“We did. Transmission, right?” Thank you, Tucker.
“Yep!” Gaige pipes in.
These dudes are lifesavers.
Once Tanner catches wind of anything of this sort, he doesn’t just let it go. He’s like a middle schooler all over again.
“Oh, cool.”
He buys my reasoning, but then I realize I’m now going to have to say something to her because if I don’t, he will, and that will end in nothing but disaster.
4
Rae
Not sure if I’m unlucky or lucky Clarissa didn’t snag their table first. Lucky sounds good, because at least the likelihood of finding her out in the parking lot with one of them later is smaller, which makes me breathe easier.
I load the tray up with their drinks while Benny eyeballs me from behind the bar. He can tell something’s up, probably because my hands are shaking so badly. I can’t help it. My heart is pounding hard from just being near him. I have no idea how I’m going to serve them all night.
Breathe, Rae. Just breathe. I repeat this over and over and over again until it starts working.
By the time I make it back to their table, my hands are almost steady as I pass out the drinks.
“Were you ready to order or did you need a few minutes? We have a great wing special tonight. Ten cents each for traditional and twenty cents for boneless, all you can eat.” I do my best to put some pep into my speech and clear my voice of the shakiness I’m still feeling.
This time Hudson speaks up. “Uh, I’ll take twenty boneless hot wings, please.”
Eight words. After two whole weeks of thinking about this insanely attractive man almost nonstop, eight words are all I get (because I’m so not counting his request for Dr. Pepper).
Fantasy over.
“Also, I know this might sound weird, but you look familiar. Did you happen to get your car fixed at my shop a couple weeks ago?”
Fantasy back on…kind of.
I’m not sure if he’s just playing dumb or if I’m that forgettable. If he truly doesn’t remember me, I may have to cry later because I don’t think I imagined our connection. Perhaps that’s why he was staring earlier, because he doesn’t remember me and was trying to place me.
Crap. Just play it cool.
“I did. Jacked Up, right? You’re Hudson.” I point to the guy next to him. “And you’re Tucker. Ever get past that level of Mad Maxwell?”
Tucker grins. “I did. How’s your car doing? ’01 red Toyota, was it? Miss Kamden?”
It seems I’ve been focusing on the wrong Jacked Up employee. Tucker just became a whole lot hotter with all his remembering—not that he was bad to look at in the first place with his blond hair, tattoos, and golden eyes. That’s a dangerous combination for some, but not for me. Even though he clearly remembers me, I’m all about Hudson—or at least my head is because Hudson is all I’ve been replaying these past few weeks, not Tucker.
“You’re right, and it’s just Rae.”
“Right. I knew all that,” Hudson puffs out, looking at Tucker with a murderous glare.
Huh, apparently he does remember me. Guess I wasn’t the only one trying to keep my cool.
“If you’re done reminiscing with these two douchebags and want to get to know a real man, I’d be more than happy to help.” The mystery man sticks his hand out. “I’m Tanner, Tucker’s older and sexier brother.” He waggles his eyebrows at me and I have to fight hard not to laugh.
I’m guessing by the huge grin on his face, a smile slipped through. Great. Dude probably thinks I’m interested and I’m so not. He’s more Maura’s type than mine with his buzz-cut hair and big build. I check him over quickly because I know she’s going to be asking about him. I spy a chain around his neck. Dog tags, maybe? Probably. He looks military.
“Hi,” I reply with a tight-lipped semi-smile. “Did you want to take advantage of our Monday wing special tonight?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. The wolfish grin he’s wearing is a dead giveaway that I should regret them.
“Oh, sweetheart, there’s a lot I’d like to take advantage of tonight. Cheap wings, cheap beer, and some sexy-as-sin willing waitresses. Know any?”
Called that shit.
“I’m sure there are few floating around here somewhere.”
“I’m sure there are.” He eyes me like I’m one of them. Yeah, no. Big no.
Ignoring anything else that comes out of his mouth because I’m starting to find this dude annoying, I turn to the other guy I don’t know, the quiet one. “Were you ready to order?”
“Um, yeah, can I get twenty bold traditional wings, please?”
“Sure thing. Tucker, were you ready?”
“Yeah, I’ll take the same as Hudson, please.”
“I’ll do thirty super hot traditional wings,” Tanner chimes in, doing a good onceover, apparently liking what he sees because he gives me another creepy smile.
I nod. “All right, boys, I’ll be back in a bit with your food. Flag me down if you need anything in the meantime.”
I’m not entirely sure, but I think I hear Tanner say something about needing me all the time as I walk away. Asshat.
As soon as I walk through the doors to the back, I’m verbally attacked by Maura.
“Holy shit! That guy on the outside is so hot! Who is he? Is he single? Can I have him? Oh, how’d it go with Henry?”
Now I know she’s just being a brat about his name. “It was okay, I guess. Hudson acted like he didn’t know me, but then Tucker, the one next to the guy you’re drooling over, spouted off all kinds of info about me and Hudson didn’t seem to like the fact that he knew all that.”
