by Phoebe Lane
"Umm…business trip." Christopher had never been one to hesitate, something Aislynn found odd.
Ding. Fight-or-flight?
Flight.
"Goodbye, Aislynn," she heard him say over the rapid clicking sound of her four-inch heels on the marble floor of the hotel lobby.
Langley was a beautiful wine bar conveniently located within walking distance to Aislynn's new apartment. No need for a designated driver if the girls ever overindulged. The bar was decorated in warm browns and plums, with exposed wood beams on the ceiling, modern furniture, and perfectly executed lighting. Not that Aislynn had any expertise on the matter, but the place just felt comforting and inviting without being pretentious.
She sat at the bar to wait for Ellie and ordered a glass of Chardonnay. She was focused on answering another text from her mom when a man approached her.
"Hey, how are you?" the man asked with noticeably slurred speech, the stench on his breath nauseating her.
"Hello," Aislynn responded curtly, not even looking up from her phone.
"So, come here often?" he said, trying to move his stool closer to her and almost falling down with the maneuver.
"Can I help you with something?" Aislynn asked, finally putting her phone down and hoping her annoyance was not only noticeable to him, but to the two men surveying the scene from behind the bar.
"Sure thing. How much?"
"Excuse me?"
"How much do you charge?" he attempted to whisper, but failed miserably.
What the hell is this? I'm giving off a whore vibe? And here I thought this dress was pretty demure and sophisticated.
"The real question is how much are you willing to pay?" Aislynn challenged back, deciding to humor herself and the situation.
"I can do six hundred if you give me an hour."
Six hundred dollars? I wonder if I should be insulted or flattered.
"Is everything okay here?" one of the men behind the bar asked while eyeing the wannabe John threateningly.
"Are you the owner?" Aislynn asked.
He was tall and obviously handsome, sharply dressed in a tailored black dress shirt and pants, his hazel eyes turning soft when she addressed him.
What is it with all these GQ-looking men I keep running into today? Not that I’m complaining, but…
"Yes, ma'am. My name is Evan Langley. How can I help you?"
"Well, this gentleman here just offered me six hundred dollars to sleep with him, and—"
"Six hundred? Really? Huh, impressive," he mumbled.
"I know, right? I thought so, too…But anyway, that's not the point. I am not a prostitute—"
"Are you sure?" the drunken man asked.
"As sure as I am that I will never wear this outfit again," Aislynn said and turned back to Evan. "Mr. Langley, I assure you I didn't request the attention of this man."
"My apologies for the misunderstanding, ma’am. And please, call me Evan," he said and signaled for the bartender to call a cab and escort the man out. "Sir, it's time for you to go, and I recommend you never come back. This is clearly not that kind of establishment."
Evan turned his attention back to Aislynn, who was now slouching down with her head on the bar, feeling absolutely frustrated and deflated. "Do I really look like a hooker?"
"You absolutely do not. You’re a beautiful and elegant woman."
"Thanks, Evan," she said, picking herself back up. "I guess the fact his offer was in the three digits should make me feel infinitesimally better."
"I can see you’re a glass-half-full kind of woman. Speaking of which, do you need another drink? Can I reserve a table for you and your party, ma’am?"
Aislynn took a deep calming breath and made a mental note of Evan’s mild yet familiar accent. "Yes and yes. And please, it's Aislynn. Or I guess you can call me Vivian, the prostitute with a heart of gold."
"All right then, Aislynn it is," Evan chuckled.
"I'm going to step into the restroom. Watch my corner?"
Aislynn should have anticipated it. She should have known it would happen again. As soon as she walked out of the restroom, she once again ran right into the arms of the one and only Jace Quinn. Life had apparently decided to make this a landmark day for her.
"Quit stalking me," Aislynn quipped, not realizing she was still holding on to his biceps and softly running her fingers over the fabric of his jacket.
"You're the one who keeps running into my arms," he said with a playful smile, not exactly rushing to step away from her.
