“Likewise, Denise,” I said, grinning. “Let me get our drinks. What’ll it be? An Old Fashioned, just to keep it old-fashioned?”
“Sounds good to me. Thanks, Mel. Next round is on me.”
We sat at the bar, and the bartender mixed our drinks. “So, engaged? I wasn’t expecting to hear that one.”
“I know, I know,” she said, fingering a cocktail napkin. “You know me. I never could’ve imagined that happening.”
“So, what changed?”
“Two Old Fashioneds.” The bartender placed the glasses of amber drink in front of us, and I put down a fifty.
“Keep the change,” I told her.
“I met someone,” said Denise, sipping her drink. “Mm. Good shit.”
“Okay, but you’ve met dozens of someones,” I said, laughing.
“Yeah, but this someone was different. He—Marc—wasn’t like anyone else I’d been with before. He wasn’t like any man I’d ever met before. It was fucking weird, but I somehow knew that he was right for me.”
“Shit, he must’ve been special for you to have given up on your business projects. You work for someone now? What happened to starting that landscape maintenance company you always talked about? You were so sure you could strike it rich in that niche.”
She shrugged. “Things changed. Marc became my life. And who knows, I might even cut back so that I can have a kid.”
I shook my head in disbelief, and took a swallow of my drink. “Crazy.”
“Tell me about it. It came out of nowhere.”
“What was it about him? Is he an entrepreneur? Someone in finance?” I could imagine Denise being interested in someone who she could talk business with—though so many guys could be insufferable when it came to talking business with a woman. Always patronizing.
“Librarian,” she said. “Works for the Rosebridge City Library.”
“Shit,” I said, stunned.
“I met him at an associate’s wedding. He was sitting at my table, and we talked, and something just clicked between us. I couldn’t get him out of my head.”
An image of Kendra’s face flashed through my mind. I tossed down the rest of my drink, and Denise ordered us two more.
“I’m happy where I am, anyway,” she continued. “My career rocks, and I’m helping Marc with a project idea he had for cataloguing books. Honestly, Mel, I didn’t know what I was missing. Everything feels so much more rewarding with him by my side.”
I laughed. “Jesus. Denise the romantic. I never could’ve imagined.”
Denise laughed too. “So, what’s new in the life of you? Still making your weekly catches, you little minx?”
“Not anymore,” I said. “That’s long behind me now.”
“Because I’m not there to wing for you?” She smacked my arm.
“Business, Denise, business.”
“You were one of the few who actually made it right out of school,” she said.
“In school,” I reminded her. “I started on a new project. I’m going big this time, no more small apps.”
“Big for you must be really big. You’ve got my attention.”
“I don’t want to give too much away, because I’m still working on a first build. But I’ll say this much: think BluTech.”
Her eyes widened. “It’s a good time for that. Damn good time. If I knew how to code, I’d offer to give you a hand.”