Thank God she could practically tend bar with her eyes closed. Dazed, her mind flew back to Saturday morning when she took Piper to the grocery store. She’d paused as she noticed a man and woman shopping together, each knowing their role, reading the list or taking items from the shelves, and calling the other honey. She’d blinked back tears as she passed their cart.
Dallas laid down the towel and opened a bottle of cold water, remembering Tuesday night when, after she put Piper to sleep, she’d caught an old rerun of Pretty Woman. She sobbed out loud at the sappy ending. That night, as late as it was, she’d called Sarah, hoping for a clue to her craziness.
Sarah’s answer had been as disturbing as Dallas’s behavior. Sarah said that Dallas should find a man who would give her unconditional love. She’d been scared ever since. Open her heart? Trust a man? Sarah was the crazy one. Yet, a tiny voice inside Dallas had agreed.
While the bar got busy again, Dallas searched her heart for an answer. Letting go of her fear of being hurt didn’t feel possible. How did a person just stop being afraid? Start trusting? The only trustworthy man she could think of was her father. He was old school. Young men didn’t seem to have the same capacity. She glanced over at Cash as she handed a woman her beer. Damn. He was looking her way again. Smiling tentatively, she turned to the next person at the bar.
Later, she pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the time. It was getting late, and she was no closer to making a decision than she had been when she first read his note.
The pace slowed around one-thirty. She had to decide. Cash didn’t dance and, throughout the evening, he bought his beer at the other bar, as though giving her time to think. She appreciated the consideration, another clue that he was a gentleman. Admittedly, something had been missing in her life for a while. As much as she hated it, Sarah may have hit it on the head. Maybe that tiny part of her that liked Cash’s smile wanted to say yes to the dinner invitation. But, hell, what if this went wrong? Could she handle it? She’d thought the pain from Piper’s father’s rejection would never go away. Some days it still stabbed at her. She couldn’t go through that again.
She looked at Cash’s table. He was draining his beer. It was last call, and her time had run out. Ripping a piece of paper from the register, she scribbled quickly as customers headed to the bar.
THE HIGHLINER BAR WAS packed, per usual, as Dallas arrived during happy hour on Wednesday. She spotted her best friends Sarah and Kate sitting, like always, near the middle of the room where they could keep an eye on everyone coming and going. Dallas sat down and caught the busy waitress’s eye. She swung by the table to take Dallas’s drink order.
Kate leaned in. “Sarah and I had time to catch up while we were waiting for you to get here. Tell us what’s going on with you. All of a sudden you’re leading an exciting life.”
Dallas grinned. “Am not. One rescue from the clutches of death, and you think my life is exciting? Phooey.”
The girls rolled their eyes and waited for her to continue.
“Well, Ethan asked me out.”
Kate clapped her hands. “Yay! I was hoping he would. He’s a wonderful catch for you, Dallas. He moves in all the right circles, makes great money at the firm, and you said he’s really nice to you.”
“He is. I had to turn him down, though. Piper’s little tail was still dragging when he asked.”
Kate leaned in and covered Dallas’s hand with her own. “Listen, girlfriend, chances like this don’t come along every day. Let me remind you how you grew up. No new shoes ’til your old ones rubbed blisters on your toes. You never had nice clothes like the other kids. Hardly even had enough to eat. Do you want Piper growing up like that? You’re putting all your eggs in one basket, counting on finishing your legal degree. Wouldn’t it be awesome to just want a degree, instead of desperately needing one? Promise me you’re going to accept next time he asks.”
Dallas swallowed and looked down at her glass of wine, turning it in circles. She still remembered her first day of third grade. One of the bigger boys, who’d always been a bully, pointed at her old, beat-up tennis shoes with a separated sole. “You wore those things last year, loser. You’re poor.” Her heart still hurt for the sad little girl she was. She couldn’t let her daughter go through that. “I know. You’re right. Ethan really is a sweet guy. Monday he even asked how Piper was feeling.”
Sarah held her wine up and they all tapped their glasses. “We’re way too serious. I want to hear me some more about that good-looking cowboy.”
Dallas smiled and reached into her purse. “You won’t believe this, but he came back to the club Friday night. When he paid for his beer, he handed me this note.” Unfolding the half-page piece of paper, she held it up.
Sarah gawked at it. “Well, go ahead, crazy woman, read it.”
Dallas smoothed it a little more, and then read:
Dallas,
I’m here tonight to change your mind. Word is you don’t date men you meet at the bar, and I sure don’t blame you. Fact is, I wouldn’t date girls if I met them there, either.
But I think you and I are exceptions. I was there the night we met
