Chaser (Dive Bar #3)(14)

“You’re meeting someone else tonight?”

“In an hour, yes.” She nodded. “So every minute we spend sitting here is one minute that we’re not…” Her voice trailed off suggestively.

I smiled. And then remembered that screwing her was not the goal here. “Maybe we should just enjoy a nice meal now and reschedule for a time later this week?”

“I don’t want to reschedule,” she retorted. “If you’re not in the mood, then whatever. But did it even occur to you to call me and let me know that you wanted to change things up?”

“No.” I shrugged. “I figured you’d be pleasantly surprised. Chicks dig romantic dinners. Everyone knows that.”

“Funnily enough, women aren’t that big on being called chicks.”

“Right,” I said. “My mistake.”

She crossed her arms, glaring at me.

“So, who are you meeting at the gym?” I asked. “Anyone I know?”

“One of the girls from work.”

“Great.” Fake smiling made my cheeks ache. “What else do you do when you’re not working or hitting the gym?”

“When the weather’s good I like to go hiking and I help out with a youth group at the church,” she said. “I visit friends and I’m also a member of a knitting group. Right now we’re working on blankets for the children’s ward at the hospital.”

“Wow.”

“Grandpa has chronic arthritis so I often hop over to his place to help out. Make some meals for him or just hang out and watch documentaries. He loves that English guy, David Attenborough.” She stared off at nothing. “And I watch my nephews some nights so my brother and his wife can go out.”

“Huh. You really do a lot.”

She shrugged. “I keep busy. What about you?”

“I work here of course.” I nodded, trying to think of what else apart from women occupied my time. Something that would compare to Karen’s achievements. “Yeah, a lot of the time you can find me here at the bar. Really just … working, you know?”

“And?” she asked, eyes glazing over.

“Okay. Well, I hang out with friends.”

Nothing from her.

“Yeah.” Shit. “Oh, often Joe and I go jogging. There’s that too.”

“Uh-huh.”

And all conversation ground to a halt once again. We both just stared at each other while all around us the world carried on. Music played and people talked. People who actually had a lot to say to each other, I guess.

Karen set her hands to the edge of the table. “This isn’t working.”

“No, this is great.”

“Eric, we’ve been bumping hips on and off for years and you’ve never felt the need to ask me a personal question,” she pointed out. “Why now?”

I raised my chin. “Better late than never, right?”

“Wrong.”

“But—”

“Enough, I have to go.” The woman jumped to her feet in exasperation, making her chair skid back noisily, drawing plenty of attention. “I knew this was a bad idea. We have sex sometimes, Eric. That’s all. We don’t talk.”

“But we could!” I stood up as well, just trying to usher her back to sitting. We could at least do this without causing a scene.

Her whole face screwed up. “What we have is just fine.”

“Sure, yeah. I just thought…”

“What? You thought what?”

“Well, don’t you want maybe something more?”

“No, Eric. God, do I have to spell it out?” Her gaze zeroed in on me. “We’re boring each other stupid. And even if we did have stuff to talk about, I don’t want a guy like you for a boyfriend. In a couple of days, you’d have changed your mind, gotten distracted or whatever. You’re just not boyfriend material.”

And with that, she stormed out. Awesome.

Meanwhile, Rosie stood nearby with her pen and pad in hand. Because more witnesses to my humiliation would just be wonderful. The shit Karen had said echoed round and round inside my head. How wrong could one woman be? Just because she crocheted socks for orphans or whatever. I could totally be a decent boyfriend. With a little practice.

“Bit too late for that,” I said, nodding at her order pad and slumping back down into my chair.

“Sorry.” Her mouth skewed, dark skin glowing in the candlelight. “Date didn’t go so well?”

“What gave it away?” I growled.

“Being an ass to me will help you how, exactly?”

“Sorry, Rosie.” I slipped my hand underneath my long hair, rubbing at my neck. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe I am just shit at this and everything else.”

She sighed and took the newly vacant seat opposite me. “Nell’s been at you again, huh?”

I didn’t even bother to answer.

“I thought she’d eased up since you started turning up for your shifts on time.”

“She did. A little.”

“You know, she loves you, Eric,” she said. “You’re like family to her. She just has a difficult way of showing it.”

“Like ripping into me?” I slouched back in the chair. “Bitch of it is that everyone agrees with her. They all treat me like I’m the idiot child obsessed with pussy.”