Page 21 of The Anaconda Downstairs

I nodded towards Javi. “Why don’t you go try flirting with him? You seemed pretty comfortable chatting earlier.”

Penelope’s face suddenly drained of color, until she glanced over her shoulder at Javier who gave her a little wave when he saw her looking at him. Then she turned about fifty shades of pink. “What? Now? I... I don’t know what to say.”

I watched her curiously. She’d been so at ease with Javi just moments ago, but now she looked like she’d rather face a firing squad than go talk to him again. Yep. Just as I suspected.

“Pen,” I said gently, “you only lose your cool when you think the conversation has to lead to romance, don’t you?”

She bit her lip, sank down into her chair, and nodded slightly.

I leaned in, my voice low. “The best way to flirt with a man is always just to be yourself. Don’t worry about whether the guy you’re talking to is looking for a date. It’s all about seeing if youconnect with that person. It’s not like whoever you meet is going to jump into bed with you that very minute.”

Penelope’s licked her lips like she was thinking about fucking jumping into bed with Javi, and I felt smacked with... something. Jealousy? No, that was ridiculous. I pushed the feeling aside.

“Just be yourself,” I repeated. “That’s the most attractive thing you can be.”

She nodded, seeming to relax a bit. But then her eyes darted to the door, and a mischievous smile spread across her face. “Okay, how about you show me how it’s done?”

I turned to see a woman walking in, probably in her late twenties, tall, with an athletic build, long dark hair, and a friendly smile.

“Alright,” I agreed, standing up. “Watch and learn.”

I made my way over to the woman, and I could feel Penelope’s eyes on me. Good. This was going to be the easiest of the lessons for her to observe.

I struck up a conversation with the newcomer in line, whose name I learned was Simone, keeping it light and casual. She mentioned that she’d heard the tea here was great, and that’s what she was looking for because she was a singer in a local band. I recommended she ask Willa to make her one of her tea concoctions and offered to buy it for her to try.

Then we sat at a nearby table together and I asked her about her band.

It was that easy. Listen to what the person was saying and respond to that so they knew you were genuinely listening and interested.

Simone was cute, friendly, obviously interested in me, and I felt absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I was just about to wrap up the conversation when I felt someone bump into me from behind. I turned to see Penelope,who had somehow managed to scoot her chair right up next to mine without me noticing.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “I was just trying to get a better view of the menu board.”

Before I could respond, Penelope shifted in her seat, and suddenly her coffee cup was tipping, its contents spilling all over both of us.

“Oh, oh no,” she gasped, jumping up. “I’m so sorry.”

I sat there, coffee dripping down my shirt, staring at Penelope in disbelief. Her t-shirt was also soaked, and she was frantically dabbing at us both with napkins. Simone, looking bewildered, quietly excused herself and headed out the door.

As Pen dabbed at my shirt, I caught her eye. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of triumph in her expression, quickly replaced by embarrassment.

“I think,” I said, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice, “that this might be a good time to end today’s lesson.”

Penelope nodded, and then shook her head and closed her eyes, embarrassed once again. Dammit. “I think you might be right.”

We stepped out of Cool Beans and the crisp Colorado air hit our damp clothes. Penelope hugged herself, her teeth chattering slightly.

“Here,” I said, shrugging off my jacket and draping it over her shoulders. “You need this more than I do.”

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and unreadable.

“Thanks,” she murmured, pulling the jacket tighter around her. The sight of her in my clothes did something to my insides that I wasn’t ready to examine too closely.

“I’m so sorry about all that.” She waved her hand around in the general direction of the spill zone. “I can’t believe I made such a mess of things.”

I chuckled, trying to ease her embarrassment. “Pen, it’s fine. It’s not like I was actually interested in that woman.”

---