for a long moment. Sam, who at first had returned his look with a polite smile, now found herself blushing as his eyes continued to penetrate hers. Eventually she tore her eyes away and looked down, flustered. With some confusion, she composed herself and turned away to continue working.
For the next ten minutes or so she was very careful not to look towards the man at the table, afraid she would reveal her discomfort and make a fool of herself. Hallie, who had gone back to his table and taken his order for another Hendricks and tonic, passed by Sam at the bar and paused. "Sam, have you noticed that that guy at the table over there has been watching you basically since he got here?"
"No, I hadn't noticed," Sam replied, feigning nonchalance. "Has he?"
"Yeah, he can't keep his eyes off you! You should go talk to him!" Hallie said excitedly.
"No!" Sam gasped. "Why would I do that?!"
"Why would you do that?" Hallie laughed. "Are you kidding me?" Why would you not do that?"
"He's probably staring at me for some other reason. Like maybe I look like his sister or something." Sam had been in relationships and had her share of lovers, but generally speaking, she was fairly picky about whom she went home with. Not to mention, guys like that , in her experience, were not interested in girls like her. "Besides, I don't go home with guys I meet in bars."
"Oh, I get it. You wouldn't want to be a member of a club that would have you. You work in a bar, Sam. You would be meeting him at work. Now get over there and flirt with him!" Hallie urged.
But Samantha did not have the chance to refuse again, because at that moment the man stood up from his table and came to sit on the bar stool nearest to Sam. "Hi," he said, looking at her again with his piercing dark eyes.
"Hi," she said simply, returning his gaze and willing herself not to blush again.
Hallie, standing behind the man, caught Samantha's gaze and widened her eyes questioningly. Samantha looked away from her and back at the man, who was looking at her with an amused expression on his face. "So," he said, "do you get off work soon enough for me to buy you a drink?"
"Actually, I get off work in about twenty minutes," she said, looking at the clock, and then she realized that she had just accepted his offer without even meaning to. "I mean, um..." she began again in confusion, and then trailed off. Wow, am I smooth , she said to herself.
"Really? It must be my lucky day. I'll be waiting right over there," he said, pointing back at the table where he had been sitting.
For a moment, Sam considered changing her mind. After all, she knew absolutely nothing about this guy except that he was gorgeous and knew how to dress. But she realized that if she turned him down, Hallie would kill her. Besides, she had to admit that it was a pretty big ego boost that this guy had basically looked right through Hallie and asked her out instead. That alone was worth a little more investigation.
Twenty-two minutes later, Samantha was out of her apron and had stopped briefly in the bathroom to brush her hair and apply some lipstick. She screwed up her courage, put on her "I exude confidence" face, and walked back into the bar. She sat down at the table across from the man, who looked up with a pleased expression on his face. "Shall we have one drink here? Then I'd like to take you someplace, if you don't mind." Sam said that she'd have what he was having, and the man called to Hallie for two more Hendricks and tonic. "So, tell me about yourself, Samantha. Your friend Hallie told me your name."
"Tell me about yourself first. What is your name?" Sam quizzed.
"Patrick Taylor."
"What brings you to this part of town, Patrick?"
He hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I work at Tonic, down the street." Tonic was a new bar-restaurant that had opened up not long after Sam had started working at the Half Moon. It was one of the hot
For the next ten minutes or so she was very careful not to look towards the man at the table, afraid she would reveal her discomfort and make a fool of herself. Hallie, who had gone back to his table and taken his order for another Hendricks and tonic, passed by Sam at the bar and paused. "Sam, have you noticed that that guy at the table over there has been watching you basically since he got here?"
"No, I hadn't noticed," Sam replied, feigning nonchalance. "Has he?"
"Yeah, he can't keep his eyes off you! You should go talk to him!" Hallie said excitedly.
"No!" Sam gasped. "Why would I do that?!"
"Why would you do that?" Hallie laughed. "Are you kidding me?" Why would you not do that?"
"He's probably staring at me for some other reason. Like maybe I look like his sister or something." Sam had been in relationships and had her share of lovers, but generally speaking, she was fairly picky about whom she went home with. Not to mention, guys like that , in her experience, were not interested in girls like her. "Besides, I don't go home with guys I meet in bars."
"Oh, I get it. You wouldn't want to be a member of a club that would have you. You work in a bar, Sam. You would be meeting him at work. Now get over there and flirt with him!" Hallie urged.
But Samantha did not have the chance to refuse again, because at that moment the man stood up from his table and came to sit on the bar stool nearest to Sam. "Hi," he said, looking at her again with his piercing dark eyes.
"Hi," she said simply, returning his gaze and willing herself not to blush again.
Hallie, standing behind the man, caught Samantha's gaze and widened her eyes questioningly. Samantha looked away from her and back at the man, who was looking at her with an amused expression on his face. "So," he said, "do you get off work soon enough for me to buy you a drink?"
"Actually, I get off work in about twenty minutes," she said, looking at the clock, and then she realized that she had just accepted his offer without even meaning to. "I mean, um..." she began again in confusion, and then trailed off. Wow, am I smooth , she said to herself.
"Really? It must be my lucky day. I'll be waiting right over there," he said, pointing back at the table where he had been sitting.
For a moment, Sam considered changing her mind. After all, she knew absolutely nothing about this guy except that he was gorgeous and knew how to dress. But she realized that if she turned him down, Hallie would kill her. Besides, she had to admit that it was a pretty big ego boost that this guy had basically looked right through Hallie and asked her out instead. That alone was worth a little more investigation.
Twenty-two minutes later, Samantha was out of her apron and had stopped briefly in the bathroom to brush her hair and apply some lipstick. She screwed up her courage, put on her "I exude confidence" face, and walked back into the bar. She sat down at the table across from the man, who looked up with a pleased expression on his face. "Shall we have one drink here? Then I'd like to take you someplace, if you don't mind." Sam said that she'd have what he was having, and the man called to Hallie for two more Hendricks and tonic. "So, tell me about yourself, Samantha. Your friend Hallie told me your name."
"Tell me about yourself first. What is your name?" Sam quizzed.
"Patrick Taylor."
"What brings you to this part of town, Patrick?"
He hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I work at Tonic, down the street." Tonic was a new bar-restaurant that had opened up not long after Sam had started working at the Half Moon. It was one of the hot
Similar Books
