The Slot (Rochester Riot #1)(60)

Adam looked at the couple and then shot Julia a wink. Neither were sure exactly what was going on between the pair.

“I think that’s my cue to hit the men’s room.” Adam turned. “Julia, I’ll see you in a few. If I can make it through the throng.”





Chapter 7

“Hi. My name’s Carter.”

The man stood to her left as he sipped some type of whiskey neat in a lowball glass. He seemed out of place for western night in his blue pants and dress shirt. Must have come straight from the office.

“I’m Julia,” she replied, keeping one eye peeled for Adam’s return. Jeff and SueAnn hadn’t been able to stay away from the dance floor and when the first strains of a Garth Brooks mega hit wafted across the speakers, they’d deserted her.

“Are you here alone?”

“No, I’m here with a friend. You?” she asked as she made the required small talk. She had no interest in this guy, but Adam had been gone for a good ten minutes and she was starting to get bored. And lonely.

“Actually, I’m here for a bachelor party,” he said and pointed to the group of guys high-fiving and backslapping at a large table across the room. “I’m actually in a desperate situation.”

“Really? Why?”

“My friend, the groom, says he knows you and he bet me a Benjamin that I wouldn’t be able to get you to dance with me. If I have to pay up, I won’t be able to afford the cab ride home. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for a tipsy driver, would you?”

Even though she knew Carter was only joking, he turned Julia cold. After what happened with Adam just a few short days ago, impaired driving was an off-color reference at best.

“Hmm…?” she said as she squinted and stared across the room. “Doesn’t look familiar. Exactly how does he know me?”

“Said something about a wedding dance in a barn you decorated. Said you blew him off.”

Julia’s mind raced backward. She’d lived in Duluth all her life so she’d been to a hundred wedding dances. Some in barns and halls she’d been involved in renovating. Still, she wasn’t sure if what this guy referenced had actually happened or if he was just trying to blow smoke up her ass to get her to dance with him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember him.”

Carter put his arm across the bar behind her back. Close. Too close to her bare skin since she’d removed her jean jacket in the heat of the crowded bar. Something about this guy was off and gooseflesh crawled up her exposed arms to settle in the nape of her neck.

“Can I, at least, buy you a drink so I don’t look like a complete tool in front of my crew?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

She didn’t want to agree, but the beer Adam had bought was just about gone and she’d look like a bitch if she didn’t go along. Julia hated being backed into a corner, but her parents had raised her to be polite and this guy was obviously a local. If word got around town that she was difficult or rude, that could harm her business reputation.

“Sure.”

The bartender replaced her Leinie’s with a fresh one and she took that opportunity to lift her butt off the stool and scan the crowd for Adam again. Nothing. She hoped he was okay. SueAnn and Jeff hadn’t left the floor in three songs and they were now in the process of learning a new line dance to Tim McGraw with a group of other couples.

“What do you do for fun, Julia?” Carter asked, still too close to her back for comfort.

Julia lurched forward and perched herself on the front lip of the stool as far forward and away from Carter as she could get without getting down. “I’m a designer. I specialize in converting old buildings and re-purposing them.”

“That’s work,” he leaned down and whispered in her ear causing an uneasy shiver. “I asked what you do for fun.”

She grabbed her beer and took a deep swig before answering. Fortification. He was out of line and starting to irritate her with the innuendo. Come on strong much? Where the hell was Adam? She’d give SueAnn an SOS stare if she could catch her eye, but her friend hadn’t even looked over in at least fifteen minutes.

All of a sudden, Julia felt claustrophobic and the heat of the crowd surrounding her caused a flush to overtake her porcelain skin. A cocktail napkin served as a fan and all she wanted to do as she flapped it back and forth in front of her face was escape outside. Fresh air. She really needed to cool down. It was almost like a cotillion of spiders had started at her toes and were crawling their way up her legs. She tingled all over.

“Is something wrong,” Carter asked. “Can I get you a glass of water?”

“No,” Julia stood on legs that suddenly felt boneless. The room started to sway and she saw multiple Carters standing before her with a steadying arm on her shoulders. “I really need some fresh air. I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

Carter grabbed her jean jacket and set it on her slender shoulders. “It’s really cold outside. You may not think you want it right now, but if we go outside, you’ll want the protection.”

“Thanks,” she said as she slipped her arms inside. Julia lurched to the left as she wobbled on her high-heeled boots.

“Whoa there, I’ve got you,” Carter said as he caught her before she became intimate with the hardwood floor.