"You were the one that walked into my apartment in the first place."
"All right, babydoll…"
"Hey! Don't call me that!" Aislynn said, holding up her hand. "I embarrass easily, and I've fulfilled my quota for the day."
"Fair enough. But if you don't want me to call you babydoll, then you're going to have to tell me your name, because apparently we are destined to run into each other from now on."
"Oh. Right. Name," Aislynn said, realizing she had left the apartment without a proper introduction. Making a mental effort to forego the title she traditionally used when meeting certain people, she raised her hand and shook his gently. "I’m Aislynn Currington."
"Nice to meet you again, Aislynn."
"Likewise," she said, getting lost in the vision of his lips once again. "All right, then. Back to my table. I'm actually meeting Ellie for drinks."
"Well, you ladies enjoy your evening. Let me know if I can get you anything from the bar or the kitchen."
"Sure, thanks." Aislynn turned to leave but stopped abruptly, his word finally sinking in. "Wait. What do you mean 'get us anything'?"
"Well, I own the place."
"Did you know that Jace Quinn is part-owner of this place?" Aislynn asked Ellie once they sat at their table.
"I knew he owned a wine bar, but I didn't know it was this one. What a coincidence," Ellie said and sipped her drink. "Oh, this is good."
"I just ran into him. Again."
"So…What do you think of him?" Ellie asked.
"I don't."
Ellie stared at her, confused and slightly aggravated. "Come on, Aislynn. You can at least admit he's gorgeous."
"He's really handsome, sure." Aislynn could tell Ellie had more to say but was holding back. "What is it now?"
"I'm sorry if this is the wrong thing to say," Ellie said and paused. "But maybe you should think about asking him out."
"That would be a no. And please, stop walking on eggshells around me. If what you really want to say is that it's time for me to move on and start dating, then say it."
"All right. It."
Aislynn rolled her eyes at her and focused on sipping her wine. "I'm not ready to date. It's not even on my radar. I need to concentrate on the novel and my traveling. That's all I want to deal with right now."
"Sex?" Ellie asked with a wicked smile.
"I don't do the casual thing. You know that."
"It's been almost a year since Christopher…"
At just the mention of his name, Aislynn had a flashback of what she had felt earlier at the hotel and quickly decided there was no way she was bringing it up to Ellie.
"I know. But I don't think time is what I need to help me move on. I just need to make peace with what happened with him, and I'm not sure what the catalyst for that change will be."
"Okay, well, on a lighter note—I just got a date, and you're coming with me. Hope you don't mind," Ellie said as she bit into one of the appetizers that had been sent to their table.
"Wait, what? With who?" Aislynn asked.
"Evan Langley."
"How the hell did you get a date with Evan? I was in the bathroom for like three minutes and you got a date already?" Ellie beamed. "Damn, lady! I truly admire your boldness. My idea of flirting is looking at a guy from across the room and hoping he's braver than me."
"He's taking us to the baseball park. He has four tickets for the Rangers/Padres game tomorrow. I had to get you invited."
&nb
sp; "Rangers? I'm in!" Aislynn said. "Wait. Four tickets? He's coming with Jace, isn't he?"
"I would bet my butt on it, Pretty Woman. Cheers."
"We're going to the game with Ellie McDaniel and her friend Aislynn," Evan said to Jace while going through some financial statements in the back office of the restaurant.
"Argh. Is this like a date thing?" he asked, throwing a file down on the desk.
"It is for me. Not for you, I don't think. Why, are you interested?"
"I don't think she’s my type," Jace said, keeping his eyes on the invoice he was revising.
"Good, 'cause your type lately has been 'one-date' women. I don't get that vibe from Aislynn."
"How would you know what kind of woman she is?" Jace asked.
"I just get a feeling about people, and I get a good feeling about her. I also get a great feeling about her friend Ellie," Evan said with a smile.
"I swear to God, if you say you got a feeling that this is the woman you're going to marry, I will beat you over the head with this bottle of scotch."
