Convenient Fall (Players of Marycliff University Book 2) (30 page)

“Oh, thank you!” exclaims Amy. “That’s so nice of you. Isn’t that nice of him, Jenna?”

“Um, yeah. Thanks.” I’m stammering and I can feel my face heating up with embarrassment. I just stared at the guy as he tried to hand me some wine.
 

Brian stands there for a second, starting to look awkward. “Sorry, is that too forward? Or you probably don’t want a drink from some random guy, do you? If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back.”

“Sorry,” I say, feeling like a jerk now. “It’s just, you know, they say never to accept a drink from a stranger. Roofies and all that.” I can feel Amy staring at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’ve basically just accused this nice hot guy of trying to slip me a date rape drug.

Fortunately, he grins. “Maybe if we’re not strangers you can feel comfortable drinking it then. Mind if I join you?”

Amy waits a few seconds while I say nothing, then jumps in saying, “Not at all! Please sit down.”

Brian sits in the chair across from me. After a few minutes I start to relax and carry on a conversation like a normal human being. I get so relaxed that I reach for the glass of wine Brian brought me and take a sip without realizing it.
 

Brian stops himself mid sentence.

“What do you think?” he asks.

“About what?”

“The wine. Do you like it?”

I take another sip, and pay closer attention this time.
 

“I do like it,” I say slowly. “It’s … different than the other wine. Lighter, somehow, and smoother.”

Brian grins. “I’m glad you tried it. Does that mean I’m not a stranger?”

I laugh at that. “I guess so. Promise you’re not trying to roofie me?”

Brian laughs back, “I promise. It would be bad for business if I gave my customers date rape drugs.”

My eyes widen at that statement and I exchange a look with Amy. “Your customers?”

“Yeah. This is my wine bar.”

“Wow. So, I guess you really know wine, then, huh? No wonder you picked something better than what I did.”

“Not much of a wine buff are you?”

“No, not really.”

Amy apparently decides that this is the best time to leave—while conversation is dragging. “Oh, look,” she says, “my glass is empty. I better go get a refill.”

“Don’t get too many refills,” I say as she walks away. “You’re driving, remember?”

She sticks her tongue out at me as she walks toward the bar.

“I hope I didn’t crash a girl’s night or something,” Brian says as he looks after her retreating form.

“No. Amy dragged me out to meet guys, actually.”

“Well, then, I seem to have helped out. Unless she was the one wanting to meet a guy.”

“No, you helped. She wants me to meet someone, though I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if she did, too.”

He flashes me another grin. “Glad I could help. Why is she specifically wanting you to find someone, though?”

I shrug, feeling a little uncomfortable. “She says I’m stuck, and that I need to meet someone to get unstuck.” I can’t help my grimace as I remember our conversation in the car. “I think she called it ‘rebound therapy’ on the way here.”

He laughs at that. “Why does she think you’re stuck?”

I hesitate, not sure if I really want to have this conversation with a guy I just met.

“Sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s alright.” I figure if I tell him and it scares him off, then that’s okay. It’s not like I want to start dating again, anyway. Right? Though, it would be kind of sad if Brian scared off that easily.
Where did that come from? I’m just here to make Amy happy.

“My fiancé died just over a year ago. I haven’t dated since. Amy thinks I need to start dating again so I can move on or something.” I say it in a flat voice, so I don’t betray the true depth of my feelings about the situation. Also, I don’t feel like crying in the middle of a wine bar in front of a cute guy I just met. I’ve gotten good at blocking the grief when I talk about Tom to strangers. But I can only say a few things before it breaks through the dam that holds it back.

Brian sits back in his chair with a look of shock on his face. He wasn’t expecting that, I can tell. “Wow,” he says quietly. “I figured you were going to say you had a bad break up recently, not that your fiancé died. I can see why you didn’t want to talk about it. Sorry I brought it up.”

“It’s alright. It’s a logical question.”

The conversation stalls there for what feels like a long time, but is probably only a few seconds.
 

“If you need to get back to work or something, that’s fine. You don’t have to sit here feeling awkward with me.” I smile at him a little so that he doesn’t think I’m upset with him.
 

“I don’t need to go. I will if you want me to, though.”

I realize that I’ve actually been enjoying his company. I let out the breath I didn’t notice I’d been holding waiting for his response. “No, I don’t want you to leave,” I say and realize it’s true.
 

He flashes that grin again, all straight teeth and twinkling eyes. “Good.” He sits forward in his seat again and we continue chatting.
 

After a while I look around, realizing I haven’t seen Amy in close to half an hour. “Where did Amy go?” I say aloud.
 

Brian starts to look around, too. “I don’t know. She left to get a refill a while ago.”

“I know. I thought she’d be back by now.” I stand up and finally see her at the bar.
 

Brian stands as well and moves next to me. “There she is,” he says, spotting her at the same time I do.
 

“Before you go retrieve her, can I ask what you’re doing next Friday?”

I look at him in mild surprise. I don’t know why, but I really didn’t expect him to ask me out, especially after my dead fiancé revelation. “Working and then eating dinner on the couch with Netflix, probably.”

“As appealing as that sounds, I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

He sees me hesitate a little.

“Since the reason for coming here was to find a guy, you’ll avoid getting dragged somewhere else by Amy if you say yes.”

I smile at him. He has a good point. “Okay, sure.”

He hands me his phone and has me program my number in, then sends me a text. “Now you have my number, too,” he says. “I’ll be in touch this week so we can work out the details.”

He leans in and gives me a light kiss on the cheek, then grins at me again before walking away.

Holy crap, I have a date next weekend.

I go join Amy at the bar.
 

“What happened to Brian?” she asks.

“I was wondering where you got to, so he left me to come sit with you.”

Amy sighs and shoots me a look. “You scared him off, didn’t you.”

“No, not at all. He asked me out next Friday.”

“And I’m sure you shot him down. Really, Jenna, you have to at least
try
–“

“I said yes,” I say over the beginnings of her lecture.

Amy stops short and stares at me. “You said yes?”

“I said yes.”

“I’m shocked.”

“I can see that. But he’s cute, and he made a persuasive argument.”

“Which was?”

“If I said no you’d drag me out somewhere else next Friday.”

She lets out a short laugh. “He’s right, you know.”

“Yeah, I do. That’s why I said yes.”

“Alright. Mission accomplished, then.” She sets her wine glass on the counter. “Bye, Adam,” she calls to the bartender and we head back out to her car.

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