“You might have noticed that Katie, well, she doesn’t communicate like other children,” Will said. Something about the vulnerability in his tone had pulled at her. “Anyway, I could really use your help.”
Once again, he left his number with the request that she call him back. She hadn’t, both because her schedule hadn’t allowed it and she wasn’t at all sure what she’d say to him.
Seeing him enter Steamy Beans now generated a combination of annoyance and respect. She was annoyed that he persisted in trying to discuss Katie with her when she wasn’t prepared to deal with that right then. But she respected his dogged determination in pursuing something he thought might benefit his daughter.
Now, he looked around the bar until he found her. Though she tried to deny it, she experienced a heady jolt when their gazes met.
God, he had the most beautiful eyes.
She’d forgotten about that detail after their first encounter. He’d been so angry that she hadn’t given a thought to his physical appearance. It seemed all she could focus on now as he strolled across the dining room toward her. In his simple outfit of jeans, sneakers, and a dark gray T-shirt, he shouldn’t have looked so hot. Maybe it was the way that shirt fit his nicely toned chest and biceps, or the proportions between his broad shoulders and narrow hips…though she’d met many male athletes through her physical therapy and here at Steamy Beans who hadn’t ever given her the same reaction. She didn’t typically find herself attracted to blonds, either.
Will Campbell seemed to be the exception.
The resemblance between him and the little girl she’d met was more apparent to her now. Though Katie was a brunette, they shared the same eyes, face shape, complexion, and slight cleft in their chin. That cleft gave Will Campbell the look of a fallen angel, one Jasmine found far too sexy for her peace of mind.
It set her instantly on edge.
“What are you doing here?” she greeted him when he walked up to the counter.
“Jasmine,” May said in a warning tone from where she stood a few feet away. Her gaze moved between Jasmine and Will with a blend of censure and curiosity.
Jasmine took a deep breath and produced a smile she imagined looked frozen on her face. “Sorry. What can I get you, sir?”
“Ah…”
Will looked momentarily perplexed, as though he hadn’t intended to place an order. It made her smile more genuine to know she had thrown him off just as he had done her.
After a glance behind her at the handwritten beverage menu, he said, “I’ll try the IPA you’ve got on tap.”
She grabbed a pilsner glass and filled it with the beer he’d ordered. Her attention instinctively roved across the dining area in case anyone needed her attention. She saw one group of four packing up their things and made a mental note to print their bill and bring it by their table. The two females in the far corner still had their heads together over an iPad, telling her they didn’t want to be bothered. The single guy wearing earbuds and reading a magazine still had half a beer in front of him.
Regrettably, her would-be boyfriend and his BFF were still sitting at their table, currently laughing loudly and pointing at a commercial playing on one of the bar’s televisions.
“Here you go,” she said, handing Will his beer. “You want to pay now or run a tab?”
“A tab? Places still do that?”
“We do. For the next twenty minutes, at least.”
He smiled. She again compared him to Katie.
They both had devastating smiles.
“I’ll choose Option B, thanks,” he said, turning with his beer and heading over to a free table.
She watched him for a moment, curious why he hadn’t said anything about wanting to talk to her. She supposed she hadn’t exactly left an opening for that.
In any case, it wasn’t the time to chat. She returned her focus to her work. While she was at the register, she printed the bill for the table of four. Since they looked ready to go, she stopped by their table first, collected their payment, and headed back to the register.
“Who is that guy?” May asked under her breath while they were both behind the counter.
“Which guy?”
Jabbing Jasmine with her elbow, May said, “You know who. The hunka-hunka burnin’ love who just ordered the beer.”
May had something of an obsession for Elvis.
“His name is Will Campbell. We met at my physical therapist’s office.”