“Sorry.” She laughs and that fake ass smile is replaced with a real one. “Off the record, of course.”
“It’s doing good, but I’m not sure yet when I’ll return.” That’s as much as I’d give anyone outside of my team, and I don’t wait for a follow-up before I move on to Kennedy.
She looks up at me with dark green eyes framed with thick black lashes. Her mouth is pursed, lips wearing this almost humored expression I can’t quite make out.
“Hey, I’m Ash,” I say to her.
“Kennedy.” She offers me her hand. The ring on her middle finger reminds me of Bridget and how she had on multiple that night of the game.
Kennedy already has a drink in her hand, so I ask the bartender for a water and take a seat to her right.
“We’re going to play darts,” Jack announces, sliding his arm around Meredith’s waist as they both stand.
I shoot him a glare. He’s deserting me and couldn’t be more obvious about his intention to leave us alone together.
“You good, Kennedy?” Meredith asks her.
“Yeah.” The word comes out with a quiet laugh. “I’m fine.”
When they’re gone, she shakes her head and says, “Being set up is the worst, right?”
“You knew this was a setup?”
“Please. They’re not at all subtle. Jack must have slipped you into conversation a dozen times over the last hour before you just so happened to show up. I know more about you than the last three guys I went out with combined.”
“Oh, good.” A deep chuckle rumbles in my chest. “I don’t have to worry about coming up with interesting and fun facts about myself then.”
“Nope.” She takes a sip of red wine and angles her body toward me.
She’s in a tight green dress almost the exact shade of her eyes that molds to her curves.
“It seems I’m at a disadvantage. I barely know anything about you.”
“I’ll give you three questions.”
“Only three?”
“The thing is, if I give you an unlimited number of questions, you’ll ask a bunch of random things and we’ll pass the night by going back and forth sharing random tidbits, but not really getting to know each other at all.”
“You’ve done this before.” One side of my mouth pulls up into a smile.
“Is that a question?”
“Shit. No. Let me think.” I take a drink of water and then wipe the condensation off my hand by running my fingers over my thigh. “What is the last series you binge-watched on Netflix?”
Her expression shows her surprise at my question, but she thinks for a moment and then says, “Unsolved Mysteries. I watched like five episodes in a row and then couldn’t sleep for a week without the light on.”
“Do you live alone?”
“No, I have a roommate, but she travels for work a lot.” She holds up a single finger. “One question left.”
“I think I’ll save it for later.”
“Good, because I have one for you.”
“Something you don’t already know?”
She nods and then leans forward like she’s telling me a secret. The angle gives me a clear shot down her dress before her long hair falls forward. She’s beautiful, no doubt about it.
“Why are you still single?”
I laugh at the unexpectedly direct question.
She pulls back, smiling. “I mean, you’re a rich, good-looking guy. So far, you seem to be able to hold a conversation and you’ve looked at my chest just the right amount.”
Just the right amount? When my brows lift, she explains, “If you didn’t look at all, I’d think you weren’t interested in me. And if you looked too much, I’d think you were only interested in getting me naked. So, are you the kind of guy, like Jack, who isn’t interested in more than casual dating or is there some other reason you’re single? Waiting for the right girl? Pining over the last girl?”
“Uhhh…” I run a hand over my jaw and glance over to where Jack and Meredith are playing darts. He looks pretty happy with one hand resting on her hip possessively, but he does have a reputation for hopping from girl to girl. That’s not me, but pining over the last one? My mind automatically goes to Bridget, but I can’t even count her as the last girl. The last girl I seriously dated was Talia and that was more than a year ago. Aware I still haven’t answered, I finally say, “Somewhere in between, I guess.”
“Hmmm…” She studies me for a beat, then stands. “Look. This doesn’t have to be more than tonight, or it can be, your call, but I think you should use your final question now and ask me to either go on a real date or go back to your place.”
My brows shoot back up. I was not expecting that.
Her laugh chimes in the air again. She clearly enjoys catching me off guard. “I’m going to say goodbye to Meredith and give you time to think about it.”
I watch her go, still in a state of shock as she sways her hips across the bar.
Goddamn. I turn back to the bar and chug the rest of my water.
“Sooo…” Mav slides into the chair that Kennedy just vacated. “What’d you think of Harmony? Are you going to call her?”
I glance down at her number still on my hand. “She was nice.”
Jack’s deep laughter announces his presence. “Nice? I told you he’d like Kennedy better.”
They bicker back and forth for a minute before Jack nudges me. “Don’t leave us in suspense, which one are you picking?”
“No pressure, but I am about to have a baby so I really need the money,” Mav says in a loud whisper-voice.
Jack rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. I’ve seen the nursery. You couldn’t fit another baby gadget in there if you tried.”
“Better than the overpriced liquor you’re likely to buy with it.”
I rub my forehead with two fingers.
Of course, they bet on this. I’m not even surprised. I’m sure I would have done the same thing.
“So?” Mav asks me. “Which one is the perfect girl for you?”
“Perfect girl? I’m just trying to get my boy back in the game.” I’m sure there’s another eye roll with the snort that comes from Jack, but I spin in my seat and look toward the dartboard where Kennedy is standing with Meredith.
“Thank you both. I know you meant well, but—”
“You’re still hung up on the nurse, even though she turned your ass down like a dozen times?” Jack asks with a smirk.
Mav has an equally annoying smirk on his face as he adds, “And the more time you spend with other girls, the more you realize that the connection you had with her was unique?”
Jack snorts again. “I so don’t get that.”
“You will someday,” Mav tells him.
“No,” Jack says, like he can keep himself from falling for someone that easily.