Finding Zara: Esperance Valley: Book One by Mary Waterford

Author:Mary Waterford [Waterford, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

Zara

The bright sunshine of the day had given way to a chilly mist as Ally, Emma, Lucy and I made our way across the parking lot and into the bar. I was grateful for the rush of warmth that greeted us when we stepped inside. “Jesus, it’s packed,” Ally observed.

“Usually is on a Friday night. Game’s already started, by the looks of it.” Emma gestured to the giant television mounted on the wall above the bar.

Jake appeared next to us, a tray of drinks in hand. “Hey.” He held the tray in front of us all and, laughing, I reached for a beer. “We’re over here,” he gestured with his head and we followed him to a high table near the window, where Matt and Gabe were already sitting. I was happy to see it was nice and close to the roaring fire. “Look who I found.”

Matt and Gabe shifted the stools around to make more room. “You look nice,” Matt said quietly as I slid into a seat next to him.

“Thanks.”

“How do you feel after today?”

“Pretty good. A shower helped. I’ll probably feel it tomorrow, though.”

A roar erupted in the crowd as someone hit a home run, cutting off any reply he might have made. We all turned our attention to the game for a while, but since I wasn’t that interested in baseball, I got bored with it pretty quickly, which gave my mind some time to wander. I was acutely aware of the warmth Matt’s body radiated with him sitting so close to me and desperately wanted to feel his arm around me, to snuggle into his side, to breathe him in while everyone watched the boring game. Sighing, I nursed my beer and pretended to watch the baseball.

On a commercial break, Ally finished her beer and grabbed a menu from the middle of the table. “I’m starving. What is there to eat here?”

“The nachos are good,” Jake offered.

“Sweet! Everybody in?” Ally looked around the table, saw everyone was in agreement. “My treat. Jake, you wanna come help me with some more drinks?”

“Sure.”

I sighed, making Matt turn to me. “What’s up?”

I leaned closer to him and murmured, “Ally’s in a mood.” We both glanced at Gabe, who was watching Ally weave through the crowd to the bar. Matt turned back to me, a question in his eyes. “Bingo. I think it does have something to do with that, but I can’t figure out what.” Ally and Jake returned, placing two trays on the table. “What’s this?”

“Tequila.” Ally placed a shot glass in front of each of us and a plate of lime wedges and a salt shaker in the center of the table.

“Ally…” My tone was low, with a hint of warning in it.

Ally gave me a look of wide-eyed innocence. “What? Let loose a bit. We worked our asses off today.” She slid two glasses closer to Matt.

“Not for me, thanks. I’m driving.”

“Me either, Ally, I’m driving too, remember?” Emma was eyeing the shots longingly.

Matt smiled at her.

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