“I approve. I most definitely approve.” Celeste nodded. “That blouse is so much better than the last one you tried on.”
Lindy looked down at herself. Her emerald green peasant blouse had always been one of her favorites, but she wasn’t sure. “Are you sure it’s not too dressed up? What if it’s not dressed up enough?”
“Hon, you’re going to a pub. How dressed up are you supposed to be at a pub?”
“I was thinking more about Alan than I was about the location.”
“I see. Well, considering that the whole five minutes you’ve known him, you’ve been wearing a Scentiments apron, anything you put on for tonight is bound to be an improvement.”
Lindy chuckled. “You’re right. You know how I like to overthink.”
“Yes, I most certainly do. But you can stop anytime. I promise, it can be done.”
“Working on it.” Lindy grabbed her silver ballet flats from her room and came back in. “So, Helen’s going to be here in about fifteen minutes. You have my cell phone—”
“And I even have a baby monitor,” Celeste said dryly.
“What? How did you find out about that?’
“I found it when I was putting something back on the shelf this afternoon.”
“But you aren’t supposed to be putting things back on shelves! You’re supposed to be letting me do that.”
“Is that because you don’t want me hurting myself, or because you don’t want me finding the baby monitor?”
“Both!” Lindy plopped her shoes on the floor, slid her feet into them, and turned back to her aunt. “Listen. You know I want you to be safe, right? The baby monitor was just in case you fell or something and weren’t able to get to your phone to call me.”
Celeste pursed her lips, but then nodded. “I understand. It was a good idea—I’ll try harder not to feel like an invalid.”
“You’re the least invalid-ed invalid I know.” Lindy grinned. “Have a good time. Helen said she’s bringing some movies and some treats, and she has a spare key so she’ll just let herself in.”
“Go. Go.” Celeste made shooing motions with her hands. “You’re worse than a new mother leaving her infant for the first time.”
“All right, I’ll go.” Lindy grabbed her purse and trotted down the stairs, eager to meet up with her friends, but wishing Celeste could come along too. Another few weeks, maybe.
When she arrived at Quinn’s Pub, she was waved back to a table by Sammi and one of her friends from the diner, Star. She was surprised to see Trix there too, and gave her a hug.
“So, I did a thing,” Lindy said as she slid into her chair. “I invited a guy to join us.”
“You did?” Sammi waggled her eyebrows. “Who?”
“His name’s Alan. He’s a UPS driver.”
Star’s eyes got huge. “The UPS driver? He’s hot! Okay, he’s also really nice and smart and stuff, but he’s hot. I saw him the other day when he was dropping off a package for my neighbor.”
Lindy blushed. “Yeah, he is. But he’s also nice and smart.”
Sammi and Trix laughed. “As long as we don’t forget to acknowledge those things,” Sammi said. “Oh, wait. Wait, wait.” She reached out and grabbed Lindy’s arm. “Dusty just walked in.”
Lindy forced herself not to look. “I saw him today at Celeste’s appointment.”
“Oh, yeah? How’d that go?” Trix asked.
“It went really well. He’s going to have her do some stretches between now and her next appointment.”
“That’s great and all, but I want to know how it went between you and Dusty,” Sammi said with a grin.
“I was blushing and immature and ridiculous,” Lindy admitted. “I’m completely ashamed of myself.”
“Well, you must have gotten his attention somehow because he’s on his way over here,” Star said, lowering her voice.
“What?” Lindy whipped her head around. Sure enough, Dusty was coming their way, weaving between the tables. “He’s not coming to see me—it’s got to be one of you.”
“Nope, pretty sure it’s you,” Sammi said.
Lindy’s heart started to race again, and she tried to calm down. She was an adult, for pity’s sake. She didn’t have to react this way every single time.
“Hey, Lindy.” Dusty put his hand on the back of her chair, and she turned to look up at him.
“Oh, hi. I didn’t realize you were here.” She smiled brightly, hoping she looked casual, but still cute. Attractive, but not necessarily alluring.
“Yeah, I try to help keep the family businesses running,” he said, lifting his glass of beer with a nod. “I was going to call you tomorrow, but here you are.”
