Make You Mine

“Hey, Dag!” I’m glad to see a familiar face. Correction, a familiar face on a great big guy. “Is Dotty here with you?”

“Nah, I just stopped by after work. She’s waiting for me at home.”

Ruby and I exchange a glance. “Uh, Einstein, you do realize it’s after ten, right?”

“What?” He lifts his hand off the bar. “Oh, fuck! I’d better give her a call.”

“Let me call her!” I hop up and down on my toes, not really wanting him to leave. “I’ll see if she’ll come meet us.”

“She’s going to be so mad at me.” Dag looks at the whiskey. “I was planning my fantasy football team… time goes by so fast.”

“You’re lucky I’m not Dotty. I’d kick your butt.” Ruby waves at an ancient bartender. He looks as old as the place. “Two tequila sunrises.”

“Tequila.” I think about my calendar and my mental math this morning, but it’s too late to stop her.

Ruby puts the plastic cup in my hand, and I lean into her ear. “How is it possible I don’t know everyone in here?”

“Word gets out.” She shouts back. “Cheap drinks mixed strong. It draws folks from all over the place.”

“Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra blasts from the jukebox. I start to sway my hips, wondering how I’m going to get rid of this tequila, when she leans forward, her black eyes huge. “Who is that?”

I start to turn, and she grabs my shoulder, stopping me. “Don’t look! He’ll know we’re talking about him.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing?” The song ends with a flourish of brass instruments, and we can actually hear each other for a minute. “You could try meeting someone the old-fashioned way. In a bar.”

“The old-fashioned way, according to my mom, is in church.” She leans back and makes a disgusted face. “Not doing that either.”

I sneak a glance over my shoulder, and I catch a glimpse of… sexy single dad! “That’s Remington Key! Remember when I tried to introduce you after church that day? This is a good sign! You met him at church and in a bar!”

“You never introduced me to him. I’d have remembered.” She turns and excited black eyes meet mine. “I’m going to investigate.”

“Go for it.” I’m wondering where Lillie is tonight when a wash of whiskey breath hits my nose so hard, I’m sure I’m contact drunk. If that’s a thing.

“Hey, sexy. I’ve never seen you around here.”

“Sorry.” I try to step back, only to bump into a person behind me. “I don’t come here very often.”

“I’d remember if you did.” The guy isn’t bad looking. He’s just really drunk and not Gray. “You live around here?”

“I actually need to make a call.” I hold up my phone. “So I’ll have to take a rain check… Um…”

“Name’s Blaire. And I’ll take that rain check.” He swipes my phone out of my hand, and my heart freezes. “Let’s see here. Oops. I need your pretty face to unlock it.”

The music starts up again, loud as ever. This time it’s Dean Martin singing about how you’re nobody til somebody loves you.

“Give me my phone.” My voice is lost in the trumpets, and I’m wondering where Ruby went.

I look around, over my shoulder, and see she’s at the bar still talking to Remi.

The guy grabs my wrist while I’m not looking and lifts it to the screen. “Do thumbs still work on these?”

I try to jerk my arm away, but the person behind me rams into me, shoving me forward into Blaire’s arms.

“Hey, baby.” He slides his hand around my lower back, his whiskey breath way too close to my nose. “This is more like it.”

“Let me go!” I yell louder.

“You don’t have to go so soon.” His hands slide down, over my ass, and my heart beats frantically in my chest.