“Well it seems like he was trying to play it cool, something you should have done. I watched you the entire time and I could see you sweating and shaking from here. I guess it wasn’t too bad of a start. Now, what about the hot guy?” She’s bouncing up and down by the end of her question.
“His name is Tanner, he’s Tucker’s older brother, and I’m almost positive he’s a soldier.”
She claps her hands together and bounces even more. “Ohhh, I like soldiers! Right?”
She’s getting all worked up and it’s cute as hell. Maura just started coming out of her shell last year and now she’s boy crazy as hell, which I find amusing.
“Settle your ovaries, woman. He seems like a player, so maybe this one isn’t a good guy to get invested in? Plus, like I said, he’s probably a soldier and soldiers leave a lot, so there’s a good chance he won’t be around long.”
“Perfect. I’m not looking for anything serious anyway. That dillhole Aaron screwed me over and I’m still trying to recover from that. We can just have some fun in the meantime, okay?”
I’m reluctant to agree, but I find myself doing so anyway. “Okay,” I say as she brushes past me with a wink.
As much as I love my best friend, she can be exhausting. Maura’s always been one of those quiet-in-public, loud-around-her friends-and-family people, but last year, something lit a spark under her ass and she’s been on the go nonstop since. She’s been dating—something she didn’t do until last year either—so if she wants a little fling, good for her.
Now if I could find me a man, I’d be set. I’ve been single for…forever. Okay, it’s only been six months, but I think I’m ready. I’m not wanting anything like meet-the-family-let’s-move-in-together serious, but something steady would be nice. It’s not that I need someone in my life, but I want one. Someone to talk to, to connect with, to just…be with.
And right now there’s a hot as hell guy out in the dining room that could be that someone for me.
But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, so I won’t be counting my chickens or ducks or whatever the hell it is people count.
Maura, on the other hand, seems to be just fine doing so. I breeze back through the doors to find her chatting it up with Tanner, not paying any attention to the other guys at the table. I laugh, because Tucker keeps glancing over a
t his brother and rolling his eyes. Not sure what’s going on there, but it doesn’t seem like he’s a big fan of Maura’s choice in men.
I’m gliding around the bar, refilling drinks and delivering food, when I feel his eyes on me again. I don’t have to look to confirm that it’s him. I know it is. His gaze makes me feel…alive.
The hairs on my neck stand up and chills run down my spine as I casually scan my area from behind the bar, stopping on his intense green eyes for only a few seconds. Intense is the right word for them too because I have never been able to feel someone’s stare before, but his—I feel it everywhere. Every fiber of my being feels Hudson’s gaze. Every fiber loves it, wants it, craves it.
Chill, Rae. You don’t really know the guy; you just think you do.
I close my eyes briefly to try to collect myself. When I open them again, he’s standing directly in front of me, causing me to jump.
“Hi,” he says with a small frown. He shifts on his feet. Two seconds go by. “Um…” Four seconds go by. “Well, uh…” Two more seconds. He’s nervous. “Um…bathroom?”
I raise my eyebrows, silently hook my thumb in the direction of the bathroom, and watch as he practically runs away.
I barely contain my laughter.
And I thought I was weird.
HUDSON
Bathroom? BATHROOM? That’s what best I could come up with? What the hell?
I stand in the bathroom, staring into the mirror, trying to get myself under some semblance of control. I glare hard at my reflection, striving to burn her image, her laugh, and her presence out of my head. She shouldn’t be in there. She can’t be. If I keep telling myself she can’t be in my head and that my obligations to Joey come first, then maybe I’ll believe it. I cannot ask her out. I will not ask her out.
I really want to fucking ask her out.
I shake my head, take a deep breath, and head back out there.
“You good?” I hear.
I turn toward the voice. Rae’s standing at the end of the bar closest to the bathroom. Was she waiting for me?
“I’ll survive.”
“You sure? You seemed a little…tongue-tied.” She gives a small shrug. Her lips twitch slightly, totally giving away whatever bullshit she’s about to spout. “But then again I’ve been known to leave men tongue-tied from time to time. It’s a gift.”
“Wow. Someone is totally full of themselves.”
“Or just honest.”
I laugh. “Fair enough.”
We stand there in silence for a few seconds.
“Can I apologize for earlier?”
“What do you need to apologize for?”
“Well, I kind of only pretended to not know who you were to avoid my friend giving me shit for kind of checking you out.”
“You were checking me out?”
“What happened to all that confidence?”
“It’s still there. Don’t avoid the question.”
“Yes, Rae. You’re a beautiful woman and I was appreciating that fact. I was also surprised to see you here. Tuck mentioned this place weeks ago and we only now had the chance to all get together to come out. He never said you worked here.”
“And knowing that would have made a difference?” she asks.
“Yes.”
My answer surprises me, and it surprises Rae too judging from the way her eyes widen.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
I take a step closer to her as someone passes by on the way to the bathroom. I’m sure I’m closer than I need to be, but she doesn’t back up, so I don’t either.
“You having a good night so far, Rae?”
