Page 18 of Holding on to Chaos
He let Eva pull him toward the door.
“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Jax called after them.
“Getting a drink,” Eva said.
“I could go for a drink,” Jax said, tugging Joey to her feet.
“No, you can’t.” Carter shoved his brother down in an empty seat and sent Donovan a wink and pistol fingers.Message received.Donovan was officially on his own with Eva.
CHAPTER NINE
To: Blue Moon Citizens
From: Blue Moon Police Department
Subject: Planetary Crossing Signs & Symptoms
Dear Citizen of Blue Moon,
In light of recent information, the Blue Moon Police Department has compiled this list of signs and symptoms that you may be affected by the Pluto-Uranus crossing. This is not an exhaustive list. Should you feel a strong desire to do anything out of character, we in the police department ask that you refrain from making any important decisions until November.
1. Beginning or ending a relationship.
2. Eating foods that you have a known allergy to.
3. Altering your physical appearance by any semi-permanent or permanent means.
4. Anything with fire.
5. Making any large purchases that haven’t been planned prior to now (tiny house, time share, new farming equipment, etc.)
Together, by applying caution and careful logic, we will look out for each other and survive this trying time.
Sincerely,
Sheriff Cardona and the Blue Moon Police Department
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This was a date. It had to be. Didn’t it? Why else would she have asked him and not everyone else?Donovan’s mind chugged through the possibilities for a third time as he followed Eva’s curvy hips to a cozy two-top at John Pierce Brews. The host tucked them into the corner with windows on two sides. Donovan took the chair facing the room so he could ward off any planetary dangers that materialized or any bamboozled Blue Mooners.
He tried to calm his date nerves by looking around. The building rehab had been a tedious process but worth it in Donovan’s mind. The Pierces had revitalized the old barn after decades of neglect. It was hard to recognize that livestock had once lived in this very spot. Impressive beam work held up the roof two stories above them. Industrial lighting and fans gave the place an eclectic, loft-like feel. The hardwood floors were scarred with age. The windows, built into thick walls, overlooked pastures and fields. There was a patio behind them and someone had started up the fireplace for the handful of customers who weren’t yet ready to face the transition to fall.
The bar, a long L-shape, was rustic, beefy. There was a comfortable dining room with more seating to the right of the kitchen and a loft above that overlooked the action in the bar.
Eva slid onto the high-backed stool and picked up the beer list.
She was pretty, he thought, studying her. No, not just pretty. Fresh and bright and bold. There was an energy beneath her exterior that buzzed just loud enough to alert him to the fact that she was walking, talking trouble. And that made her beautiful.
She wore her hair loose tonight. Curls tumbling over each other to her slim shoulders. She had a gloss on her lips that she must have put on in the car on the way over. Her sweater, a rich, deep green, looked soft to the touch.
“Well, well. The sheriff and Emma Jr. Isn’t this interesting?” Lila, the server raised her newly pierced eyebrow at them.
“Emma Jr.? Is that the best you can do?” Eva feigned pain.
“You’re right,” Lila grinned wickedly. “What can I get you, Naked in Town?”
“I think you should have stuck with Emma Jr.,” Donovan said to Eva.