“Is something wrong with Aunt Celeste?”
“No, not at all. I actually wanted to see if you’d like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Her mind went blank, and she scrambled to make sense of what he’d just said. Dinner . . . that was a meal with food . . . and food was good. Yes, she’d like dinner. “Sure,” she replied. “I’ll get someone to stay with Celeste again.”
“I’m scheduled to stop by at five,” Trix said.
“Perfect. I’ll stop by and get you at five.” Dusty smiled, then moved off into the crowd.
Lindy stared at the table, unable to process what had just happened. “Do I have a date with Dusty Quinn?” she asked after a long minute.
“Yes, yes, you do,” Sammi said. “And you also have a date with Alan.”
“I do?”
“Yes. Right now.” Sammi nodded toward the door.
Lindy’s cheeks went hot. Yes, Alan. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him entering the pub. She was the worst sort of person. She’d just agreed to a date with Dusty thirty seconds before starting a date with Alan. Months on end without a guy in sight, and now this . . . She didn’t know what to think or do or say. She’d never been in a situation like this before.
She scooted over and made room for him as he walked up. He wore a black leather jacket—she was a sucker for black leather jackets—and he smelled good, too. He sat down next to her and grinned. “Thanks for inviting me out tonight. Hi, everyone. I’m Alan.”
The other girls introduced themselves, and Lindy used those few minutes to breathe and force herself to pretend that everything was fine. She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten herself into this predicament. Two really nice guys had shown interest in her, she hadn’t told either of them to go away, and now she felt guilt. Lots of guilt. She was good at guilt—the women in her family had been perfecting it for generations. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she felt like she had, and she really didn’t like feeling that way.
Ivy brought over a round of drinks, and Lindy unwrapped the straw for her 7-Up. She noticed that Alan ordered a Coke. “You’re not a drinker?”
“Only on occasion. I work tomorrow, so it’s not a good idea tonight. You?”
“I don’t hold alcohol well. Trust me—it’s not a pretty sight.”
She was just being honest, but he grinned, and she noticed that he didn’t have a dimple. What he did have, though, was a smile that made his eyes light up, and that might be even better.
***
When Alan walked into Quinn’s and saw Lindy sitting at the table with her friends, he was flooded with another wave of rightness—this girl was going to be someone important in his life. He’d only taken the time to run home and change after his long delivery, not wanting to be late to meet up with her, and now he was glad that he’d hurried. He didn’t want to miss a single moment of what it felt like to be sitting next to her without a store counter or cardboard boxes in the way.
The door to the pub opened again, and a few guys walked in and took seats at the bar. One of them spotted their table and walked over, grinning down at the girl who had introduced herself as Trix.
“Hey, look who’s here,” he said, leaning on the partition that separated their table from the next. “How’ve you been?”
“Good.” Trix smiled up at him, but Alan noticed that her smile seemed a little forced.
“I was sorry our date got cut short the other night. I thought we could try again.”
“Um, sure,” she replied. “I’m super busy for the next few weeks, though, so—”
“Well, why don’t I buy you a drink right now?” He waved at one of the waitresses, whose name tag gave her away as Ivy, and she came over. “What’ll you have?” he asked Trix.
“Cherry Coke,” she replied.
He turned back to Ivy. “She will have a Cherry Coke,” he said, a hint of derision in his voice. “Budweiser for me.”
Ivy nodded, then hurried off.
“Everyone, this is Saul,” Trix said, motioning to the newcomer. They all nodded and introduced themselves, but Saul didn’t seem to be paying attention. Alan didn’t like the guy. He seemed a little too obsessed with his own importance. He slid in next to Trix, who pasted on a smile, but didn’t say anything.
Ivy brought the new drink orders and refills on some of the first orders as well. Saul took a few sips of his beer, then nodded toward the center of the room. “Let’s dance.”
She looked around. “Um, no one else is dancing.”
“But there’s a band. People should always dance when there’s a band.” He took hold of Trix’s hand and led her off.
Alan watched them go. “How well does she know him?” he asked Lindy.
