poor Bob.”
Iggy nodded. “Jacob’s been up in arms because he has to find a replacement. I wonder who they’ll go with.”
“Let’s just hope it’s someone who doesn’t have such a penchant for liquid lunches,” said Farrah.
My gaze wandered about the club. Almost as though my eyes had been drawn to him, they fell on Damon. He sat at the other end of the long bar, holding a bottle of Bud. Beside him was Alicia, and they appeared to be deep in conversation. I tried not to let the bubble of disappointment in my belly affect me too much.
They were costars. Of course they were going to want to spend time getting to know one another. Not to mention the fact that I wasn’t in the market for a relationship. I was supposed to be enjoying the single life for a while.
Sigh.
In an effort to fix my attention elsewhere, I chatted with Iggy and Farrah some more. A few minutes went by before I noticed Julian was missing, and I had a sneaking suspicion where he’d gone. Casting my gaze to where Damon and Alicia were sitting, I sure enough found my friend insinuating himself into their conversation. He occupied a stool on the other side of Damon. Alicia’s expression was frosty, but Damon didn’t seem too bothered by the third party.
Deciding I needed to extract Julian from whatever game he had planned, I told Farrah I’d be right back and made my way to the other end of the bar.
“Hey, guys,” I said, doing a little wave.
“Rose,” said Damon, taking me in. His eyes wandered over my dress, lingering for a second on my shoes. His gaze darkened, and I felt a momentary buzz of awareness before I forced my attention back to Julian.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow my friend,” I said, tugging on his arm.
“You’re not interrupting. Sit down,” Damon urged me, and his lovely accent gave me shivers.
“Yes, Rose,” Julian added with emphasis. “Sit down.”
Before I could respond, Damon pulled up an extra stool and ushered me onto it. Alicia remained quiet, watching the interaction in her champagne-coloured cocktail dress, her hair styled in waves like a fifties pinup. Damon wore a navy shirt and jeans, and I noticed how good his hair looked clipped short. He’d even used some product. I must have been caught up in staring at him because he cleared his throat and looked at me curiously. I studiously glanced away.
God, what was wrong with me? It was like “One” from A Chorus Line started playing in my head every time I was in the same room with him these days.
Julian stood and held an arm out to Alicia, asking her to dance. I could see it was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but she didn’t want to come across as bitchy in front of Damon.
“Sure,” she replied stiffly, and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor.
“Something on your mind?” Damon asked quietly as I watched them leave.
I blinked and looked to him, feeling flustered for some reason. “A Chorus Line,” I blurted.
“Pardon?”
“I, uh, was just thinking of when Iggy and I worked on that show together. It was a lot of fun,” I told him. Could I be any more random right now?
I was relieved when he didn’t comment on my tangent and instead said, “I like your shoes.”
My breath caught at the simple compliment. I knew he was telling the truth because I remembered how he’d stared at them just a moment ago. Another shiver had the skin on my arms beading into pimples.
“Thanks,” I replied.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. White, right?”
“Yes, but you really don’t….” Before I could finish the sentence, Damon had the attention of the barman. A minute later, there was a fresh glass of wine in front of me. I couldn’t think of an appropriate topic of conversation, so I looked across at Julian and Alicia again.
“He dances better than me,” Damon commented, seeing where my gaze was fixed.
“That’s because I taught him everything he knows,” I answered, smiling. “But anyway, stick with me and I’ll have you strutting the boards like a pro in no time.”
“I never considered not sticking with you, Rose.” He spoke low, and I blushed. What was with him tonight? He was acting more forward than usual. Perhaps it was the beer. I wondered how many he’d had.
“Well, that’s good to know.” I swallowed and