Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
She gives me an appraising glance. “That it is. I’m celebrating my divorce with a girlfriend tonight. How about you?”
“First date.”
Her eyes light up. “Blind date?”
“We’ve had coffee.”
“Hmm.” She sips her martini. “Well, if that doesn’t work out, you might find me at the bar across the street later.” She drags an olive free of the toothpick with her teeth. I think it’s supposed to be sexy, but it’s just awkward. She puts her hand on my arm and leans in, as if she’s planning to tell me a secret.
It’s then that I spot Skye at the host stand. She’s wearing a curve hugging ice blue dress, and sweet mother of God, the cleavage is damn well drool worthy.
Her gaze shifts my way, then drops to the woman’s hand on my arm, before moving to the person attached to it. Her brow arches and I spin on my stool. “If you’ll excuse me, my date has arrived.” I don’t wait for the woman to respond and leave my scotch behind.
My gaze roves over her on a hot sweep as I eat up the distance between us. I take her hand and bring it to my lips. “You look utterly sinful.”
“And you look like you want to eat me for dessert.” Her gaze darts over my shoulder and she tips her chin up. “Who's your friend?”
“I’m unsure. She’s on the prowl. Freshly divorced. It was about to get awkward, so thank you for the save.”
Skye’s eyebrow lifts. “You’re a little too handsome for your own good, aren’t you?”
“And you’re so beautiful you make it hard to think. This dress is…” I step back and take her in, working hard not to linger too long on her cleavage. “Stunning.”
“My daughter picked it out and called it boobalicious. The poor kid working the host stand couldn’t form a complete sentence after I took off my coat, so it’s probably a bit much. I apologize in advance if people mistake me for a professional escort. It’s the last time I’ll take wardrobe advice from my teen.” She blows out a breath. “Lord help me. I’m nervous and rambling. This explains my single status for the past decade and a half.”
“I think you look fabulous.”
“Because of the boobs.” She motions to them and rolls her eyes. “Sometimes I wish my mouth would stop running without my permission. I would make out with you again, but it’s one thing to do that on a street corner, and totally another in a restaurant. And then people will most definitely assume I’m an escort. Although, maybe not, because you’re way too good looking to need to pay for a date.”
“Excuse me sir, you left your drink at the bar.” The bartender holds out my scotch.
Skye takes the drink from her and tosses it back in one gulp, then covers her mouth with her hand as her eyes water. “Oh, God, that tasted like lighter fluid.” She hands the glass back to the bartender. “I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t my favorite.”
The bartender looks from me to Skye. “It was a seventeen-year-old scotch, ma’am.”
“No more scotch for me then.”
The host approaches us. “Mr. Butterson, your table is ready.”
Skye looks from me to the host and back again. “Is that your actual last name?”
“It is.”
“I have never heard that outside of South Park.”
I laugh and thread my arm through hers, following the host to our table. “It’s only slightly better than Ramsbottom.”
“I went to high school with a Mike Hunt. Who does that to their kid? And a Richard Dick, which is basically naming your kid Dick Dick.”
“Did he own it and go with Dick?”
“No, he tried to go by Rich but he was kind of dorky, so all the jocks who were jerks called him Double Dick. It was awful. The poor guy. I mean, I guess if he was well-endowed it would have been not the worst, but he was the kid who wore the same sweatpants and t-shirt basically every day of the week. I wonder what happened to him. I hope he has a great job and makes lots of money and found his lobster.”
We reach our table and I step up to push in Skye’s chair before the host can offer. The host disappears as I take the seat across from her. Skye frowns at her cleavage. “This is ridiculous.”
I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my smile. “What’s ridiculous?”
She motions to her chest. “I don’t even have a shawl to hide any of this nonsense.”
“I’m partial to the view.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t believe I let my daughter take control of my wardrobe. I didn’t even consider how much worse it would be when I sat down.”
“But didn’t you sit down on the drive here?”
“Yeah, but I was wearing a jacket, and everything was covered. Anyway, you won’t offend me if you have a hard time not looking at them, since they’re basically trying to jump out of my bra.”