Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology) (3 page)

“Oh no. That’s fine now. I’ve been looking
forward to this all day.”

“All right, then let’s go.” I turned around
again. Macon was back to his sandwich. “Bye.”

He piled on something resembling ham. I’d
learned not to eat anything in the fridge I didn’t buy myself.
Brody was protective of his food, and Macon’s wasn’t safe. “Have
fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Is there anything you wouldn’t do?”

He grinned. “A few things.”

I half-smiled. “See ya later.”

Colin led the way down the two flights of
stairs. He stopped in front of a BMW convertible and opened the
passenger door for me. Either he had a lot of money, or he wanted
people to think so. I wasn’t sure which it was.

I slipped in, tugging down my skirt to
protect my legs from the scorching leather seat. “Thanks.”

“Of course. Thanks for agreeing to go out
with me.” He closed my door and went around to the driver’s
side.

I smiled. There was no reason to remind him
of how many times I’d turned him down before. It’s not like I
wasn’t attracted to him from the beginning—it would have been
impossible not to be. Tall, around six foot, with jet-black hair,
he was striking. He was definitely my type.

“I thought we’d head down to the beach. I
know a great spot there that’s perfect for a picnic.”

“Do you take all of your dates there?” I
wondered what was so special about the spot he wanted to take me.
We were on the Outer Banks, so the beach was everywhere.

“No. I’ve never had a picnic date
before.”

“I have, but not on the beach.” Mine had been
in a park at night during high school. The picnic was great and all
until I discovered my date had packed condoms in the picnic basket.
That date didn’t last long. Neither did our relationship.

“Oh.” There was a definite note of
disappointment in his voice. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Not particularly.” No reason to share the
details. “I have a feeling this one will be much more
enjoyable.”

“Good.” He downshifted as we headed farther
from town. The wind cooled down the seat, and a few minutes in, I
let myself relax. It was only a date. Just because the guy was
older and someone I barely knew didn’t make it any different than
other dates.

Who was I kidding? Of course it did. The only
guys I’d dated before had been friends first. I had no idea how to
handle the “getting to know you” part of dating.

We didn’t talk much on the drive. He kept
glancing over at me with this grin on his face. I enjoyed the wind
in my hair. If I did buy a car, I wanted a convertible. Of course
that was what I wanted, but with my finances, I’d end up with a
secondhand compact.

“You okay?” He pulled into a spot.

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Okay. Just checking.” He pulled a woven
picnic basket out of the backseat.

“Wow, you went all out.”

“I’ll be honest. I picked it up. But it’s
better this way. Trust me.”

“Then I’m sure it’s going to be good.”

We walked down the beach until we found the
spot he’d been alluding to. He unfolded a large blue and red
blanket, and we spread it out on the sand.

I sat down with my legs stretched out,
waiting for Colin to join me. He placed the basket on his far side,
kneeled, and pulled out a bottle of pinot grigio and two
glasses.

“Wine?” He’d never struck me as the wine
type.

He smiled. “Despite the time, this is a
date.”

“Oh really?” I smoothed out my skirt, wishing
I’d worn shorts instead. I hadn’t thought about the awkwardness of
sitting on a blanket in a skirt. I’d been thinking more about being
cute. That was pretty surprising for me. Usually, I put
practicality first.

“Yes. I’ve waited quite a while for this
date.” He moved to sitting.

“Have you?” I wondered where he planned to go
with the conversation. We both knew how many times he’d asked.

“Yeah, since the first night I saw you at the
Grille.” He opened the wine and poured us each a glass.

“Wow, I guess I made a good first
impression.”

“I liked how much time you spent measuring
out everything. You were very meticulous. It’s like you view
bartending as a science.”

I shrugged, ignoring the fact that he must
have been watching me that night. He’d only ordered a beer. “It
kind of is.”

He handed me my glass. “I guess you’re right,
but most people don’t see it that way.”

“I guess not.”

He lightly clinked his glass against mine.
“To you finally giving this a shot.”

I smiled, willing the awkwardness away.