“I think they just met last week. He seems kind of . . . pushy,” she replied.
“Yeah.” Alan noticed that Trix was trying to keep him at arms’ length, but he kept pulling her closer. Not cool. “Did she say anything about him?”
“She told me they were going to meet up the other night, but we haven’t really talked since then.” Lindy glanced over at them again. “Why?”
“He’s just giving me the creeps.” Alan shook his head. “Sorry. I get a little too involved in other people’s lives sometimes. I’ll knock it off now.” He asked Star and Sammi some questions about the diner, trying to keep things light, but in the back of his head, he was still thinking about Trix and Saul. His brain wouldn’t let go.
A few minutes later, some raised voices caught his attention, and he turned to see Trix struggling to free her wrists from Saul’s grasp. He stood up so quickly that he knocked over his chair, but he didn’t pause to right it as he strode up to them and clapped his hand on Saul’s shoulder.
“Let her go,” he said in the man’s ear so he’d be heard over the music.
Saul barely flicked a glance in Alan’s direction. “Nothing to do with you, man.”
Alan looked at Trix. Her eyes were wide with fright and desperation. “I said let her go.”
Saul tossed her arms away so hard, she lost her balance and stumbled backward a few steps. He whirled to face Alan, fury written on his face. “And I said it has nothing to do with you.”
“Sure it does. Human beings watch out for other human beings. That’s how it works.”
Saul moved closer, but Alan stood his ground. “I think we were just having a good time.”
“And I think you were touching her against her will.”
Saul gave a snort. “She’s just playing with my head. That’s how women are, man—tell you one thing when they really mean something else.”
“If she’s saying no, she means it.” Alan was fighting hard to stay calm, but he could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body, gearing up to punch the guy’s lights out.
“All right, what’s going on here?” A tall man had pushed his way through the gathering crowd to check out the situation. “I’m Ryder Quinn, the owner of this place. Do I need to ask you to leave?”
“Depends on what he decides to do next,” Alan said, nodding toward Saul.
Ryder looked at Saul, then back at Alan. “I suggest you both decide to take it down a notch, all right? There’s no room here for this kind of aggression.” Then he glanced at Trix. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Make sure she stays that way,” Ryder said, giving Alan and Saul each another hard look before walking off.
Saul shook his head and then spun on his heel, pushing through the crowd and then out the door.
Alan watched until he was sure Saul was gone. “Do you want to go back to the table?” he asked Trix.
“Yes, please.” She seemed a little wobbly, so Alan offered his arm, and supported her as they walked.
Lindy immediately wrapped Trix in a hug. “What a creep. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Saul’s just . . . he’s got some weird entitlement ideas.” She picked up her drink and took a few swallows. “Thanks, Alan. I appreciate what you did back there.”
Alan was still trying to calm down, but he managed a smile. “You didn’t deserve that guy’s attitude.”
“No, she didn’t. No one does,” Lindy replied. Alan noticed that she spoke with a slight tremor in her voice. All the girls at the table must have been more rattled than they were letting on, and he wasn’t surprised. It hadn’t been a good situation.
“Tonight hasn’t gone how I’d envisioned,” Lindy said, resting her cheek on her hand as she spoke. “I thought we’d have some fun, get to know each other—you’re probably wondering how you ever got dragged into this.”
“We are having fun, and we are getting to know each other,” he replied. “That other stuff? It’s over now, and I’m sitting here with the prettiest girl in the place. I call that a win.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I do too. But I think I’d like to try again sometime. Without bar fights.”
“What? You don’t like bar fights?”
“No, not so much. I’m more of a quiet night out sort of person.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He looked down into her eyes and saw some insecurity there, vulnerability. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m just having some uncomfortable memories, but they’ll pass. They always do.”
“Can I share my magic instant cure-all for uncomfortable memories?”
“You have one?”
“You bet I do. But I don’t tell just anyone—otherwise, there wouldn’t be any left for me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
He bent over and whispered in her ear. “Potato skins.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “What?”
“You heard me, but you must never repeat it.” He looked over at the bar, and when he caught Ivy’s attention, he waved her over and placed an order. “Trust me,” he said to Lindy as Ivy headed toward the kitchen. “It’s magic.”
