* * * *
The parking lot of the Northern Lights Bar and Grill looked like any one of the used car lots they’d inspected tonight. Rows and rows of vehicles surrounded the square, windowless building, situated on a service road next to the freeway. A neon sign flashing “Northern Lights” in rainbow colors lit up the parking lot. Denny and Meg squeezed the bike onto a narrow strip of blacktop between two pickup trucks and stowed their gear.
Nan and Jim stood just inside the door, smiling like infatuated newlyweds, their fingers tightly entwined. Jim let go of her hand and looped his arm around her shoulders. Well, well, they certainly did make up!
“Anderson, you mangy hound,” Denny said good-naturedly as he held the door for Meg. “You didn’t tell me you were coming here tonight and bringing company. What’s up?” The two men grinned at each other for a few moments as something personal silently passed between them.
Nan left Jim’s side and grabbed Meg by the arm. “We’ll be right back,” she yelled to the guys as she pulled Meg through the crowd toward the ladies’ room. Just before they reached the door marked ‘Ladies,’ she veered sharply to the left, leading Meg into another section of the bar, a quieter area where they could talk.
Nan pulled up short and whirled around, turning her back to the crowd. “Don’t look now, but they’re directly behind me.”
Instantly, Meg leaned to the left and stared past Nan’s shoulder through the wide doorway to a spot directly across the bar. She swallowed hard, taking in the scene with disbelief. Her sandy-haired ex-boyfriend sat at a table wearing his favorite khakis and dark green blazer, laughing and conversing with another couple as though he didn’t possess a care in the world. Tom’s apparent better-half sat on his left wearing a black designer suit and enough dazzling jewelry to require an armed guard. Her thick dark hair, swept into a French roll at her nape, looked sophisticated and professionally styled, but so retro...
“Okay, then look.” Nan rolled her eyes. “I wanted to explain something before you went steamrolling over there. Right after I talked to you, I ran into—”
“Th-that woman,” Meg blurted. “Is she his new fiancée?”
“Yes.” Nan folded her arms, her long copper curls bouncing as she nodded. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. She’s—”
“She’s at least ten years older than him and dresses like she’s going to a funeral.” Meg stared some more, fuming. “I can’t believe he dumped me for someone who could pass for his old maid aunt. What does she have that I don’t?”
“She’s loaded.” Nan rubbed two fingers against her thumb, symbolizing lots of cash. “I heard she’s got tons of money and investments, including this bar.” Nan glanced back at the happy duo engrossed in conversation with the other couple sitting at their table, a blonde and a muscular guy wearing jeans and a navy tee-shirt. “Grace owns a realty company and a large portfolio of rental property. The couple sitting with her is house-hunting.”
A cash cow named Grace, huh? Meg bit her lip. “How did you find out her name? Did Tom introduce you?”
Nan replied with a matter-of-fact look. “She’s my landlord.”
“What?”
Meg’s astonished yelp caused the woman sitting across from Grace to glance her way. Embarrassed, Meg clapped her hand over her mouth as the sexy, long-haired blonde wearing a pink, scoop-neck blouse gazed at her with curiosity. The woman said something to Grace and simultaneously everyone at the table, including Tom, turned their attention on Meg.
Her palms glistened with sweat under the scrutiny of the curious onlookers. Tom, however, regarded her with a blank stare, as though he didn’t know her. His phony act angered her, but at the same time, it made her upset with herself for blindly falling for him. The realization flooded her with regret.
Suddenly a long, sinewy arm encircled her waist, pulling her close.
“If you’re looking to even the score, you’d better come up with something more shocking than just staring a hole though the guy,” Denny murmured, arching one brow.
His comment touched a nerve. Or was it his honesty?
“You think I’m not doing enough to get even?” She glared at him, her face a mere inch from his. “Okay, hot shot. Then kiss me.”
