Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 103104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“Beer, please,” a deep voice says. “Guinness in a bottle if you have it.”
I was bent over, cleaning the ice chest during a lull, but I rise up and prop my elbows on the dark wooden bar. He’s sitting on a stool in front of me.
“Lee,” I say breathlessly. “Nice piano skills.”
He dips his head, a sheepish smile quirking his lips. “Meh. I can keep up.”
“They liked it.” I wave around at the bar. It’s gotten packed in here. All the tables are full and there’s a line at the end of the bar for orders. Piper is out there somewhere, harried and full of energy, taking food and drink orders, scurrying back and forth to the kitchen.
He shifts, his tightly roped arms resting on the bar as if he’s settling in. I watch as he rakes a hand through his hair, and my fingers itch to test the silkiness of the texture.
“It’s my first time in Blue’s. Nice place.” His lips twitch. “You gonna keep staring or get me that beer?”
“You got an ID?”
He pulls out a leather wallet and pops out his driver’s license.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” He leans in and looks at it with me, and Jesus, the smell of the ocean floats around him.
“First, you look pissed in this pic. Second, what did you do to your hair? Too much gel. Third, you aren’t 21.”
“I will be someday. Would you rather see my fake?” he says wryly.
I shrug. Everyone’s got one, and Carla isn’t looking.
He hands it over and I study it, give it back, and hand him his Guinness, twisting the top off and setting it on a napkin. He can’t seem to stop watching my movements, and my stomach gets those butterflies again.
“How old are you?” he asks.
“Twenty this past January.”
“Ah. How did you celebrate?”
I roll my eyes. “Working. I’m not much of a party girl.”
His gaze slides over my bare arms. Studies my bicep. “Nice tattoo.”
“Phoenix.” I turn to the side and let him see the orange creature rising up into the sky, red flames in its trail. I got it the summer after I left Camden. Every prick on my skin was a reminder of how far I came to where I am now. I lifted myself from the ashes and started anew. “My brother drew it. You got any?”
“None you can see.”
Someone next to him orders a glass of Chablis, a pretty girl with a sorority shirt on, and I pour it for her. I get another order from the person behind her, and Sorority Girl turns to Lee, starts a conversation. He answers in monosyllables until she slides away, looking disappointed.
“You get that a lot I bet.” I’m back and staring at him. I can’t stop. My eyes linger on his lips. A long breath escapes me.
He tips the beer up. Takes a long swig. “Nah. I’m saving myself for someone. Have been for a while.”
“Really?”
“Mmmm.” He peels at the paper on his beer.
“You trying out being a monk?”
“Just waiting for a girl.”
My hands shake and I stick them in the pockets of my jeans. I clear my throat. “I haven’t seen you on campus before. Did you transfer in? What year are you?”
He smiles. “My first year here, actually. I took a gap year after high school to travel with my brother and Dad then took some online classes and worked a few jobs, mostly construction for my dad’s company. Wanted to save up some money—for a girl.”
I sigh, swallowing. “Ah, travel. Where did you go?”
“The beach at first. We have a house on Kiawah Island in South Carolina.”
I picture a sprawling mansion on the coast, waves lapping at the shore. “That sounds nice. Where else?”
“We left there and ended up in Alaska for fishing, then went to Italy. Lived in a villa for a few months, climbed some mountains, saw Pompeii—amazing by the way. My brother…” He chuckles. “He cried like a baby over those ruins, all the people and animals killed in an instant by volcanic ash.” He gives me a hesitant look. “He’s got a soft heart.”
“Bad way to go for sure. Where else did you go?” I’m leaning over closer to him, fascinated.
He laughs, his eyes glinting.
I shrug. “What? I’ve always wanted to travel. The beach sounds amazing to me. I bet you saw a lot of those.”
“Someday you will too…” He pops a maddening eyebrow. I want to lick it.
“Yeah. When I’m done with Vandy. Then medical school, then residency, then…who knows.”
He nods. “We spent a few months in Greece. Gorgeous water and beaches. My brother met a girl on the Amalfi Coast, fell in love, and she came back with him.”
Warmth fills me. “Ah. Is he happy?”
“He is.” He pauses. “Did you know there’s a small Greek island devoted to taking care of cats?”