“Ah,” Morgan said, extending her hand as I approached the bar. “Great to meet you. Dev and I were just going over the private party packages.”
“Morgan handles all the special events here. Can I get you a drink?” Dev asked, walking behind me and helping me take my coat off. He draped it across his arm and patted the barstool in front of me. “Have a seat.” He then walked to the next barstool and gingerly placed my wool coat and scarf on the worn leather seat.
Nice touch.
“Scotch on the rocks with a twist, please.”
Morgan nodded and got right to work on my drink.
Dev pulled his head back, raising one eyebrow. “Really?”
“What?”
“I’m impressed.”
“It’s just a drink, Dev. Calm down,” I said with a laugh, settling into my barstool.
“I know, it’s just…most girls I know want the sweet stuff.”
“I’m full of surprises, I guess.”
Dev licked his lips, studying my face. “I guess you are.”
My pulse raced, and I felt naked as his eyes traveled across my skin. When Morgan placed the drink on the bar, it took everything in me not to grab it and gulp it down, just to ease the tension, to get my bearings. Guys usually didn’t make me come unglued like this.
But Dev did.
Good lord, I’m in trouble.
Dev’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, and his brow furrowed. “Sorry, I have to take this. Work.” He walked outside to take the call. And I was grateful for the moment to compose myself, but secretly wondered why he always went outside for work calls.
Taking a quick sip of my drink, I savored the citrus notes and grabbed the plastic stick with two slices of lemon on the end. I dunked the stick several times in the glass, watching the rind of the fruit glisten as it came to the surface.
“Sorry about that,” he said, placing his phone back in his pocket. “Where were we?”
“Bar packages, I think?”
“Yeah, we’re going with the gold,” Dev said, grabbing his drink, which I assumed was Tito’s and seltzer. “Naturally.”
“And what is that?”
Morgan slid a piece of cardstock toward me. “Open bar, including well drinks, beer, and wine.”
“Top shelf, of course,” Dev added with a playful wink.
“It also includes a buffet of appetizers to the left of the bar, here. We’ll have an attendant checking bracelets to make sure only your guests can take part.”
“Sounds great.”
“Do you have a date in mind?”
I opened my mouth and looked to Dev, who clenched his teeth. “I’m free whenever.”
I cleared my throat, trying to hold back my usual attitude. Normally this was when I’d give him a hard time, but I knew I needed to be a little softer with him during this process.
“We should probably make sure the bride and groom are free,” I said, making sure not to sound too judgmental.
“Ah, yes, that’s important,” Morgan added. “Well, I can tell you we have one Saturday free next month—February twentieth. Other than that, we’re booked until late March.”
“I’ll text Pete. See if that date works.”
“Can you pencil us in without a deposit?”
“Sure, but if someone is willing to make a deposit, you’ll be bumped, so it’s best to get it set in stone as soon as you can.”
“Got it,” I said, gulping down the rest of my drink. “Can I get another?”
Morgan nodded, fixing me a second drink as Dev typed furiously on his phone.
“Mare’s crying,” Dev said with a grin.
“Oh my God, why?” I asked, confused that he’d be excited to learn that.
“She’s really happy, I guess.”
Just then my phone buzzed with a text from Maren.
-Oh my God, thank you! And you guys are planning it together?!?!?! Hello, Mr. Darcy! <three heart emojis>
-You’re welcome and OMG SHUT UP! <winking emoji>
A stupid grin covered my face.
“Is that her?” Dev asked, leaning over. With a slight jump, I stuffed my phone back in my purse.
“Yeah, she’s, um, she’s really happy,” I said, smoothing the hair that had jumped to cover my face. Dev didn’t seem to notice me rushing to get my phone out of view.
“Pete too! They’re gonna love it. And I’ll add that Maren loves that we chose this place, so I’ll take that apology whenever you’re ready.”
My cheeks turned hot. I wanted to argue, but with Morgan standing right in front of us, leaning her elbows on the bar, I held back. The last thing I wanted to do was piss her off. I was embarrassed enough already just at his mention of us disagreeing on the right location.
“Don’t hold your breath,” I muttered, holding my drink near my lips, taking a quick sip before giving him a flirty wink.
He opened his mouth, narrowing his eyes and shifting toward me in his seat. It was a subtle movement, but it wasn’t lost on me.
“So, what else do we need to cover tonight?” I asked, steering us back to the task at hand.
“Just the deposit,” Morgan said. “Three hundred to reserve the night. The rest is due the night of the party.”
Dev nodded, shifting in his seat and reaching into his back pocket. “Got it.”
I leaned in closer to Dev. “Listen, I know you said you would bankroll this whole thing, but I’ve been thinking about it, and I’d really like to help. Maren’s my best friend, and I can’t let you take care of everything.”
Dev shook his head. “Nope, sorry. I got this.”
“Dev, c’mon!”
“Look, I’m not being a male pig or anything. I just… Let me do this for Pete, okay? He deserves it. He put up with a lot of my shit a couple years ago—”
“Still does,” I said, tapping his leg with my foot.
Dev chuckled. “Right. But seriously, let me do this. If you really want to help, you can buy the decorations or something.”
“Done!” I said, extending my hand.
“Really? We need to shake on it?”
“Why not make it official?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink as I waited for him to shake my hand.
“Fine,” he said, taking my hand in his. He shook it, but then he didn’t let go. He held my hand, lowering both of our arms against the wood of the bar. His finger danced across my skin, the heat of his touch warmed every inch of my skin. I took in a deep breath.
“I also have this list of appetizers you guys can take a look at,” Morgan said, pulling me out of my Dev-induced fog. She didn’t seem to notice our entwined hands sitting on the bar or the tension that hung between us above said bar. “For the gold package, you get to choose six different ones. I highly recommend the bacon-wrapped dates. They’re stuffed with bleu cheese, and they’re just incredible. Chef’s special.”
Morgan brought us back to reality, and we glanced down at the appetizer menu. “Thanks, that sounds great,” Dev said with a polite smile as he slowly released my hand, giving it the tiniest squeeze before letting go.
“Lots of great choices,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear as I tried to concentrate enough to read the list. Over and over again I tried, but all I could think about was our hands pressed together and the way a simple touch from Dev could get me more excited than I’d been in years. I couldn’t even imagine how it would feel to kiss him. But I wanted to know. I wanted to know badly.