He leaned back on one hand, looking so
comfortable with the situation. I wondered how I appeared. “Have
you decided whether you’re staying around after Labor Day?”

“Yes.” I sipped the cool white wine.

“And?”

“I’m staying.” I set aside the wine and
leaned back on my elbows. The sun beat down on my face, and I loved
it.

“Really? For good?” He watched me
eagerly.

“Well, for the winter at least.”

He leaned over slightly. “That’s
fantastic.”

“Yeah, it’s the best thing for me right
now.”

“I have to agree.” He grinned. “But I guess I
don’t need to use my speech anymore.”

“Your speech?”

“Yeah.” He sipped his wine. “My ‘you should
stay’ speech.”

“Oh, this I have to hear.” I couldn’t help
but feel flattered, even though I knew it was all him pretending to
care more than he actually did.

“You still want to hear it?”

“Yes.”

“All right, here goes.” He shifted toward me
slightly. “I know you only came here for the summer, but Corolla in
the off-season is a totally different place. I think you’ll enjoy
the quiet, peaceful lifestyle. If Max can’t give you enough shifts,
I know we’re always looking for temps in the office. I’d really
like the chance to get to know you better, I already can tell we
have a connection, and I want to explore it.”

“I like that last point.” Something about
those words sent shivers down my body. I liked the thought of
exploring anything with him. Maybe it was the way he looked at me
with such adoration, or the way he leaned over on his elbow, but he
looked irresistible.

“Yeah? I hoped you would.”

“So how do you plan on further exploring our
connection?”

“Hmm, I don’t know if I should let you in on
all my secrets yet.”

Things suddenly felt too hot and heavy. “But
offering me a job might be a little over the top.”

“Yeah? I was afraid I’d overdo it. Believe it
or not, this was my first ‘please stay’ speech.”

“Really? I’d have thought you’d have to use
them on girls all the time.”

He laughed. “No, they usually run away before
I have time to come up with one.”

“I guess I wasn’t fast enough.”

“Or maybe I was.”

“Are you trying to sound creepy?”

“No. I was going for seductive. It didn’t
come across that way?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. Note to self: Next time leave off the
‘I was fast enough’ part.”

I laughed. “So, what all did you get?”

He set aside his wine and started pulling out
containers. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a variety.”

“A variety? It looks like enough food to feed
four.”

“Better to be prepared.” He opened a round
container. “This is some sort of pasta salad.”

“Looks good. And is that fruit?” Fruit
sounded better than anything in this heat.

“Yes, there are some chocolate-covered
strawberries for dessert too.”

“You’re perfect, you know that?” I reached
over him and found the strawberries. “But I’m not saving them for
dessert.” I wanted them, and I knew he wouldn’t care.

He laughed. “I don’t know about perfect, but
I’m glad I’ve made you happy.”

I took a bite of one of the chocolate-covered
strawberries. “Mmm. Very happy.” The milk chocolate melted in my
mouth and mixed in with the juice from the strawberry, creating one
of my all-time favorite flavor combinations.

He laughed again, and it was deeper this
time. “You are even more entertaining than I expected.”

“Entertaining?”

“Yeah, you have this light about you. It
pulls you in.”

“How old are you?” He didn’t look much older
than my twenty-two, but he seemed it sometimes.

“Twenty-six.”

“That’s what I thought.” One year off wasn’t
a bad estimate.

“You’re twenty-two, right?”

“How’d you guess?”

“It wasn’t really a guess.” He turned
slightly red. “I asked around about you and found out you’d just
graduated from UVA.”

“Yeah, that’s me. Using my degree so
well.”

“What’s your degree in?” He unwrapped a
sandwich.

“Chemistry.”

“Chemistry? Does that explain the science of
bartending?”

I laughed. “Maybe a little.”

“What do you plan to do with it? Graduate
school?”

“The original plan was med school.” My
stomach churned when I said those two words.

“Original plan? What changed?” He watched me
as though he cared about the answer.

“I got rejected everywhere I applied.”

His eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry to hear
that. I’ve heard the process is hard. Are you going to try
again?”