"Fuck you! I'm not a girl," Evan said, taking a drink. "But be careful with what you say about the future mother of my children."
"Oh, hell."
"Hey, Mom."
"I'm so glad you finally decided to call, Aislynn," Pam O’Neill said with an unconcealed hint of sarcasm.
"I know. I'm sorry. I've been really busy lately," Aislynn said, already feeling exasperated.
Why do I keep doing this to myself?
"Busy? Doing what? And where in the world are you living these days?"
"I told you last week that I'm in San Diego," Aislynn said not even trying to hide her frustration.
"I know, but you keep moving around. How am I supposed to keep track?" Pam said and then paused, presumably waiting for a response that Aislynn refused to give. Yes, they shared the stubbornness gene. "So, how are things?"
"Everything’s fine. Ellie is in town this week," Aislynn told her, trying to move the focus off her. She got plenty of attention from her mother, but it was usually the negative kind. She hated the fact that at the age of twenty-nine, she still craved the acceptance she should have gotten from her as a child.
"Oh, send my love to her," Pam said.
"I sure will, Mom. How's everyone doing there?"
"We're all well. Marc and I have the house packed and ready for the movers to come next week. He’s so excited about this promotion that he’s not even complaining about having to move."
Marc O’Neill was Pam's second husband. Aislynn never thought of him as a stepfather, as he had only been married to her mom a couple of years. He was nice and all, but neither one of them had ever really invested time or effort into developing their relationship. "By the way, I found some of the things you asked me to store for you when you left. I really don't have any space for them at the new house, so I'm sending you a couple of boxes in the mail."
"That's fine. I'll just go through them and decide what to keep. I don't have space for storage right now."
"Well, if you didn't move around so much and would just come back home and do what you're supposed to do, then you wouldn't have that problem."
Wow, I really walked right into that one.
"Listen, Aislynn," Pam continued. "I realize you think you know what you're doing because of your degree and all that, but running away isn't the answer here."
Pam possessed a unique talent; she had always been capable of pushing all of her daughter’s buttons simultaneously without even having to put any effort into it. It was quite impressive to watch, actually. It was like a reflex for her—automatic and unforced.
"Mom, this conversation isn't going to end well, just like all the other times you've insisted on bringing this up. My decision to leave Texas was mine to make, and the only person who needs to understand why is me. And would you please not bring up my old job again?"
"I just miss you," Pam said, genuineness in her voice.
"Then just say that. I'd rather hear that."
"Uh oh. What's wrong with you?" Ellie asked, watching Aislynn walk into the apartment, furiously massaging her temples.
"I was just talking to my mom."
"Enough said. How was the gym?"
"It was fine. I'm glad I decided to call her on my way back from the gym, though. I might've been tempted to drown myself in the lap pool if I'd spoken to her on my way there."
"Same old Pam, I see. Are you going to have enough time to get ready for the game? We need to meet Evan in an hour."
"Yeah, I already showered at the gym. I just need to get dressed. Is Jace really coming with us?" Ellie nodded and smiled mischievously. "I know that face, Ellie. Please tell me you didn't make this into a date thing, 'cause my head already feels like it's about to explode and—"
"Relax. I never brought up the word 'date'. This is for Evan and me. You two attractive, intelligent, and very single people are just tagging along," she said defensively as Aislynn rolled her eyes and went to her room to change. "Such a wasted opportunity…" Ellie said under her breath.
"I heard that!"
"You realize you're going to be the only person wearing red in a sea of blue, right?" Ellie asked her as they approached the baseball park entrance, but Aislynn didn't even bother responding to her whining. "Come on, do you really need to wear your Rangers jersey?"
"Don't hate. A true Rangers fan is never ashamed to wear red, white, and blue. It's the American way," Aislynn said with a grin. "Besides, I'm not the only one who will stand out. Your new boyfriend and I match."
