Sage's Story (The Town of Pearl 5)

“What?”

The older woman just winked and smiled.

Sage walked right over to the table.

“Good evening, gentleman, I’ll be your server this evening. Could I start you off with a drink from the bar?” she asked, pen and pad in hand.

All four men stared at her.

The two big ones looked her body over and she could have sworn she felt their touch. Someone cleared their throat and she turned to see Quaid watching her, smiling.

“It’s good to see you again, Sage. You look fantastic.” She felt her cheeks warm and then Matt leaned back in his chair and looked her over with a very pompous, stuck-up kind of way. She recognized that look. He thought he had a chance with her. She raised her eyebrows at him in challenge and one of the big guys chuckled.

“I’ll take a Jack Daniel’s and coke please,” the one big guy who chuckled stated and she wrote it down. Then the other big guy said a Bud, then Matt and Quaid rambled off their orders of Bud as well.

“Sage, meet our cousins from Delite, Texas, this is Virgo and Dale London.” Dale, the Jack Daniel’s guy, reached his hand out for her to shake. When they touched, she felt that spark of something but then quickly pulled away to shake Virgo’s hand. Both men were so big, her hand was lost within their much larger ones. She had some crazy thoughts run through her head, but quickly recovered.

“It’s so nice to meet you. Welcome to Pearl. Are you visiting long?”

“Depends,” Virgo stated. The man had short, crew cut, dark brown hair styled like a typical Marine would with the top slightly higher and flat. He was filled with muscles, so much so that his shirtsleeve looked about to bust open. His blue eyes sparkled as he held her gaze. Dale was nearly identical, but his eyes were green and he looked more approachable. She must have been staring too long because Matt tugged on her elbow, making her jerk to the right.

“Problem, Sage?” he asked. She recovered quickly.

“No, just trying to see the resemblance between the four of you. I’ll go put these drink orders in and then give you time to look over the menu. Tonight’s specials are grilled sea bass with wild rice and fresh asparagus, and a sixteen-ounce porterhouse steak, with baked potato and green beans.”

She started to leave when Matt took her hand to stop her. She nearly dropped the pad and pen she held in her hand as she locked gazes with Matt. “What about that peach cobbler you were describing earlier? Sounded real good, Sage.”

She immediately thought he was trying to be a smartass. Being used to men like this, she gave it right back to him. “We haven’t gotten to dessert. Maybe the appetizers and entrees will be too much for you to handle.”

He looked her body over, as he released her hand. She did the same and it nearly backfired on her.

“I think I can handle it. We’ll talk dessert later, doll.”

She shook her head, and he chuckled before she walked away.

* * * *

“That’s one beautiful woman,” Dale whispered as he watched Sage. Matt smiled and then looked at Quaid.

“You think so, Dale?”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t? She’s stunning, kind of has a sweet yet tough attitude.”

“What about you, Virgo? Do you think she’s pretty?” Matt asked.

“There are lots of pretty ladies around here,” Virgo replied.

Dale leaned back and huffed. “That’s not what they mean and you know it.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m not into messing around with inexperienced women.”

“That’s not what we’re asking, Virgo. You know that we feel the same way. We don’t sleep around. Hell, we’ve absorbed ourselves in our work,” Matt said and then ran his fingers through his hair.

“What exactly are you two trying to get at?” Dale asked, just as Sage returned with their drinks.

As she placed them down, some guy walked by and touched her waist.

“Hey, Sage,” he stated and winked. She smiled up at him. Matt felt his gut clench. He was so damn jealous. He had no right to be. She wasn’t his and Quaid’s.