Drunk on Love(71)

Margot sighed. Then nodded.

“Yeah. I like him a lot.”

Sydney looked over Margot’s shoulder again.

“Hold on, be right back.”

Sydney handled an issue at the front door, came back behind the bar to help the bartender pull together drinks for a big party, and then chatted with Margot for a few minutes before she had to rush off and deal with something else. That had never bothered Margot before, the way Sydney jumped around the restaurant the whole time she was there, but tonight it made her fidgety. Usually she would sit here and do some work on her phone, scroll social media, occasionally read a book, but tonight she hadn’t brought a book with her, and she’d banned herself from looking at her phone. Even though it felt like it was glowing there, in her bag. She knew if she pulled it out, she’d either see a text from Luke and she wouldn’t be able to help herself from texting back, or she wouldn’t see a text from Luke and she’d be disappointed.

She dug through her bag and found a magazine, left over from when a guest had left it at the tasting room weeks ago and she’d tossed it in her bag on the way out the door. She flipped through it, looking for something to entertain her, to keep her attention, to keep her from thinking about Luke and why she’d had this stupid idea to spend a night apart in the first place.

Sydney walked in her direction, and Margot looked up with relief.

“More bubbles?” she asked as she filled Margot’s glass.

Margot laughed.

“What if the answer was no? It is sometimes, you know.”

“I know,” Sydney said. “But those times you tell me when you sit down. ‘Only one glass, I have work to do tonight.’ Do you forget how well I know you?”

Margot sighed and picked up her glass.

“Occasionally, yes.”

Sydney looked over Margot’s shoulder again. More drama by the front door, probably.

“Fancy seeing you here tonight,” she said to someone, with a grin on her face.

Margot turned.

“Hi,” Luke said. “Is this seat taken?”

God, she was happy to see him.

“It is now,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

He sat down next to her, and she reached for his hand.

“I got a text from Avery to come here.”

Oh.

“Did you have plans with her tonight?”

He shook his head.

“No, I was just at home—I hadn’t heard from you, so I figured you were busy, and I got that text from Avery.” He looked around and let go of her hand. “Is she here? I got distracted when I saw you, but I guess I should find her.”

Margot looked up at Sydney.

“You’re welcome,” her friend mouthed, with a very smug grin on her face.

Margot tried to glare at her, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her lips.

“Sorry I didn’t text,” she said. “Avery’s not here. I think this is a situation where my friend conspired with your friend to get us together tonight, and I can’t be mad about it at all.”

Luke laughed and reached for her hand again.

“Well, I guess I need to thank them both, then.”

Margot picked up her champagne glass. She suddenly felt very silly about coming here, ignoring her phone, ignoring him. It would have been one thing if she’d made plans with Sydney on purpose, but she’d just done this to prove a point to herself, and to Luke. A stupid point.

“I should have texted,” she said. “I, um, thought we maybe needed a night off. I didn’t want you to get tired of me.”

Luke laughed again, but stopped when he looked at her face.

“You’re not serious?” He looked at her for a moment. “Is that a nice way to say that you needed a break from me? Because if so, you can just say that.”

She shook her head.

“No, that wasn’t it.” That’s why she hadn’t texted him that she had other plans, she realized. Because she’d wanted to see him. “I didn’t. I don’t. But it’s been every night this week, and I didn’t want us to—” She didn’t know how to finish that sentence, not in a way that wouldn’t reveal too much. “I thought maybe you’d be busy. Or that you might want to spend a night in your own bed.”

He laughed.

“Why would I want to be alone in my bed if there was the slightest possibility I could be with you in yours?”

He said it so casually, like it was obvious that’s what he would want. This man made her feel so good.

Sydney strolled up to them and set a glass down in front of Luke.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you want, Luke. I remember you liked Uncle Nearest last time.”

It felt really good, to be here with him at the bar, with his hand in hers, and her friend grinning at them.

“You have an excellent memory,” he said. “And thank you. For the drink and everything else.”

Sydney smirked.

“Anytime.”

Luke looked down at his drink, but Sydney kept looking at Margot.

“Not serious?” she mouthed.

Margot did glare at her this time, and Sydney just laughed.

“What?” Luke asked.

“Nothing,” Margot said.