“My friend works here.”
At Serena’s answer, the bartender turned. With his face partially shadowed, his features weren’t immediately visible, and it wasn’t until he stepped closer that Maria noticed the fading bruise on his cheek and all at once, it came together. The bartender froze for a second as well, no doubt mirroring her own thoughts: You’ve got to be kidding. In the awkward moment that followed, Maria had the impression that while he wasn’t thrilled by Serena’s surprise, he wasn’t necessarily upset by it, either. He resumed his approach until he was standing right in front of them. Leaning forward, he rested his hand on the bar, revealing the sculpted, colorfully tattooed muscle of his forearm.
“Hey, Serena,” he said. His unhurried, confident voice was exactly as Maria remembered. “You decided to come.”
Serena seemed content to act as though she hadn’t orchestrated the whole scenario. “I figured, why not? It’s a gorgeous day!” She spread her arms wide. “What a great place! You were right about the view from up here. It’s incredible. Has it been busy today?”
“I’ve been overrun.”
“No wonder. Who wouldn’t want to come on a day like today? Oh, by the way, this is my sister, Maria.”
Colin’s gaze met hers, unreadable except for a trace of amusement somewhere in its depths. Up close, his appearance was nothing like it had been on the night he’d changed her tire; with his high cheekbones, blue-gray eyes, and long lashes, it was easy to imagine him picking up almost any woman he wanted. “Hi, Maria,” he said, extending his hand across the bar. “I’m Colin.”
She took his hand in hers, feeling a restrained strength in his grip. Letting go, she watched as his gaze flickered from her to Serena and back again.
“What can I get you?” he asked.
Serena studied them both before finally propping her elbows on the bar. “How about a couple of pi?a coladas?”
“Coming right up,” he said easily. Turning around, he grabbed the blender and bent over to reach into the refrigerator, his jeans growing tight around his thighs. Maria watched as he added the ingredients before turning her narrowed gaze on Serena.
“Really?” Maria said, more a statement than a question.
“What?” Serena asked, sounding pleased with herself.
“This is why we came? Because you wanted us to meet?”
“You’re the one who said you never had a chance to thank him. Now’s your chance.”
Maria shook her head, amazed. “How did you…?”
“Colin’s in my class.” She reached for a bucket of peanuts on the bar and snapped one of them open. “Actually, he’s in two of my classes, but we really only met this week. While we were getting to know each other, he mentioned that he worked here and that he had a shift this afternoon. I thought it might be fun for us to drop in and say hello.”
“Of course you did.”
“What’s the big deal? We’ll be out of here soon and you can head back home and take up knitting mittens for cats or whatever. Don’t make this into something that it isn’t.”
“Why should I? You’ve already done that.”
“Talk to him, don’t talk to him,” Serena said, reaching for another peanut, “it doesn’t matter to me. It’s your life, not mine. And besides, we’re already here, let’s just enjoy it, okay?”
“I really hate that you —”
“In case you’re interested,” Serena interrupted, “Colin is actually a very nice guy. Smart, too. And you have to admit, he’s kind of hot as far as bartenders go.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I actually think his tattoos are sexy,” she said, nodding toward him. “I’ll bet he’s got some more that aren’t visible, too.”
Maria struggled to find words. “I think…” she sputtered, trying to sort through it all and experiencing the same sort of confusion she had on the night she’d first met Colin. “Can we please just have our drinks and go?”