near, he saw the parking lot was full. A good sign. He’d be able to leave early without being missed.
Stepping through the door was like stepping into a holiday world for adults. Giant martini glasses filled with red-and-green balloons stood scattered about, flanked by shorter highball glasses filled with gold balloons to represent good Kentucky bourbon. The strong aromas of pine and spices blended, giving the odd sensation of enjoying a gingerbread cookie while roaming through a pine forest.
“Chance!”
Kiki Granger, in a sparkly dress cut so low he could see all the way to Atlanta, plastered herself against him a few seconds after he walked in the door. “Haven’t seen you in soooo long,” she cooed. The alcohol on the platinum blonde’s breath was strong enough to make him sway.
Not long enough.
He and Kiki dated for a while in high school, pre-Kyndal. He’d made the mistake of calling her when he moved back to Paducah. The damn woman’s libido ran faster than a Kentucky thoroughbred. “It’s good to see you, Kiki,” he lied as he extricated himself from her grip and set her away from him. “Is Colten here?” Maybe reminding her she was a married woman now would sober her up a little.
“No, he’s having a night out with the boys.” She laid a hand on his shoulder and stepped into him again, looking at him coyly from under her ridiculously long, fake eyelashes. “But you’re here.” Her finger toyed with his earlobe.
“And I can’t stay long.” He caught her hand with his and gave it a very businesslike shake. “Merry Christmas.”
He could feel her glare boring into his back as he walked away. One date with Kiki when he first moved home to Paducah had given him a clearer understanding of the term nympho. What in the hell had Colten Granger been thinking?
He spotted Julia Reinholt with her coat on headed toward the door. “Hey, Julia.” He caught her and gave her a quick hug. “Are you leaving so soon?”
“Yeah.” Her eyes clouded, and she gave him a tight smile. “I’m not much in the holiday spirit this year. I suppose you’ve heard…”
He squeezed her hand gently. “Yeah, I’ve heard. I’m sorry.” And I’d like to string up Stuart’s balls along with these holiday decorations.
She nodded, as if she’d heard his thought, pressing her lips together. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
He could tell she wanted to get away quickly, but her haunted expression compelled him to give her another hug, anyway.
“Merry Christmas, Chance,” she whispered.
“Merry Christmas to you, Julia.”
When they broke contact, she tilted her head toward the staircase. “If you’re looking for your mom and dad, they’re at the Scotch bar.” She arranged a scarf around her neck, then left him with a wave.
Of course, his dad would be at the Scotch bar. Bill Brennan loved his Scotch and had given Chance an appreciation for the drink, also. His tongue was already anticipating the smoky peat flavor.
He meandered in that direction, stopping to talk to a few people on the way, but eventually he found them just where Julia said they were, and they weren’t alone.
“Chance!” His dad’s face broke out in an uncharacteristically huge grin as he waved him over. “I want you to meet someone.”
Chance gave his mom a kiss and turned his attention to the woman leaning against the bar.
His dad made the introduction. “This beauty is Dr. Alexis Donovan, Alex Donovan’s daughter—Senator Alex
Donovan.”
Damn, Dad! Could you be any more transparent?
Alexis’s cool gray eyes smiled knowingly as she extended her hand. “I’m glad to meet you, Chance. Your dad has told me so much about you.”
Chance took her hand, admiring her firm, confident grip. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“I think I mentioned Alexis to you. She’s an ob-gyn with the new clinic.”
“Yes, I think you did.” The mention of ob-gyn brought Kyndal to the front of Chance’s mind, not that she was ever very far from it. Immediately, he started comparing the young woman in front of him to Kyndal.
With her hair pulled back in a tight bun, it was difficult to tell too much about Alexis’s hair. Nothing as gorgeous as Kyndal’s lustrous, ebony mane, at any rate. Her face was square-ish with a nose that was too long and thin to be in correct proportion to her other features. Definitely not “a beauty” by comparison.
“…told him I would introduce her to some people,” his dad was saying when Chance caught up with the conversation.