It happened so fast Meg didn’t have time to consider the consequences, much less change her mind. Her heart didn’t even bother to try. He gripped her chin in the palm of his hand, tipped her head back and crushed his mouth against hers. The moment their lips collided, the commotion in the room seemed to fade away. Her senses shifted into overdrive, compelling her to lean forward. Denny wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer. The musky scent of his cologne filled her head, the pounding of his heart vibrated under her palms as they spread across his chest. She couldn’t breathe. She didn’t care. She didn’t know a simple kiss could feel so amazing.
The encounter ended all too soon, but rather than pull away, Denny rested his forehead against hers and grinned. “I’ll bet that got everyone’s attention.”
“Wow,” Meg said, catching her breath. “Mine, too.” No one had ever kissed her like that...
“Come on,” he said in a husky voice, sounding shaken. He took one look at the people at Tom’s table and scowled. “Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd, stopping only to tell Jim and Nan to meet them next to Jim’s car in fifteen minutes.
Meg drew in a breath of fresh air once they stepped outside into the warm July night. “Oh, look,” she said in awe and pointed toward the night sky. “There’s the big dipper.”
They ambled across the parking lot, holding hands and taking in the celestial show. “I like looking at the stars, especially through a telescope,” Denny remarked. “Astronomy is cool.” He motioned toward the bar. “But not as interesting as what just happened back there.”
They burst out laughing.
“How did you know?” Meg sobered as they approached a dark blue Chevrolet. “About the situation with Tom, I mean.”
Denny stopped and clasped her hands in his. “Jim spilled the whole story as soon as you walked away.”
She sighed and shook her head. She should have known better than to tell someone who couldn’t keep a secret. “That Nan is such a busybody.”
“So is Jim,” Denny replied with a snort. “That’s why they’re just right for each other.” He pulled her into his arms. “Listen, I’m sorry that jerk sitting with Grace McGuire broke your heart, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re better off without him.”
She groaned. “You mean, you know her, too?”
He shrugged. “I ought to, Grace is my landlord. She’s always made it clear she wants to be more, but I don’t date women old enough to have been my babysitter.” He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, setting her on the trunk of the Chevrolet. “Forget him, honey. He’s a gold digger. She’s a control freak with a fetish for younger men. They deserve each other.” Denny rested his hand on the nape of her neck, steadily drawing her close. “Keep in mind—when one door closes another always opens. That goes for me, too.”
Curious, Meg sat up straight. “What do you mean?”
“Remember that couple sitting with Grace? The blonde is Leeza Frank, one of the bartenders here. She’s the girl I had a date with tonight, but she stood me up.” He laughed, his blue eyes crinkling. “At first, it pretty much ruined my day, but you know what? She did me a favor because if she’d have kept her commitment, you and I wouldn’t have become friends.” A soft breeze ruffled his dark, wavy hair. “I’d much rather be here with you, even if I am allergic to your cat.”
Smiling, Meg slid her arms around his neck. “Prove it, hot shot.”
He reached up and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair, sending her thick tresses tumbling down her back. One dark brow lifted in approval as he flashed a lopsided grin. “We both know that what the little lady wants, the little lady must get,” he said, quoting the infamous Chik. Then he kissed her.
# # #
About the Author
Denise Devine is a USATODAY bestselling author who has had a passion for books since the second grade when she discovered Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote her first book, a mystery, at age thirteen and has been writing ever since. She joined Romance Writers of America in 1991 and has won or placed in numerous contests. In 2008, her contemporary inspirational romance, This Time Forever, was a finalist in RWA's Golden Heart Contest. Denise lives on six wooded acres in East Bethel, Minnesota, with her husband, Steve, and her three problem (feline) children, Mocha, Lambchop and Tigger. She loves to read, write, study and travel. You can visit her at:
https://www.deniseannettedevine.com
https://www.facebook.com/deniseannettedevine.
https://www.pinterest.com/denisedevine1
Additional Books by Denise Devine
Romance and Mystery Under the Northern Lights
Merry Christmas, Darling
This Time Forever
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