There was literally no one else aside from the old man and Mr. Perfect.
I reassessed.
The dribbler next to us? No way. I just couldn’t do it, not even on my best day.
It came back to Mr. Perfect. He’d won by default.
“You’re right. He’s the only viable option.” I blew a frustrated breath up into my dirty blonde hair. “The guy is going to think I’m a nutjob.”
“Not if you explain yourself properly. It’s up to you as to how you spin it.”
“If I do this, I get to prove a point. But what’s in it for you?”
“Either I get to prove myself right, or I get to have a little fun. Either way, I win. Besides, I think it’s actually good for you. When’s the last time those lips have been touched anyway?”
I couldn’t even remember. That was sad. Honestly, I hadn’t kissed anyone since my cheating ex, Rex. (Yes, Rex rhymes with ex, and I should’ve taken it as an omen before I ever said ‘I do’.)
Taking a deep breath in, I got up. “I’m going to get this over with.”
My footsteps couldn’t have moved any slower. I kept looking back at Nancy as she watched me intently. My heart raced. The poor guy was oblivious as to what was about to happen.
Madonna’s rendition of “Santa Baby” played in the background as I made my way slowly over to him.
I found myself even more paralyzed the closer I got to his beautiful face.
Stopping right in front of him, I froze.
He turned his head away from what he was reading when he noticed me standing there. “Can I help you?” Of course, his sexy voice matched his exterior.
My nerves suddenly got the best of me as I stammered, “Hi…I’m Margo?”
It came out like a question. Margo? Like I didn’t even know my own damn name.
He closed his newspaper. “Hi.”
I just stood there and continued to say nothing.
“Is…everything alright?” he asked.
Sort of feeling like I was going to piss my pants, I said, “I don’t usually do things like this…um…”
He was just squinting at me now. This man thought I was an idiot. I couldn’t blame him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Laughing exaggeratedly, I said, “Oh my God, yes. Everything is great.” I turned around to look at my friend. She was giving me the thumbs-up, egging me on to continue.
“Is it okay if I sit?” I did so before he could even say yes or no. My chair skidded against the wooden floor.
“Uh…yeah. Go right on ahead.”
Clasping my fingers together, I smiled at him.
He finally lifted his brow in question, which served as my cue to say something.
Push it out.
“I’m sorry I’m acting so strangely. You’re going to think this is crazy.” I pointed back to Nancy. “My friend over there…we’ve known each other since we were kids. She and I have always had these funny bets over the years. Anyway, she just basically accused me of not having a spontaneous bone in my body. I didn’t like that. It made me a little angry, actually.” I licked my lips. “You seem like a successful guy. I’m sure you know what it feels like to be competitive.”