“Are you trying to tease me,” Mason groaned.
Hazel planted a kiss on his cheek before she climbed over Ariella and headed out of the booth to the bar.
“I’ll give her a hand,” I offered and scooted out from the opposite side of the booth.
I followed Hazel to the bar, on the opposite side of where Lincoln and the pretty girl were situated.
She almost looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure why.
Hazel leaned against the counter and gestured over the bartender. The bar was busy, crowded, which was unusual for a Sunday night.
A few locals sat at the bar, but most of the tables were unfamiliar faces, and for a small town, that was unusual, especially out of tourist season.
Was there an event happening at the Blue Sky Resort? On occasion, there’d been conferences held off-season that had booked out every room in the place and brought tourists to all the local spots.
“Do you recognize her?” Hazel asked, her eyes on the blonde who Lincoln chatted up.
I exhaled a heavy sigh. “It’s like she’s familiar, but I’m not sure from where.”
The bartender finally stepped over, and we ordered two pitchers of beer along with a virgin daiquiri for Mason.
I handed over my credit card to the bartender while he rang up the orders.
“Mason’s going to kill you,” I whispered into Hazel’s ear. I’d never known the man to drink anything girly in my life, let alone non-alcoholic.
Hazel grinned as she turned to face me. “Why? I told him he’d get a sweet virgin treat. Obviously, it’s not me.”
My eyes widened, and I glanced back toward the bartender. “That was more information than I needed.”
I should have ordered myself something stronger tonight than beer if I was going to have to listen to Hazel and Mason flirtations.
“Oh, come on. I see the way you and Ariella gaze at each other. You should ask her to dance,” Hazel said.
“We’re colleagues. More importantly, I’m her boss.”
Hazel didn’t have the slightest notion that Ariella and I were involved.
Right?
The bartender handed me the receipt, and I signed the slip of paper before he handed me two pitchers of beer.
I brought the pitchers back to the table while Hazel carried the strawberry daiquiri to the table and placed it in front of Mason.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Mason said. He didn’t look the least bit thrilled with the slushy sitting on the table in front of him.
“If you don’t drink it, I will,” Hazel said.
Mason pushed the glass across the table to Hazel. “Have at it.”
I headed back to the bar to grab a stack of clear plastic cups for the beer.
“Need a hand?” Ariella’s soft, warm voice caught me off guard as she stood behind me.
I spun around and handed her a few cups while I carried the rest to the table. “Sure.” I appreciated her help. “Thank you.”
It was painstakingly hard to sit across from her for a fun night out and not touch her, taste her, feel her body nestled up against mine—pure torture.
I planted the plastic cups on the table and grabbed Ariella’s hand before she could sit back down.