CHAPTER TEN
“HOW DID YOU talk me into wearing this?” Lily Ashden pulled at the itchy straps that held her coconut bra in place. Combined with the grass skirt she wore over khaki shorts and the plastic lei around her neck, she was about as novelty Hawaiian as a girl could get. The outfit was considerably skimpier than Lily was accustomed to, and she still wasn’t sure how her friend Macy had conned her into it.
Macy snorted. “Please. It matches your tattoo, so stop complaining.” Macy leaned over the table, grabbed Lily’s right hand and dumped bingo chips into it. “Just put your chip on B 14 and stick your coconuts out. How else do you expect to get men to buy us drinks?”
Lily rolled her eyes with a grin and willed away some of the tension in her shoulders. She’d been a little off since stepping foot in the bar a couple of hours ago. The Throwing Aces was the hottest sports bar in the bustling town of Danbury, Kansas, and though she’d never been in there before, Lily had heard it drew a huge crowd on any given evening. Tonight the bar was hosting a luau-themed fire department–sponsored fund-raiser and the place was bursting at the seams with no shortage of good-looking men.
She’d been considering tiptoeing into the dating scene for a while now. What better place than a sports bar with a hot, young crowd? If there was one good thing about the outfit, it was that it drew some attention. She’d seen men glance her way more than once. Still, Lily felt out of her element, but that was to be expected. The past year had been rough. Lily realized that this was a good time to get back to the land of the living. She just hadn’t been ready before now.
The bingo announcer yelled out another number. Macy wiggled excitedly on her stool and placed her chip, her corkscrew cinnamon curls doing a bounce and flop around her face. They’d been besties since grade school, and Lily had fully expected Macy to guilt-trip her into coming along tonight. And sure enough, one sob story—“The fire department is raising money for one of my kindergarten students whose dad was in an accident. You’re my best friend. If you say no, I’ll understand, but...”—had done the trick. That and the batting eyelashes and pouty smile that had earned Macy the Kansas Corn Princess crown five years in a row when they were kids. How could Lily say no to raising money for a worthy cause?
“These coconuts do make my boobs look good.” Lily hoped the lightheartedness spreading inside her would stick. The outfit did go well with her full-sleeve tattoo of orange hibiscus flowers and green vines. She rarely had the opportunity to show off her artwork, and it was kind of nice. In a small way, the outfit and being surrounded by men reminded Lily that she was young and feminine and had a lot of living ahead of her yet. Second chances at life and all that. She’d been given one, and she didn’t intend to waste it anymore.
A couple of men wearing T-shirts with the Danbury Fire Department logo on the back brushed by. Lily glanced at them, her gaze latching on to the DFD logo. Her heart gave a hard flip, the same way it had the other times she’d seen the logo tonight. The men stopped by a table where two blonde women sat. One of the women gestured to the tallest man’s shirt, her smile wide and toothy. He nodded, said a few words, and she responded by giving an appreciative raise of her eyebrows and grabbing his biceps with a squeeze and a giggle.
Hero worship. It wasn’t the first time Lily had seen it in action tonight. Firemen drew women like a handbag sale at Nordstrom, and the women in the room didn’t seem shy about fawning over the proud wearers of those DFD shirts. Even Macy had fallen victim, flirting and giggling her way through the crowd on the way to the bar and back a couple of times. Lily turned away from the foursome. She didn’t get out much, but this was a cozy town. People talked, and they weren’t shy about slinging gossip about the local fire department. Mixed in with gratitude for the work the department did were the hushed rumors of several of the firemen’s playboy ways. All it took was a trip to the grocery store to hear the latest. It was like Danbury’s own live soap opera. Macy had been quick to fill her in when they’d arrived at the bar, sharing the latest gossip about a fireman who’d left his wife of twenty years for one of the teachers at the elementary school.
Heroes with huge egos, it seemed. All this hero worship seemed misplaced and wasted, Lily thought bitterly. She took a hasty drink of water, surprised by that sudden thought, though it made sense. She’d considered how she might feel coming to the bar, knowing the fire department would be there. But she’d reminded herself that this fire department wasn’t the same one who’d attended the fire that had changed her life a year ago. No, this wasn’t the department that had stood by and done nothing as innocent people burned to death.
Oh, God, she wasn’t thinking about that now. She was here to have fun—she was having fun—and the past was going to stay in the past, at least for the night. She’d vowed to be present in her own life, to enjoy life in the moment, and that was what she was going to do.
“He’s looking at you again.” Macy’s low voice puffed in Lily’s ear.
Lily set down the water as her angst faded. “Again?” She dared a quick look at the bar across the room. The lighting was dim, but there was no doubt the bartender who’d been glancing her way all night was stellar in the looks department. At first she’d thought he was just people watching, but his gaze strayed to her too frequently and held too long. Maybe he thought he knew her. Maybe it wasn’t coincidence—maybe. It had been eleven months since her engagement had ended. Lily thought she was ready to dive back in, find a man and have some fun. She hadn’t actually tested that theory yet, so she couldn’t be sure. But the bartender was tempting her to give it a shot.
Lily ran her right hand down the back of her hair. She hadn’t been with anyone since Rob had packed up and walked out. She didn’t miss him that much, but she was still hurt that he’d left the way he had—while she’d been at a therapy appointment and without a word of explanation. Hearing from his family that he’d gone to Mississippi with another woman soon after was a kick in the gut. That and the loss of years she’d spent on a man who had promised he’d loved her, was committed, said he wanted a family. The uncertainty over why he’d walked out still burned; it bugged her that she’d never had closure. But she was doing fine on her own. Although it might be nice to have someone around now and then. This loneliness had been nagging her more and more lately. It was definitely time for a change.
Lily risked a sideways glance. Even from this distance and in the dim light, it was obvious Mr. Hot Bartender was built, with muscles easily visible beneath his shirt. His biceps turned into bulging hills when he grabbed a glass and brought it close to his body. His hair looked dark blond under the lights, and, if she had to guess, that rugged face probably sported blue eyes. No wonder