“You know, it didn’t start out too hot. I have this coworker that kind of hates me and was mad I took her table, but it seems my luck has turned around. While she was off pouting or hitting on some poor unsuspecting customer, I snagged the best table in the joint.” Her eyes sparkle as she says this.
“Did you now?” I ask. “What table would that be?”
She steps closer and motions for me to bend down next to her. She leans in close, her breasts brushing against my arm. She smells incredible, clean and fresh, like rain when the sun is out.
I can feel her hot breath over my ear as she whispers, “You see that table?”
“There are a lot of tables, Rae. You need be a little more specific,” I tease.
I line my sight up with the finger she’s now pointing, following as she scans the crowd slowly…so slowly it’s as if she’s trying to make this last as long as possible. I can’t blame her. Being next to her like this, up close and personal, feels so damn good. I shift an inch or so closer and catch the hitch in her breathing. I smile smugly.
“There. That’s the best damn table a girl can ask for.”
“That’s your favorite table tonight, huh?”
I feel her nod. “Yep. I’m a lucky gal.”
She’s pointing at a table full of some dudes that are probably in their sixties, all of them sitting around with bored expressions.
“And why is that your favorite?” I push.
“Because…” she starts, searching for some sort of answer because she knows I know she randomly picked that table. I bet it’s not even hers. “Tips! Because tips.”
She sounds so proud of herself right now. It’s adorable.
“You want to know my favorite table?” I ask, taking a chance and shifting behind her more. “It’s real special.”
She bobs her head up and down.
“You see that table?”
I feel her laugh lightly. “You need to be a little more specific.”
Very cute, Rae.
Reaching down, I place my hand over hers. I gently lift our arms and slide my hand down hers until I can extend her pointer finger. Then I match my arm over hers, lining our fingers up until we’re pointing directly at my table.
“There,” I whisper, my lips brushing her ear. Her heart is racing so fast and I can’t help but smile. I feel it too, Rae. Being this close to her is doing things to me I can’t begin to explain. Little beads of sweat are starting to form on my hairline and my mouth has gone almost completely dry. “That’s the best damn table a guy can ask for.”
“Yeah? Why is that?” she asks, her voice unsteady and thick. I lick my lips and swallow the lump that has formed in my throat. Fuck. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to get so close to her.
“Because…” I tease. “It’s lucky enough to have the best-looking dude in the whole place sitting there tonight. Whoever gets the opportunity to serve him is very blessed.”
She laughs and steps away from me, turning back to the bar and grabbing her tray of drinks. “You’re right. She’s a lucky gal. Tucker is pretty hot.”
“The sass that comes out of your mouth…”
“I know.” She winks before rushing away to drop off her drinks.
I watch as she walks away, a smile stretched across my face the entire time.
I hear a throat being cleared next to me and turn to find a huge-ass bouncer-looking dude shooting daggers at me from behind the bar. He’s scary-looking as shit. He glances over at Rae and then back at me, the look on his face lethal in a silent I-will-kill-you-if-you-hurt-her sort of way. Honestly, I respect that.
I give him a nod, acknowledging the promise.
“Yo, did you fall in or what?” Tanner asks when I get back to the table.
I ignore him. “You guys wanna come over for a card game, pizza, and beer this weekend?”
“Joey not gonna be around?” Tucker asks.
“Nah, sleepover at Charlie’s.”
“Damn. Joey’s fun, man.” I just laugh and shake my head because he’s right. Joey is fun, probably the best kid ever. She’s always running around doing and saying crazy stuff. I get a good laugh out of it all. “Well I guess I’m still in then.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there. I don’t have anything going on this weekend for a change so it’ll be nice to relax a bit,” Gaige says.
&nb
sp; “Wait, what day? I kind of agreed to a double date when you were in the bathroom.” I look at Tucker like he’s on crack. “What? Tanner got that other hot waitress to go out with him on one condition: double date.”
“With who?” I ask, wondering if it’s Rae. I look around the bar, not seeing her.
“No idea. He just looked at me and said I’m going. She skipped away, saying she’ll find someone ‘real sweet’ just for me.” Tucker shudders.
“You scared?”
“Maybe a little.”
Gaige chuckles while I try to be a good friend and hold in my own laughter.
“What’s the other waitress’ name?”
“Maura, and she’s fucking edible, man!” Tanner practically yells. I cringe, hating when he gets crude like this. It’s one thing to talk to a woman like that on an intimate level, but another to bellow it out to your buddies.
“Anyway,” I press on. “I was thinking Saturday, or is that ‘date night’ for you dorks?”
“Saturday is good. We’re going out Friday night,” Tucker says.
I can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to find a way out of it. Tucker isn’t one for blind dates, or dates at all. He enjoys the single life, not in a slutty guy way, and not in the Tanner way; he just prefers to be alone. I mean, dude has itches, and he gets them scratched, but he doesn’t talk about it or advertise any of it. I respect him for it.
“I see you, man,” I say to him.
“I see you, too,” he bounces back.
We narrow our eyes at each other and then break out into grins. It’s something we’ve been saying and doing for years. No idea when or how it started, but it’s our way of saying we know what each other is thinking.
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