Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
He winked. “That was always your favorite, wasn’t it?”
I nodded. “It was pretty much all I drank back in the day—when your sister had parties while your parents were away.”
“I remember.” He grinned and winked again. “It’s on the house, of course.”
“Thank you.”
“I think you deserve it after enduring that date.”
I exhaled. “Thanks again for rescuing me.”
“I wouldn’t have had to if Maggie hadn’t had the brilliant idea to invade the bar with boring suits tonight.”
“Well, we both have a right to be annoyed with her, then.”
“Let’s give her hell when she comes back.” He snickered.
His teeth gleamed. I remembered when he wore braces. It felt kind of wrong to be having these feelings about him. But it was hard not to notice. And while the four-year age difference between us had seemed pretty big when we were younger, when you’re twenty-nine and twenty-five, not so much.
I stirred the small straw around in my drink. “Maggie means well, though.”
He wiped down the bar. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“This isn’t about underwear, is it?” I winked.
Once, when Tucker was ten and his friends were playing Truth or Dare, they’d dared him to ask me what color underwear I was wearing. At the time, I was fourteen and mortified. Pretty sure if he asked me that question now, I’d be okay with it. Especially in that sexy voice. “What are you wearing, Lucy?”
“I guess I’ll never live that one down, huh?” He laughed.
“Nope,” I teased. “But sure, ask me whatever you want.”
“Why are you here?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t need to be set up with any of these goons. Men must flock to you without Maggie’s help.”
My cheeks warmed. “You’d be surprised. Sometimes I feel like I have the opposite effect on men. At least the right ones.”
“Well, then they’re intimidated.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Have you looked in the mirror lately, Snow?”
Tucker thinks I’m attractive. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t think of me like a sister, though.
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I thought you were with some guy for ages.”
“I was. But then he ghosted our relationship, deciding to take a job overseas.”
“Damn. I’m sorry. Better to know now that he wasn’t the one rather than later, though, right?”
“I guess, yeah.” I shrugged. “But I’ll be thirty next month, and still can’t help feeling like I wasted a lot of good years on him.”
He leaned his gorgeous tattooed arms against the counter. “Thirty is super young. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
“Says the true youngun in this equation.”
“Not that young anymore, Snow,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes.
I can see that. Way too clearly right now.
“Hey!” Maggie called from behind me.
I turned. “Hey there.”
“Where’s your date?”
“Probably off fucking an Excel spreadsheet,” Tucker cracked.
I chuckled. “It didn’t work out.”
Maggie frowned. “He left?”
“Well, only after I excused myself to take care of a family emergency that never actually happened.”
Her eyes widened. “You lied and blew him off?”
“He was boring as hell, Maggie. I’m sorry.”
She crossed her arms and huffed. “Aw, man. I thought he’d be great for you.”
I rattled the ice in my drink. “I’m thinking the matchmaking thing is not for me.”
“Nonsense.” She smacked the counter. “I’ve already got someone in mind for you tomorrow night. And I promise to get it right this time.”
After she left, Tucker leaned in and whispered, “You know where to find me if you need to send an SOS.”
The feel of his breath on my skin gave me goosebumps. And he smelled so freaking good. The way my body reacted? It seemed to want a lot more from him than just an SOS. Damn it. Was I really lusting after Tucker? He’s Maggie’s brother! I could never.
CHAPTER 3
* * *
Tucker
“What’s pissing you off today?” Caleb, one of my regulars, turned around and looked straight at the booth Lucy was sitting in before turning back to me.
My eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
He shrugged. “You’ve been shooting daggers at those two for the last hour.”
“I have not.” It’s been more like an hour and a half.
“Uh-huh.”
I guess I needed to cool it. But the last four nights of having to watch Lucy on dates with a bunch of douches hadn’t been fun, and tonight’s was especially difficult to watch. Every other evening, Lucy had looked bored as shit. The only time she’d perked up was when I raised the signs I’d made for her. But tonight she hadn’t looked my way all evening. She was too busy laughing and doing the things she did when I flirted with her—blushing, running her finger along the base of her wine glass to avoid eye contact, and playing with her hair.
Caleb lifted his beer to his mouth and smirked. “You’re doing it again.”
Fuck. I was. “I’m just keeping an eye on my sister’s friend. The guy she’s hanging out with seems like a real douche.”