a real tough nut, and she doesn't like me one bit."
Ordinarily, her friends would want to know all about her difficult boss, but not this time.
"Mmm?" Amber replied, clearly distracted. The next moment, she sat up straight, all jaunty, adjusting her top and fussing with her hair.
Nicole kicked Hannah under the table. "He's coming over," she hissed.
Jesus, they were behaving like teenagers. But Hannah's heart rate picked up as she heard footsteps approaching from behind and her two friends broke into smiles, their gazes fixed beyond her.
"Evening," Derek spoke, his voice easy and warm like a dollop of honey.
Hannah turned, plastering a smile of what she hoped was mild surprise on her face. "Oh, hi, Derek. What a surprise. Been here long?"
"Just got here." He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets, looking relaxed like he bumped into her at the bar every other night.
"Uh, do you know my friends Amber and Nicole?" She introduced them, and Derek shook hands with each woman.
"Why don't you join us?" Amber said straight away, just as Hannah had predicted.
"Don't mind if I do." Derek hooked an empty chair from another table and sat down between Hannah and Nicole. "Can I buy everyone a round of drinks?" Without pausing, he signaled to a passing waitress who hurried to his side. "How about some mojitos?"
Hannah's reservations were drowned out by her friends' enthusiastic yeses. Nicole and Amber were already chattering away, asking Derek about his TV show and his business in L.A., and soon the conversation was flowing effortlessly.
It was a revelation to Hannah watching Derek talk with her friends. As a teenager, he'd been more prone to brooding silence than chattiness, but now he appeared surprisingly comfortable with Nicole and Amber. Well, when she thought about it, it was hardly surprising. He lived in a cosmopolitan city now, and he was used to fronting a TV camera; of course he'd become more articulate. He didn't monopolize the conversation either, showing an interest in Amber's hardware store and Nicole's teaching career.