She laughed. “I’m willing to try it. Pretty much anything that includes cheese and bacon has to be magic.”
“This is what I’m saying.”
He absolutely wanted to get to know this girl better, and she was right—a quiet night out was a much better way to go about it. “Dinner tomorrow?”
She hesitated. “I’ve actually got other plans tomorrow,” she said after a long moment. “What about the day after?”
He was disappointed, but he couldn’t expect her to upend her whole life just for him. “Sure. Have you tried that new Italian place in Lewiston?”
“Not yet, but I’ve heard good things about it.”
“Let’s give it a try. Unless you’d rather go somewhere else.”
“Sounds great to me. Because there’s cheese.”
He laughed. “And I’m sure they have pancetta, so there’s your bacon. Italian style.”
When Ivy brought the potato skins, they shared them with Sammi, Star, and Trix, then they all decided to call it a night. Lindy held back with Alan while he paid the tab, and the three other girls walked out ahead of them.
“I really had fun tonight, all things considered,” Lindy said as they walked out to the parking lot. “And I’m looking forward to dinner.”
“Me too.” Alan reached out and took her hand. It was soft, and he chuckled.
“What?”
“Oh, your skin’s soft, and I wondered if you use your aunt’s lotion.”
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t dream of using anything else.” She lifted her free hand and put it near his face. “Sniff. That’s freesia.”
He sniffed. “Mmm. I like that. It’s flowery, but it’s not too perfumey.”
“It’s my favorite.”
His gaze locked with Lindy’s, and he noticed how her eyes sparkled in the light coming from the streetlamp. It had been a crazy night to be sure, but his attraction to her had been like a thread that held all the pieces in place, and he found his breath coming a little quicker. Had he ever felt so connected to someone so quickly?
The danger of standing under that streetlight forever was becoming real, and he gave her hand a squeeze. “I think we both have work tomorrow. We’d better say goodnight.”
“Yeah, we probably should.”
Neither of them moved, though.
Until a scream ricocheted off the surrounding buildings, and the spell was broken.
Alan dropped Lindy’s hand and took off in the direction of the scream. As he rounded the corner into the parking lot, he saw two people struggling—a man pushing a woman up against a car, his hands around her throat. Alan didn’t even think. He brought back his fist and punched the man in the right kidney, knowing he had to break the hold on the woman’s throat before he did anything else.
Once the man had loosened his grip, Alan grabbed him, spun him around, and punched him again in the jaw.
Out of the corner of his eye, Alan saw Lindy running to help the woman, who was slumped over the hood of the car. “Trix,” Lindy gasped.
Alan grabbed the man and shoved him into the beam of light. “Saul,” he growled. “You were supposed to leave.”
“Wasn’t leaving without getting what was mine,” Saul hissed. He pulled back his fist and aimed for Alan’s face. Alan ducked to the side, but Saul’s other fist plowed right into Alan’s chest.
“I’m calling the police,” Lindy yelled.
Alan nodded, trying to suck in a full breath. He was pretty sure that punch had cracked a few ribs, but he had to stay focused. Saul looked pretty bad too, but he was too full of ugly to back down. He landed a punch to Alan’s side, then aimed for his face again. Alan spun around and deflected the blow just as two men from the pub came running out and pulled them apart.
“Give it up, man. Give it up,” one of the men said as Alan struggled against him.
“I’m cool. Just don’t let him go until the police get here,” he said, nodding at Saul. “He was attacking that woman.”
Just then, a police car pulled up, and a man in a sheriff’s uniform climbed out. “What’s going on?”
“This guy comes out of nowhere and starts punching me,” Saul said, pointing at Alan. “He’s crazy. He’s a maniac.”
The sheriff turned to Alan. “Is that true?”
“No, sir. We came outside and saw this man choking that lady over there.”
The sheriff spun on his heel and walked over to speak with Lindy and Trix. Knowing things were under control now, Alan allowed himself to take a deep breath, but that was actually a mistake. Next thing he knew, he was tumbling to the ground.