Ellie scanned the crowd of people waiting by the box office and found Evan wearing a Rangers jersey as well. Jace was with him, appropriately dressed in Padres colors.
God, he looks even more gorgeous today. How is that even possible?
"All right, I won't hate. But only because Evan looks really good in that shirt," Ellie conceded, as they approached the guys and exchanged their hellos. "Jace, what are we going to do with these two? They stand out in the crowd like bull's-eyes."
"How about a game of 'Where's Waldo?'" he suggested.
"Good one," Evan said sarcastically. "Andrus and Kinsler will get pumped up for victory when they see us proudly wearing their jerseys in enemy territory. This right here is a tactical move. You guys clearly don't get the game."
"Plus, we both look good in red," Aislynn added while winking at Ellie. "It highlights the undertones of color in our complexion."
"Yeah, what she said," Evan agreed.
"God, I'm going to need a beer," Ellie quipped.
The girls found their seats, which were right across from first base, while the guys took care of food and drinks. As Evan spent some time explaining details of the game to Ellie before the first pitch, Aislynn tried to concentrate on everything non-Jace. He was making it incredibly difficult for her.
If I could only have a little taste of that mouth, she thought as the tension started to build deep inside her. And there was plenty of tension, as in the sexual kind.
God, it's been way too long since I’ve—
Jace's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "So, Aislynn, tell me about your love affair with the Rangers."
"Well, I grew up in Texas. That's usually enough," she explained, and they both laughed. "My dad used to take me to the Rangers' games after school, back when they were still struggling as a team. The love affair got out of control the year they made it to the World Series."
"Very nice. Were you able to go to any of those games with your dad?"
"Unfortunately, no. He passed away seven years ago. Heart attack."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she said with a shrug. "My dad loved the game, and he loved the Rangers. No matter where I live, I'll never root for any other team. I’m afraid he might come back and haunt me if I do."
"He was that kind of fan, huh?"
"Absolutely," she said with a grin.
At that point, Kinsler hit a home run, and she stood up from her seat
to cheer along with Evan. She screamed and hollered until Kinsler made it all the way back to home plate, then turned back to Evan. "I would chest bump you, but, you know, I have boobs and it's not very ladylike. So, high five!"
"I just want to let you know I'm running the other way if the Padres mob decides to attack you two," Ellie joked from her seat.
"Don't worry. I know a quick way out of here. It might involve some illegal stuff, though," Jace said.
"I'm game…I think," Aislynn said as Ellie and Evan left their seats to grab more drinks for everyone.
"Ellie said you just moved to San Diego?" Jace asked and Aislynn nodded while taking the last sip of her drink. "What brought you here?"
"Good question…I guess you could say I'm on sabbatical."
"On sabbatical from what?"
Aislynn paused to think of an appropriate yet unrevealing answer. "Everything, I guess."
"Cryptic," he pointed out and paused. "Okay, so why San Diego of all cities?"
"Umm. Well…I spent a few months in Denver freezing my butt off and accepting the fact I lack the gene necessary to navigate the slopes, even the bunny ones, successfully. Then I went to San Francisco for a while but I didn’t care for the wind and fog, so I drove south."
"Los Angeles?"
"One day. Hated it. I kept driving south."
"And here you are."
"And here I am. What about you? What’s your story?" Aislynn asked, desperate to take the focus off her.
"I was born and raised here. Went to college back east, met Waldo," he said pointing at Evan who was now back on his seat and lost in conversation with Ellie, "and then came back home to start the business."
"Did you always want to own your own bar?"
"Not specifically. Evan is the creative force behind Langley; it was really all his idea. I’m more of the financial brain behind it. I started my own investment company after college, and Evan was crazy enough to give me my first shot."
"Wow, that’s great. So you guys are college buddies, then?"
"Actually, we’re more than that. See, my brother, Alex, and his sister, Tessa…something about love at first sight," he said with a roll of his eyes. "They got married last year, so now we’re officially related. It’s been terrible."