“Where are you from?”
“I travel a lot. San Francisco originally, but I’m based in New York now, or for the most part. Is this hometown for you?”
“It is now.”
Another waitress came up, rattled off another order.
“Army brat,” she said as she filled it.
“Then you know the traveling life.”
“I do. And I’m happy to have left that behind.”
When his order came out, he gave the plate a long look. “You don’t skimp on portions here.”
“We don’t. Would you like a table?”
He sent her that charming smile. “I like the view right here. I’m Luke,” he added. “Luke Hudson.”
“Morgan. Nice to meet you.”
He ate, ordered a second beer, stayed through the tournament.
He asked questions but didn’t seem intrusive. Bar conversation, in Morgan’s mind. She asked her own.
He was staying at a local hotel. His company would rent a house for him, but he liked hotels, and enjoyed getting into the local flavor wherever he traveled.
He asked where her father had been stationed, which places she’d lived she liked best. Easy breezy while she mixed drinks, mopped the bar, chattered with other customers.
“I should get going,” he said. “I didn’t intend to stay so long, but it looks like I’ve found my local watering hole.”
“It’s a good one.”
“I’ll see you again.” When he rose, he surprised her by offering a hand to shake. And held hers while he smiled into her eyes. “It’s really been great spending time with you, Morgan.”
“It’s been nice talking to you.”
“We’ll do it again.”
He paid in cash, leaving a very generous tip.
* * *
A couple nights later, Luke wandered in later in her shift. It was trivia night at the Round, and the noise level boomed as various tables and groups shouted out answers.
“Pick another local draft,” he told Morgan. “Something … adventurous.” He glanced behind him at the game players. “No darts tonight?”
“Trivia night. It’s a free-for-all, so shout out whenever you want.”
“What’s the prize?”
“Satisfaction.” She offered him a tasting glass.
“Interesting and adventurous,” he decided. “Got some dark cherries going. Let’s go for it.”
As she pulled the tap, she smiled over. “Anything to go with it?”
“Just the beer for now. Had a long day.”
“Life in the tech world?”
“Like the beer, it’s interesting and adventurous. How are things in your world?”
“Busy, but I like busy.”
She filled orders, working her way up and down the bar, but with trivia in full swing, she had a lull.
“What do you do when you’re not busy?” Luke asked her.
“I’ll let you know if I ever get there.”
“Gotta take some downtime. Mind, body, spirit, and all that. Paint me a day off.”
“Paint’s accurate. My house needs more of that, but it’s not quite ready. And with spring coming on, we’ll work on planting.”
“We?”
“My housemate.”
“So he’s handy?”
“She, and she’s terrific when it comes to curb appeal, planting. She works for a garden center. Inside, Nina’s not so much, but I’m not bad.”
“Construction company job.” He pointed at her. “Handy.”
“It helps.”
“A lot of maintenance when you’re a homeowner. I guess that’s why I’ve never gone there. I’m not handy. And there’s the job.” He pointed at her again. “Army brat, so you wanted to plant roots.”
“Exactly right.”
She mixed a whiskey sour, pulled two beers before he caught her attention again.
“What made you pick this area—if you don’t mind me asking.”
“It had what I wanted. Four seasons, close enough to the city without being in it, not a small town, not a big one. Right in the middle.”
She set out a fresh bowl of pretzels for him.
“It’s a nice area, prime for some of the upgrading you seem to be doing with your place. That’s why I’m here. Homeowners and businesses looking to bump up their tech, a couple of developments where people want to option smart homes. Old houses, new buyers looking to flip or just refresh.”
He shrugged. “What I do is part of the infrastructure. Everyone has home offices now, and I can set them up. You must have one.”