CHAPTER FIVE
“Beer, wine…what can I get you?” Noah asks as I slide into the bar stool next to him. He signals to the bartender.
“I’ll have a glass of house white, thanks so much,” I tell the older woman working behind the counter. She quickly pours a glass of wine and sets it on the bar in front of me.
“And I’ll take another one of these,” Noah says, raising his beer mug.
As she sets a frosty mug filled with beer in front of him, he hands her some cash. “Just keep the change. Thanks, pretty lady.”
Pretty lady? The bartender looks like she’s spent way too much time smoking and sunning. I guess Noah calls everyone pretty lady. So much for him thinking I’m pretty.
“Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me, Allie,” he says after taking a sip of his dark brew.
“Oh, anytime,” I reply. It’s kind of strange. The way he’s talking doesn’t make this sound like a date.
“So, how do you like working for ‘7 Days’?” he asks.
I purse my lips. “Well, at first I loved it…but since Peter left and Duke’s come on board…”
“You don’t like working for Duke?”
I shake my head. “He’s such a jerk. And the way he works his clients—he’s just too hard on them.”
“Whoa!” Noah puts his hand in the air and chuckles. “Now tell me how you really feel.”
“I just don’t see him turning things around. We’ve actually been losing members. We’ve definitely not been gaining many new ones since he came on board. At this rate, our ‘7 Days’ branch will go out of business.”
“Hmm, I’ll talk to him about it. He’s just so used to working with a different type of client—he’ll adjust and it’ll be great, you’ll see.”
“Ha! He’s so loud, and well…obnoxious sometimes—most of the time. Honestly, I think I might quit.”
“Come on, Allie, give the guy a chance.”
“And why should I? He’s loud, over-bearing, sarcastic, insulting, and…”
“Look, I know he can come on strong, but he’s had it rough. I think he acts tough so he doesn’t get hurt. Inside that panther shifter is a pussycat.”
I raise my brows. “Oh really?”
“Yeah, Duke’s a shifter on his dad’s side. He died when Duke was just a kid—a silver bullet to the heart from a poacher. I think Duke was only about seven. He witnessed the whole thing.”
“That’s awful. I didn’t know.”
“His mom was a normal woman. She had no idea how to handle a shifter child. Instead of figuring it out, she took to drinking. Duke had to fend for himself at a young age, and he also had to take care of his mom. Then, she passed away when he was about ten. He went to live with his aunt and uncle. Duke didn’t spell it out, but I got the impression they were pretty tough on him—he lived on the streets for a while.”
“How do you know all this?”
“We led a fitness training camp together. One night we went out for a few brewskis and we started talking about our childhoods. He let his guard down and told me. His brashness is just a cover up, Allie. Inside that panther shifter is a pussy cat looking for approval and affection. He’s ready for that special someone to complete him.”
“Well, that is awful,” I swallow. I never would have dreamed Duke had led such a tough childhood. I can feel tears welling up at the thought of Duke as an unloved, unwanted little boy. Get a grip Allie, I tell myself. We’re talking about Duke here—loudmouth, rude Duke. I straighten my shoulders. “He sure fooled me. He comes across so rough and tough, though.”
“Try to cut him a little slack. He does mean well…he just doesn’t always convey the right message.”
“Well, I did talk to him about being too hard on the clients and he seemed to listen, but I don’t know if it will do any good.”
“Yes, he does need to take a gentler approach. Give him time. He’ll learn.”
“So anyway, how are you?” I ask, batting my eyelashes and trying to change the subject. I feel bad for Duke, but the last thing I want to do on my date with Noah is spend time talking about the lug head manager of ‘7 Days’. The wine is making me relax and I can’t help but flirt a little with the hunky, delicious man in front of me.
“I’m doing pretty good,” he replies, nodding his head.
I inhale deeply. Trying to sound fun and flirtatious, I ask, “Are you looking for ‘approval and affection’—that special someone to complete you, like Duke is?”
“I am, Allie, and I’ve found her.” His light eyes look so serious.
I let out a deep breath. I can almost hear the violins in my head. This is it. In just a few seconds, Noah is going to tell me how much he cares about me, and we will kiss and then go on to live happily ever after.
“And,” Noah continues, “…that is what I wanted to talk to you about.”
I try to keep from smiling too broadly. Is he going to ask me to be his woman? For a moment, my mind floats and I think of Duke. His early life is so sad. I wonder if he will ever find his true love.
He cocks his head. “I hope you don’t mind me asking?”
“Oh, not at all,” I say, trying to sound casual despite anxiously wondering what he will say next.
“I know you’ve only been with ‘7 Days’ for a few weeks…” he leans forward, a serious expression on his face.
“That’s right,” I agree.
“…but you have fit right in, and you seem to have gotten to know Clara really well. I see the two of you chatting a lot.”
“Yeah, we hit it off right away, she’s really nice,” I frown. What does Clara have to do with anything?
“I noticed that, too. Um, I was wondering if, um…she ever talked to you? About me?”
“No, not really,” I shake my head. Why is he asking me this? What does this have to do with Noah and me?
“Oh, she’s never mentioned me…so she’s said nothing at all about me?” he winces.
“She really hasn’t—I mean, she said you were a great trainer, but she says that about everyone. Why do you ask?”
I gaze at him. His shoulders are slumped and he looks down in the dumps. Suddenly, it hits me smack in the face. Noah was never interested in me. He had invited me out for a friendly drink to find out if Clara was interested in him! I feel like smacking myself upside the head. How had I read his signals so wrong?