“Sure.” She smiled. “Good luck coming up with something.”
I thought fast. I still thought whiskey was the key, but I wanted to get more creative. I racked my brain for a new whiskey drink but came up with nothing.
“At this rate, I might as well try a Manhattan again,” I said mostly to myself. The drink seemed perfect for him, and I was out of other ideas.
I grabbed the sweet vermouth and the Angostura bitters and poured them into a mixing glass with the whiskey. After stirring well (stirring can really make a difference), I strained it into a chilled glass just as he sat down.
Afraid I’d miss my chance, I headed right over to the spot he always played during the colder months. As much as I loved listening to him outside, the closed space somehow made it even better. “Hey.” I moved into my usual greeting.
“Hi, Maddy.” He used my name. I tried to hide my surprise.
He accepted the drink and sipped it. “Thanks.” His eyes stayed focused on my face.
I tried to read his expression. He seemed to like it enough, but he didn’t take another sip. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he closed it.
“Do you need anything else?” I bit my tongue. What else would I be offering? It’s not like I served the food.
He smiled. “No. I think I’m good. But I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Good.” I smiled and walked away.
I met up with Mary at the bar. “Still no luck?”
“On the drink? I don’t think so, but I did get a few words of conversation”
“You are such a goofball.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I filled Mary’s tray and set back to listen to Lyle’s music. He started with a song he hadn’t played in months, and I closed my eyes for a minute to take it in.
I’m hungry for affection…hungry for the way you make me feel.
Just listening to him gave me chills.
You just don’t get it. Don’t get how much more you are. How much more you’ll be.
Keep on dreaming my love, and keep on starving me.
When I opened my eyes, I realized I wasn’t alone.
“Colin’s going to meet me here in a little bit. This place is happening.” Carly smiled, clearly not concerned to find me with my eyes shut.
“Yeah, there are a few parties going on. I guess the holidays are giving this town a new life.” It took a second for her words and presence to set in. I had totally forgotten. Colin may not have noticed the way I looked at Lyle, but a girl would. I had to force myself to ignore Lyle’s presence. I built up a mental wall to prevent myself from glancing over at him. The hard part was I couldn’t ignore his singing.
“That’s cool.” She turned her head so she could check out the open room. She looked in the direction of Lyle, but my mental wall prevented me from seeing whether that’s who she was watching.
“Want a cosmo?”
“Yes! I still love those.”
I smiled. “Good.” At least I’d gotten that one right. I opened a new container of cranberry juice, you wouldn’t believe how much of it we went through, and I made her cosmo.
She sipped her drink as soon as I set it in front of her. “I think Colin got you something really nice for your anniversary.”
“Our anniversary?”
“Yeah, your three-month one.”
“He got me a gift because we’ve dated three months?”
Carly laughed. “I guess he wanted an excuse to buy you nice jewelry.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Oops, sorry.”
“It’s okay, but does that mean I’m supposed to buy him something?”
“Maybe? I think he’s planning to take you out somewhere special on Saturday.”
“Is he always like this?”
“Does he always make a big deal out of things? No. This is new.”
“Then why is he doing it?” I filled a glass with water for myself.
“Because he likes you a lot. Are you complaining that he bought you jewelry and is taking you out?”
“No. I just hope he doesn’t think he has to. Like, I’m the kind of girl who needs that stuff.”
“Every girl needs that stuff. It’s just whether you decide to admit it.”
“That’s not true.” I was surprised by the comment. It didn’t seem very Carly.
“I’m not saying we all need jewelry and fancy meals, but we all want a guy to show us he thinks we’re worth it.”
I slipped off my cardigan sweater. Either it was the crowds or Lyle’s music that was getting me hot. “A guy can do that without those kinds of gestures.”
“They can, but that’s an easy way. Colin’s trying hard with you.”
“Why do I get the sense that there’s something loaded in that statement?”
“Colin dropped me off because he had to run into work for an hour. He’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ve been sitting in the Grille for forty-five minutes.” The expression on her face made my stomach drop. If I was hot moments earlier, I was now on fire.
“I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you aren’t sleeping with that guy, but you want to.”
Damn it. “I’ve had a crush on him for a while, but it’s nothing.”
“He’s into you. He looks over at you when he knows you aren’t looking.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“Because I don’t want you hurting Colin. If all you’re waiting for from that guy is an invitation, you’re going to get it.”
“I’m not interested in getting with him. I just… This is going to sound stupid.”
“Just tell me.” Her face slowly faded back into her usual upbeat expression.
“I can’t figure out his drink.”
“Meaning?”
“I can always figure out people’s drinks. I mean, it took me what, two minutes to nail yours?”
“So you can’t figure his out?”
“No. And it annoys me for no real reason other than I’ve never had this problem. I don’t know if you’ve been listening, but he’s an awesome songwriter. I want to understand him.”
“Maddy, that’s great and all, but don’t kid yourself. You want to do more than understand him.”
“Maybe, but not in a fantasy type of way.”
“My advice is to get all your staring out of your system fast. Colin’s going to notice, and he’s going to be upset.”