A Simple Wish About love - Karice Bolton Page 0,7
as this man could be stood up.
She already knew she was doomed in the dating world, but hearing how in the world this guy could get kicked to the curb only solidified that it was far too treacherous trying to find Mr. Right.
Well, there was no such thing.
As she pulled into the driveway of Jeremy’s house, she let out a happy sigh, which her son immediately picked up on.
“Glad you’ve got plans, Mom.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he darted out of the Jeep with Jeremy right behind. The empty milkshake cups and fry bags were stuffed in a greasy paper bag, and Erika didn’t even care.
She was suddenly looking forward to a night out on the town, even if the town was the size of a postage stamp.
By the time she got home, showered, and changed, it was nearly seven o’clock. Erika only lived about ten minutes from the center of town, so she wouldn’t be too late.
And she’d firmly decided that if she showed up and saw women crawling all around Drew and his mystery buddy, she’d turn right around before they could even spot her. She didn’t need to be the wing woman.
Erika glanced at herself in the mirror by her front door and clipped back a few loose strands of her auburn hair and smoothed her hands over her jeans. She’d thrown on an ivory satin top, and that was as fancy as she’d get.
Besides, it was Silver Ridge.
By the time she’d driven to town and found parking near Porters, Erika’s hands were clammy and excitement pulsed through her. While she loved Drew, she knew this reaction had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the mystery man.
She chuckled to herself as she realized she was no longer referring to him as a specimen. That was a start.
Folk music blared down the street as she opened the door to Porters. The place was packed. It had obviously been a while since she’d been out on Friday night, unless it was at her own bar where she was serving drinks.
Erika quickly scanned the front room and didn’t see either Drew or his new BFF. Maybe they’d already moved on to the next place. She wasn’t one to hunt someone down, so she’d walk to the back of the pub, and if they weren’t there, she was going to hightail it back to her house. She didn’t need to start chasing after these two.
As she worked her way through the crowd of people, the scent of stale beer drifted in the air, and people shouted to one another to be heard over the live band. Once she got to the back of the pub, the sound of the music had lowered several decibels, and she spotted Drew standing with a pitcher of ale, leaning against a booth, with a waitress attempting to take a food order.
Erika craned her neck toward the booth and spotted Drew’s other half. The stranger’s eyes connected with Erika’s, and a huge smile covered his face, which made Drew turn around immediately.
“Well, if it isn’t Erika Larson.” Drew set the pitcher down on the table with a splash. “I knew you couldn’t resist us.”
Erika laughed and shook her head. “I got stood up and remembered the invitation.”
The man laughed and nodded. “Join the club.”
His eyes stayed on Erika, and Drew cleared his throat. “Erika, this is Slade.”
Slade stood and slid from the table. “Slade Tennison.”
“Nice to meet you.” Erika smiled as Slade motioned for her to sit at the table. “Somehow, I think my tale of being dumped is a lot less painful than yours. Mine was by a twelve-year-old.”
Slade laughed. “Thanks for that.”
Drew shook his head as he took a seat and turned over an empty glass, which he immediately filled with ale and shoved toward Erika’s direction.
“The one thing you’ll find with Erika is that she’s brutally honest.” Drew grinned and took a sip of beer.
“I like that.” Slade’s smile widened. “I’d much rather have someone be direct than my having to guess what they’re thinking.”
Erika’s eyes stayed on Slade’s a beat too long, and Drew let out a low chuckle. She glanced in his direction and flashed a playful scowl.
“My coworker thought you might have gotten stood up back at the bar,” Erika began, which made Drew nearly spit out his beer. “Why would someone do that?”
She didn’t want to add why would someone do that to a person who’s as good-looking as