Roy is meeting a blind date from an Internet dating site at Partners. The cautious Roy has brought Marshall and Lee as back-up. Will that be a wise move or a mistake? See what's up in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they are up to. Their links follow my tale. Enjoy!
On the drive to Tucker Falls, Roy told Lee and Marshall what
little he knew about his date. Her name was Earlene, she was divorced, had no
children, and lived and worked in Tucker Falls. She liked country music and
line dancing and beer.
“Well, you have some of that in common,” Lee commented.
“It’s a start.”
“Yep,” Roy said laconically.
He wasn’t quite so optimistic, but he was willing to at least give it a
try, seeing as he’d agreed to meet her at Partners. His luck had not been
holding lately, on the few occasions when he’d asked a woman out. In fact, he’d
found himself bored with the few women he’d dated, although he couldn’t put his
finger on why that was. Maybe his expectations were too high. Or he wasn’t
looking in the right place. For whatever reason, there was no spark struck with
any of them, no excitement. He was glad he’d talked the guys into coming with
him tonight. Even if the date didn’t work out, the night wouldn’t be a total
loss.
“If he’s on a date, how are we going to hang out together?” Marshall
asked. They were back in Lee’s car, Roy having concluded his business with the
Tucker Falls sheriff. Marshall twisted in the front seat, where he sat beside
Lee, his auburn brows raised in question at Roy.
That was a fair question, one Roy was trying not to think
too much about. Guess he needed to address it sooner, rather than later.
“Well…” To be honest, he hadn’t exactly mentioned bringing
his friends, considering that had been decided so last minute. If she was
uncomfortable with that, then so be it. He couldn’t be with anybody who didn’t
like Marshall and Lee. Although he’d never felt the need to use them as a
buffer before. Then again, he’d never resorted to a blind date before, either.
What in the world had he been thinking? Or had he let his
second brain make the decision for him? Earlene looked cute—at least from her
online photo—and she seemed lively… and she’d made more than a few innuendos
that had Roy’s libido rising to the bait.
“How about this for a plan, then,” Lee began, and Roy silently
blessed him. Whatever ideas Lee had were bound to be good ones. “Roy can meet
up with his mystery date, get a table, get settled, and we can find something
close but not too close. Then, if Ray wants us to mosey over, he can text and
we can be right there. Make sense?”
“Makes lots of sense to me,” Roy gratefully agreed.
“And if he doesn’t text?” Marshall wanted to know.
“Then you and I can do a whole lot of dancing.” Lee gave
Marshall a quick glance. Roy saw the big grin on Lee’s face. He knew they’d be
good either way, which was a relief. He should have known they would be,
though.
When they reached Partners, they weren’t surprised to see it
was already crowded. People in Tucker Falls, and the surrounding towns, liked
to cut loose on a Friday night and have a little fun. They parked as close to
the building as they could and headed inside. As they approached the front
doors, people spilled out of the brightly lit club, laughing and joking. Country
western music pulsed from inside, amid cries of “Yee haw!”
Roy hadn’t been thinking about there being a crowd when they
made their plan. They might not be able to get a table, either of them. Not to mention, what if he couldn’t find his
date in the midst of all this carrying on?
“Go on, look for your lady,” Lee said, as if he’d read Roy’s
mind. “We’ll be good. Text us when you get settled.”
“Okay, then, I’ll do that.” Lee put his arm about Marshall’s
waist, as if to anchor him, and the two headed in the direction of the bar.
Once they had melted into the crowd, Roy began to scan the nearest tables for
his date. What if she’d come with some
friends herself? He had to consider the possibility she wasn’t alone either. He
spotted a group of women sitting together at a table about twenty feet from
him, but they weren’t looking his way, so he moved on.
Damn, this was harder than he’d figured. Maybe this was a
sign that it wasn’t meant to be? Or maybe she’d changed her mind about coming?
He should just text Lee and find out where they were sitting and join them,
instead.
“Hey there, good looking!”
A bright voice drew him from his reverie just as he pulled
his phone from his pocket. Glancing up, he saw a rather chipper, petite
brunette standing in front of him. She was scanning him from head to toe with
big brown eyes. “You must be Roy,” she greeted him. “If you’re not, I’m going
to be very disappointed.”
“I am,” he began, but before he got the last syllable out,
she’d yanked his head down and laid a huge liplock on him.
to be continued
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