Take A Number - Amy Daws Page 0,104

Norah and Nate. “Well, hello, you two.”

Norah stiffens and turns to look at me, her blue eyes blinking nervously at me. God, she looks good. I saw her this morning, but I swear she’s gotten prettier. My eyes drop to see their legs are dangerously close to one another, looking all cozy and happy, like they’re having the best night ever.

Must be rough.

“Fancy seeing you guys here.” I nod to them and straighten my glasses, noticing Norah has a glass of champagne. “Out celebrating?”

Nate turns in his stool to face me and cocks his head to the side. “It’s really none of your business,” he says with disdain.

Coming out swinging, Nate. Good for you, buckaroo.

I laugh and shake my head, turning back to Norah. “Well, I ripped up that stupid contract your douche accountant here helped you with, so I can’t possibly imagine what you could have to celebrate.” I gasp and cover my mouth. “Or are you two out on a date? Did Douche French horn finally get his second chance with you, sugar tits?”

“Dean,” Norah growls, finally gracing me with her voice. “Go away. You’re clearly drunk.”

“And you’re clearly too smart and beautiful to be going out with this Douche Beer,” I slur and point at Nate. “Seriously, Norah. What the fuck are you doing? You went from not wanting to date anyone to picking the lowest guy on the totem pole?”

“Why do you care?” she snaps, her nostrils flaring as she glares at me.

“Because you’re changing into a completely different person, and it seems like you’re throwing your life away.”

“How am I throwing my life away?” she exclaims, hitting me with wide, wavering eyes. “You’re the one who encouraged me to change, remember? You’re the one who told me to live a little and have some fun outside of work. What’s so wrong with what I’m doing with my life?”

My head jerks forward as I step closer to her, inhaling her sweet scent all over again. “You’re throwing away solid investors like me, you’re delaying your franchise launch that’s going to be amazing, you’re selling your fucking apartment, and you’re dating a sycophant who brags about plucking girls’ cherries.”

Nate stands up, closing in on my profile as he grinds out, “Walk away, Dean.”

Just then, Lala comes stumbling over with two draft beers, slopping them all over the floor as she sidles up next to me. “An IPA for you, Deano, and a Busch Light for me.”

I cringe and begrudgingly take the beer as Norah’s eyes slide to Lala and turn into fiery pits of hell. Norah huffs out a sardonic laugh and shakes her head. Without a word, she pulls on Nate’s arm to lower him onto his stool and turns away from me.

“Want to play darts?” Lala asks, taking a drink and shaking her hips to the dull bar music.

I stare at Norah’s back, dumbfounded that she just turned her back on me like I was nothing. Like I’m nobody. Like I’m not worth fighting for, and what we had didn’t matter. How can she be so cold?

I reach out and tap her shoulder. “Norah, we need to talk.” My eyes are hooded as memories of being a kid and my parents completely ignoring me flood back in fast and hard.

“No, thank you,” Norah says, shaking off my grasp.

“Norah,” I growl, and then Nate’s back in my face again. “This guy.” I shake my head and laugh. “What’s up, California Ken? Got something to say to me?”

“You need to leave, Dean.”

“You need to leave.”

“I was here first, bud.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“She clearly doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“Don’t you fucking talk to me like you know her.” I push him to the side so I can take his seat, and he grabs my arm and whirls me around, causing me to drop my beer.

The glass shatters and Norah turns around, her eyes wide, her lips parted. “Dean, stop it!”

“I didn’t do that. Your fucking new boyfriend here did.”

“Dean,” Norah growls and stands up, setting her champagne down before grabbing me by the hand and yanking me toward the front door, leaving Nate and Lala behind.

Her grip on my hand is a friendship hold, not a waffle hold. I didn’t even know what the fuck those stupid terms were until this woman came into my life. And now, that’s all she wants from me…a friendship hold. The churning in my belly has me regretting all those beers I had tonight.

She pulls me outside into the