Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87181 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87181 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
I only knew her name because she'd introduce herself with charm and charisma each time she met a guy. “Hi, I’m Holly. Hey! I’m Holly! Hello there! The name’s Holly.” Wash, rinse, repeat.
I did the same thing every night when Holly showed up. I gave her a nod, and she requested the water swap. Holly even came up with the code signal of brushing her nose when it was time to switch to water. Then she’d offer me a silent thank you with a smile and go back to her date. Even though Holly was insane, she had a nice smile.
Her smile alone was enough to pull a guy’s attention. Pair that with her deep brown doe eyes, dark brown sun-kissed skin, and curvy body… It wasn’t shocking she received so many first dates.
But as she sat at the end of the bar with her dates, she made the same massive mistake each time: she acted as if each guy was the one. That was a huge red flag.
Holly’s eyes lit up as she saw date number fourteen walk through the bar door. His eyes did what most of the guys’ eyes did. They danced up and down her figure before pausing on her chest, the third most beautiful part of that woman after that smile and those eyes, then he moved his stare to hers.
“Hi, I’m Holly!” she sang, rushing over to him.
Number fourteen pulled her into a hug. He hugged a little too long for meeting a stranger, but hey, what the hell did I know? “I’m Bill,” he stated as his hands massaged her back.
Who massaged a stranger’s back during a first greeting?
Way to pick some gems, Holly.
“I got us a spot at the corner of the bar,” Holly mentioned, gesturing to her chair that she’d sat in for the past two weeks. I was almost certain her butt would be imprinted in said chair forever. As she turned away from number fourteen, his eyes fell to her bottom half and, well, fair. Her butt and handful of a chest were in a solid tie for the third best part of her.
The date went mediocre, Holly seemed pleased, and as Bill hugged her goodbye, he promised to set up a second date for some time soon. I knew that date would never come to be. A part of me felt for her. She was putting herself out there and striking out time and time again. Sure, I didn’t like the woman, but it was painful to watch her fail repeatedly.
Yet another part of me, the biggest part, wanted her out of my restaurant. Mano’s was not the set for The Bachelorette. I was not interested in my restaurant becoming her dating arena. Therefore, I had to ensure Holly received a second date from one of those boneheads so they could find a different mating place as soon as possible.
HOLLY
“I think that went well,” I said to myself, clasping my hands together after the fourteenth first date left Mano’s. Did I make a reservation at the same restaurant every day over the next few weeks? Yes. It was a win-win location. I didn’t spend money on taxis across the city, plus, the food was amazing. I was still disappointed in them not having a specialty cocktail menu, and I did remind Kai of that fact each time I came in. He rolled his eyes at me about it each time, too.
That might’ve been the only con of Mano’s: grumpy Kai Kane.
“Bullshit,” Kai mentioned, throwing me completely off.
“What?”
“He’s not going to call you for a second date.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kai walked in front of me and picked up the emptied plates. “That guy said he’d call you. He’s not going to call.”
“He said he would.”
“Men say a lot of crap that they don’t mean.”
I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “He’s going to call me. We’re already planning a second date.” He gave me a ‘you’re so gullible’ glare. “What?!”
“How do I say this without sounding like a dick?” he mumbled to himself before looking up at me. “You’re coming off desperate.”
“That’s you trying not to sound like a dick?”
“Yeah.”
“Well”—I swallowed hard—“mission failed.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes people need a dick to make them realize how out of touch they are being. Your approach to dating is ass backward, and it’s not doing you any favors.”
“And you think calling me desperate is helpful?”
“Absolutely. If your friends were any good, they’d tell you the same thing.”
“How is this helpful? You’re just making me feel like crap.”
“The truth can sometimes do that.” He handed the plates to an employee, then cracked his knuckles before grabbing a shot glass and pouring some tequila into it. He inched it my way.
I rolled my eyes and took the shot. “I’m not paying for that,” I said.