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He startled me when he put his hand on my shoulder. “What are you running away from, Kendall?”
My heart beat faster. I moved backwards, away from him a bit.
“How did you know my name?”
He reached into his back pocket and waved a passport. “You really need to be more careful traveling alone. You walk away for one second, someone could slip something in your drink or take your belongings.”
“That’s mine? How did you get that?”
“When you walked away to look for a napkin, it fell out of your purse. I picked it up, took a peek at your name. Kendall Sparks. I like it. You’re lucky you can trust me.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I huffed, snatching the passport.
We stood there for a bit just staring at each other. His mouth curved into a smile, and for the first time I noticed the dimple on his chin.
“I saw her standing there,” he said.
“What?”
“The Beatles song. I Saw Her Standing There.”
“What about it?” I asked.
“I have this theory. If you think about almost any given moment in life, there’s a Beatles song that can describe it.”
“So, that’s the song of the hour?”
“Exactly. I saw you standing there. I walked over, and apparently I disrupted your decision-making. So, let me buy you another drink. We can figure out together where you’re gonna go. We can work it out.”
When he laughed, I repeated his last words in my head.
We can work it out.
God, he’s a little nutty.
I shook my head in disbelief. “We Can Work It Out. Another Beatles song.”
“Very good. You’re too young to know The Beatles so well.”
“My mother listened to them. What’s your excuse?”
“I just appreciate good music, even if it was before my time.” He looked down at his watch. “Speaking of time, I don’t have all that much of it. How about that drink?”
When he smiled again, I couldn’t help feeling like my resolve was melting. There wasn’t any harm in one more drink, especially since I hadn’t decided where I was going yet.
“Sure. Why not?”
Carter led me to one of the tables then left to put in an order at the bar.
“I hope you don’t mind. I ordered a few appetizers for us.”
“Thanks. That’s fine.”
“So, what’s the nature of this voyage, Kendall?”
“I have some important things to think about. I need to get away from real life for a while to do that.”
“Hopefully, it’s all good stuff? You seem really on edge. That’s why I assumed you were running away from something.”