“I’m not sure. My parents want me to.”

“Are they doctors?”

“My dad is. He works at UVA Med.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, and before you ask, yes, I applied
there, and yes, I got rejected there too.”

He picked up his wine again. “I wasn’t going
to ask.”

A smile slipped out despite the sour mood I
felt threatening me. Usually, thinking about that pile of rejection
letters depressed me. I’d managed to pull off decent enough grades,
but my MCAT scores didn’t cut it. At least that’s what admissions
told my dad. It’s kind of sad when your father knows the admissions
committee well enough to talk to them about you, but they still
don’t let you in.

“That sucks, but on a positive note, it
brought you here.”

“Yeah, I guess it did.” I set aside the stem
of the first strawberry.

“Want another?”

“Sure.” I licked some chocolate off my bottom
lip. He watched me intently.

He handed me another strawberry without
taking his eyes off my lips.

I waited for him to kiss me, but he didn’t.
He watched me with the hint of a smile.

“So what about you?”

“What about me?” His eyes moved to meet
mine.

“What brought you here?”

“Work.”

“Where were you before this?”

“Raleigh. About a year ago I was offered a
promotion if I’d move to this office. Move to the beach and make
more money? It seemed like a no-brainer.” He balled up the plastic
wrap from his sandwich.

“But it wasn’t as good as you expected?”
Something about his expression made me ask.

“The summer is great and all, but this place
is dead in the off-season.”

“What happened to the quiet, peaceful
lifestyle?”

“I had to try.”

I shifted, still searching for a comfortable
way to sit without flashing him. “I take it you had a lonely
winter?”

“Very.” He reached out and took my hand. “I’m
hoping this winter will be different.”

“Oh? Why would it be?” I decided to play coy.
It was our first date, and for all he knew it would be our
only.

“Well, I met this girl. She’s pretty cool,
and she just told me she’s sticking around.” He rubbed his thumb in
small circles on my hand.

“She’s pretty cool, huh? Well, if she caught
your attention, she’s lucky.”

“I was thinking the same thing about me
catching her attention.”

A mix of sexual tension, and maybe need, hung
in the air between us. I wanted to get rid of it. “Where were you
working today?”

“Down in Nags Head. I was only supposed to be
dropping off some papers. If I’d had any idea how late I’d
run—”

“It’s okay, Colin. I was just curious.”

“We’re building some new condos down
there.”

“Oh, cool.”

A strange look crossed his face, like he was
debating something internally. “Are you going to keep living in
your current apartment, or do you want to move?”

“I can’t afford any of the places you’re
selling.”

“That’s not what I meant. I assumed sharing
walls with those guys was temporary.”

“My time here is still temporary—just
slightly longer.”

“Well, I know the rental market here pretty
well too, if you’re ever looking, let me know.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m good.” Living with
Macon and Brody for longer than a summer was never in the plans,
but it worked. The living arrangement was low drama, and I liked
our place enough.

“Are you going to eat something else? Wine
and chocolate-covered strawberries are great and all, but there’s
plenty more.”

“Can I see that pasta salad?”

He passed over the container along with a
fork. I scooped out a little on a plate. I wasn’t particularly
hungry, but I didn’t want him to think I didn’t eat normal
stuff.

We sat for a while longer, talking and
eating. The picnic was nice, comfortable. It was like I already
knew him.

“Thanks for coming today.” He held out a hand
to help me up. We folded up the blanket, and Colin picked up the
repacked picnic basket.

“Thanks for inviting me. I had a great
time.”

“I’m glad. Does that mean you’d want to go
out again sometime?”

Usually I’d give a noncommittal answer, but I
wasn’t in the mood for games. “Yeah. I would.”

He smiled, taking my hand with the one not
currently holding the basket and blanket. “Maybe we’ll have dinner
next time?”

“Sure. That sounds great.”

He led me to the car, and we headed back
toward town. I relaxed against the seat, once again enjoying the
wind. I could get used to being driven around in a convertible. He
pulled up outside of my building and got out.