who did this? He groped a girl.”
“Oh.”
“Tossed him out like the trash he was,” Vic said in a deep, dangerous voice. “He threw a punch on the way out. Caught me off guard, but I’m glad he did. Got to give him what he really deserved. One good punch sent him to the hospital.”
He cracked the knuckles of his right hand loudly.
“Really?” I asked.
“This guy had a reputation,” Vic explained. “Heard stories from some of the waitresses. First time it ever happened while I was there. That shit don’t fly with me.”
Like most women, I had a type. I liked pretty boys who were clean-cut and dressed nice and were polite. The kind of men you could take home to your parents. I didn’t like bad boys.
But at that moment, seeing the dangerous look in Vic’s eyes as he recounted what he had done, I realized that there was always an exception to the rule.
I sipped my drink to cover the burning sensation in my cheeks, then asked, “So what brings you to speed-dating, Vic?”
He shrugged his big shoulders. “I’ve had plenty of flings. This town’s made for it. But now? I’m looking for something real.” He jerked his thumb to his right. “Got dragged here by my buddy Mickey.”
I glanced at the man next to him, who was rolling a coin across his knuckles to impress his date.
“What about you?” Vic tapped his paper on my hand-written name. “What made you walk up at the last minute?”
I held up my phone. “I needed a distraction from my bad betting night.”
Vic shook his head slowly. “Nah. That ain’t it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’m good at reading people,” he replied. “Gotta be when you’ve got my job. Something else brought you here tonight.”
I started to tell him that there wasn’t another reason, but in a flash of insight I realized there was.
“You got a look,” he said.
“A look?”
“Like you had an epiphany,” Vic explained. “Just now.”
I took a deep breath and let it out. “I think so. I came here because…”
Before I could explain it to him, the date organizer rang her bell to signal that the five minutes was up.
6
Rose
“Next date, everyone!” the organizer announced.
Vic and I looked at each other. I didn’t want this date to end. Five minutes hadn’t been enough. And I could tell he felt the same way.
The next guy stood beside our table, but Vic didn’t budge.
“Give us a minute,” Vic said, not taking his eyes off me. “I want to hear her finish her story. You were saying?”
I glanced up at the waiting man, then returned my attention to Vic. The words poured out of me.
“I was saying that I came here because I’m tired of being a loner. I’ve always kept to myself. All my life I’ve never needed anyone else, because I’ve had my good luck to keep me company.
“But today, and yesterday…” I shrugged. “I’ve had a string of bad luck. Like, really bad luck. And it made me realize just how alone I am. I don’t have anyone to turn to. Someone to lean on when times get tough.”
Vic smiled sadly at me. “I get that. Being a loner is easy when times are good.”
I got the impression he wasn’t just saying that. He seemed like he knew exactly what I was talking about because he had experience in that area.
The man standing next to the table cleared his throat. Finally Vic said, “Yeah, yeah, I’m going.”
Vic made a check-mark in the “Yes” column next to my name. All the others were marked “No.” He got up and nodded at me.
“Hope your luck returns, Shamrock.” He sat down at the next table.
The man who had been waiting sat down in a huff. “Can you believe that guy? One person breaking the rules ruins it for everybody.”
“Uh huh,” I said, glancing over at Vic. He looked at me and winked before turning his attention back to his new date.
“Okay,” the new guy demanded with annoyance. “We’ve already wasted a minute. My name is Bryan, Bryan with a Y, I’m a real estate developer from Henderson…”
While Bryan (with a Y!) droned on about himself, I nodded politely while watching Vic out of the corner of my eye. His date was explaining how she was a dancer, but wanted to go into acting. She reached inside her purse to pull out a headshot to give him.
When her attention was on her purse, Vic glanced at me and rolled his eyes. I giggled.
“What’s so