Page 30 of Slapshot
“You know this is a gay bar, right?”
“Yeah, some of the guys mentioned it.” He doesn’t look even the slightest bit uncomfortable. Even when a guy perched on a barstool beside him gives him a blatant once-over. “Vermont is the coolest.”
“Hey, what can I get for you?” The bartender slides over to get our drink order. He’s cute. Dark hair, striking blue eyes, and the kind of five o’clock shadow that makes you wonder what it’d feel like against your skin. This has to be the guy Vivian was talking about. Unless Vino and Veritas has another ridiculously hot bartender. In which case, this just became my new favorite bar.
“Can I try one of your hard ciders? Whichever one you recommend.”
“Absolutely. I’ll grab you my favorite.” He glances to Lex.
“Same, I guess.”
“IDs?”
I move for mine and Lex chuckles. “In that case, make mine a water.”
“We’ve got a non-alcoholic cider if you want to try that?”
“Yeah, thanks, man. And can I see the food menu? Something smells amazing.”
I place my ID on the bar top and he does a quick glance of it. Then grabs two menus and places them in front of us. “I’ll be right back.”
Lex wastes no time reading over the menu. He holds it up and reads aloud nearly every item like it’s food porn.
“We have to try the maple pigs. Oooh, and a bacon cheeseburger sounds so good right now. Is that too much pig for one meal?” He looks to me thoughtfully and then shakes his head. “Maybe I’ll just get a cheeseburger.”
The bartender brings our drinks and Lex puts in a food order.
“You’re not eating?” he asks when I hand my menu back.
I take a drink of my cider before responding. “No.”
“Something against bar food?”
“No, I didn’t come here to eat. It’s research for a class project.” Also, I’m still broke. I got my first paycheck and it’s enough to cover food and true essentials, but I learned my lesson on cutting it too close.
“What kind of project?” Lex turns in his chair so that he’s angled toward me.
“It’s for my marketing design class. I have to do a report on a local business’s online marketing. Website, advertising, social media—all of that. What are they doing well? What could they improve? It’s worth a big chunk of my semester grade.”
“Is that your major? Marketing?”
“Yes.”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“That’s pretty common, I think. My friend, Vivian—”
“The one who threw beer on me,” he interrupts.
“Yes, her. She’s switched her major three times.”
One side of his mouth pulls up into a smile and that dimple in his chin flirts with me. “Once I decide on something, I rarely change my mind.”
My face warms as he continues to smirk at me. So much meaning in that statement.
I clear my throat. “This cider is really good. How’s yours?”
He slides it to me. “Try it for yourself.”
