Wasted Words by Staci Hart

“I feel like I shouldn’t have surprised you like this.”

I smiled, not wanting her to feel unsure of herself. It was almost unsettling that someone so strong could be so nervous. “I love a good surprise.”

“Not me. I actually hate surprises. Once, I actually punched my ex-boyfriend when he walked me into a surprise party.”

A laugh burst out of me. “Wow, I bet nobody saw that coming.”

“He definitely didn’t. It was just my first reaction. Wham, right in the cheek. It hurt like a son of a bitch, too.”

“Did the party end up happening?”

“Yeah. I felt better once I had a drink, and Dave was fine too, other than being a spectacular baby about it, whining and looking at it in the mirror for days,” she said and took a drink.

I laughed again, comfortably amused.

Adrienne turned to angle herself toward me as she leaned a little on the bar. “Really, though. I hope it’s not weird that I came. I just couldn’t stop thinking about you after last night, and I wanted to get to know you a little better. See if there’s more to it, if you were interested.”

She was so forward, and in a way that would have normally caught me off guard, but there was something so honest about the admission that I found myself charmed. But I didn’t answer right away, glancing at Cam, who gave me a reassuring smile.

Adrienne was still watching me, smiling. “You can say no, Tyler. I sprung this on you pretty hard, even after getting shot down this afternoon.”

I chuckled. “Hey, I didn’t shoot you down. I just had plans, that’s all.”

She picked up her drink, hanging it between her fingers. “If you say so. Felt kind of like a shoot-down, but I’m nothing if not persistent. How do you think I beat out three of the best reps in the business for my job?”

I turned to her, mirroring her, leaning on the bar. “Persistence is an admirable quality. Being determined is how you get what you want out of life.”

Her face softened. “Football lesson?”

I nodded. “But it’s relevant to all of life, I’ve found. Just as important as knowing when to let go.” I took a drink. “So what did Cam say about me before I got here?”

“Oh, well, she interviewed me.”

I smirked, shaking my head. “Of course she did. Did she give you too hard of a time?”

“Not at all. She had some very important questions for me, like if I was a grape or strawberry jelly kind of girl.”

“How’d you answer?”

“Strawberry. Anything else is blasphemy.”

I laughed, in part because Cam really was that good in the matchmaking department — strawberry was my favorite to win the great jelly debate too.

Adrienne watched me, smiling with her lips sealed and eyes bright. “Go on a date with me, Tyler Knight.”

“I thought I was supposed to be asking you out?” I smiled, though discomfort had settled in.

She shrugged. “I’m a girl who knows what I want, and I want to have dinner with you.”

She watched me with big, brown eyes, waiting for an answer with her long, dark fingers around her drink. After a second, her red lips curled into a smile.

“Come on, Knight. Do I have to beg? I’m not above it.”

But my eyes darted to Cam who stood at the tap, pouring a beer in jean shorts and a flannel, smiling across the bar at a girl she was pouring for.

“What do you have to lose?”

Nothing. Everything. I looked back to Adrienne. She was sexy and fun, and I actually did like her, a lot. But I didn’t want her like I felt like I should.

On the other hand, I trusted Cam to know what I didn’t, what I couldn’t. She saw something there, and Adrienne seemed like a great girl.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Maybe I’d have a great time, get my head back in the game. It was just a date, one that Cam sanctioned. Maybe her intuition would serve us well. Maybe some magic would happen like it did for so many of the matches Cam made.

So I took a breath and made a decision with a smile. “I’d love to take you to dinner, Adrienne. Just say when.”

And her smile widened even more, face glowing when she answered, “When.”

Cam

I didn’t have much time to hang out once Tyler showed up, and I counted it as a blessing, not wanting to get in the way. They chatted for a long while before Sarah and Adrienne left, but it was late by that time, and Tyler was dead in his seat from his long day without a full night’s sleep. I tried to send him home, but he wouldn’t leave without me, which meant he kept drinking to keep himself occupied. So once the rush died down and Beau and Greg could handle the end of the night, I clocked out and grabbed him by the arm to get him into bed.

We stepped out into the cool night, and I zipped up my hoodie, stepping to the curb to look for a cab, but Tyler stopped me.

“Let’s walk. It’s so nice tonight.” He smiled crookedly at me, his lids a little heavy.

I laughed. “It’s cold and you’re drunk. Let’s just grab a cab.”

“I’m not that drunk. You want my sweatshirt?” he asked earnestly and started stripping.

“No, I don’t want you to be cold,” I chuckled and stopped him.

“Come on. It’s only twenty minutes. Let’s just walk. Please?” He made a puppy dog face and begged.

I sighed, unable to deny him. “All right.”

He had this big goofy grin on his face as we started walking down Broadway toward our building, and I couldn’t help but smile too, content and happy with him. I didn’t want to talk about Adrienne, even though I knew I should, and I struggled with the thought that something I’d normally be dying to hear all the gory details about was the last thing I wanted to bring up.