Page 2 of Mr. Swoony

“Trying to pique my curiosity?” I arch an eyebrow.

“I’m vulnerable.” He flags down the waitress, and she saunters over in a short micro dress that doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

“What can I get you, Conor?” she asks in a sultry voice that implies, as I assumed, he’s the player type.

I scoff, and Conor turns to me but talks to her. “Two bottles of water.” Digging into his pocket, he pulls out a fifty and places it on her tray of empty glasses without his eyes ever leaving mine.

“Be right back,” she says.

“So, you’re a regular, huh?”

“I’ve been here twice.”

“The bottle girl knows you by name. She must be really good at her job then.” I scootch up on the edge of the seat. “It was nice meeting you, but I’m gonna go get my friend.”

“Really?” He sits up straight. “You’re just going to leave after I came all the way over here?”

I laugh. “Well, I’m sure it’s a foreign concept for you that a woman isn’t interested but think of it as an opportunity for some character growth.”

He smirks and shakes his head. “And I thought I was cocky.”

I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. “Excuse me?”

“You assume that I was hitting on you.”

“Weren’t you?”

“I told you I don’t go after taken women, so unless this whole bride thing is a façade, I’m not interested in pursuing you.” The waitress comes back with two waters, and he grabs mine, holding it out toward me. “Want me to open it?”

I nod, and his forearm flexes as he opens the water bottle and hands it to me.

“Thanks,” I mumble. “And I’m sorry, it’s just been a shitty night.”

“I figured.” He glances at the stain on my sash. “I came over because I’m a fixer.”

I choke on my water but manage to swallow it before spitting it in his face. “That’s your profession? A fixer?”

“Not my actual profession. But it’s who I am to my core. I like to fix people’s problems.”

I nod and screw the cap back on my water bottle. “Well, no worries here. No problems.” I wipe my palms together and hold up my hands. “Go back over and enjoy your party.”

His eyebrows scrunch, but he moves to stand. “All right then. My conscience is clear.”

“Yep, you can sleep well tonight.” I stand before I blabber all my problems to this guy.

Penelope stumbles into the area with the guy she was dancing with, laughing as they fall onto the couch’s other side.

Just when I thought I could make my getaway.

Two

Eloise

“Lulu!” Penelope slurs, using the nickname she gave me in college. She only uses it when she’s drunk, or when she’s whining for me to do something I don’t want to do.

“Lulu, huh?” Conor asks.

Penelope perks up as if she didn’t see this gorgeous hunk of a man next to me. She probably didn’t, or she saw two of him. That’d be something if he had a twin. The universe would’ve really been working overtime if that were the case.

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