Honey on Your Mind Part 10

"I wish you could come earlier, before it gets too cold. Actually, what am I saying? It's already too cold for my blood." The only good news about the impending seasonal shift was that the colder the weather got, the fewer outdoor events there were for me to cover. Unfortunately, however, the minute a weekend opened up in my schedule, Paige invariably pounced on it and roped me into some apparel tradeshow or industry event. But as far as I knew at that moment, the weekend before Christmas was still open.

a a a The next evening I had plans to grab a drink with Paige before heading uptown to meet Kristina for dinner. It was purely a social call, which was exactly what I needed. I was so burned out that I thought I might toss my cookies if the word honey even came up in the conversation.

I arrived at Harry's a few minutes early and ordered a beer, then sat down at a high table. As I looked around the bar, I realized it didn't feel new to me anymore. The unfamiliarity had faded away, a shift in perception so gradual that I hadn't even noticed until right now. The place had become a somewhat regular hangout for Paige and me, and she had become much more familiar to me-and much more than a sales rep. I'd met many people since moving to New York, but Paige was becoming a true friend.

At seven sharp, I saw her walk through the door.

With Gary from Nashville by her side.

No way.

I knew she'd seen him once after our trip to Chicago, but she hadn't mentioned him since then, so I figured that was it.

Apparently, I was wrong.

"Hi, Waverly, how are you?" she gave me a hug as I stood up. "You remember Gary, right?"

I held out my hand and smiled. "Of course, Gary from Nashville. How could I forget that yummy steak dinner in Chicago? How are you?"

He laughed. "I'm doing great, happy to be in town to see this pretty young thing here." He put his arm around Paige, who was about Andie's height, which, on a good day, was barely five foot two. "Can I get you a drink?" he said.

I held up my nearly full beer and shook my head. "I'm good, thanks."

"OK, I'll be right back." He walked to the bar, and I immediately turned to Paige and lowered my voice.

"So things are good?" I practically mouthed the words so Gary wouldn't hear me.

She grinned and nodded.

"Wow," I whispered.

"I know," she whispered back. "He's super cute, isn't he? What's he doing with me?"

I shooed her away. "Please, you're super cute too."

Gary reappeared with beers for himself and Paige, and we quickly switched to a more appropriate topic of conversation.

"So Waverly, Paige tells me she's been quite busy running this product line of yours. From what I hear, it's about to take off."

I took a sip of my beer and smiled. "I guess we'll see. I would be lost without Paige. I don't know how she keeps track of all her clients. I can barely keep track of myself. She's amazing."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, she is certainly that." His deep voice was undeniably s.e.xy. What is it about that tw.a.n.g that makes a girl go a little weak at the knees?

"So what brings you to town?" I asked.

"A few sales meetings, nothing too exciting. I don't want to bore you with work talk."

Was that what he said when we met him in Chicago? I tried to remember. He'd said something about boring meetings then, but hadn't elaborated on exactly what they were. A tiny warning bell rang in a far corner of my brain. There was no denying his charisma, but he almost seemed too good to be true.

"Waverly? Are you there?" The sound of Paige's voice snapped me back to the present.

I looked at her. "Huh?"

She gave me a funny look back.

"I'm sorry, I s.p.a.ced. What did you say?" I turned to Gary.

"I asked if you're missing San Francisco. When we met, you mentioned that you're a recent transplant from California."

"Yes and no. It's sort of strange, really. I never thought I'd leave San Francisco, much less California, but now that I live in New York, I realize that you can love living in more than one place, even if they're totally different. I'm not sure how much sense that makes. Does that make sense? I'm sorry, I'm a little s.p.a.cey tonight."

He laughed. "That makes a great deal of sense. Is your family still out there?" The kind look in his eyes made me feel bad for thinking he might be sketchy. I took another sip of my beer and told myself to get a grip.

"Well, my only real family is my dad, and yes, he's still out there. He lives in Sacramento." The mention of my dad made me realize again how long it had been since I'd talked to him. I made a mental note to give him a call.

"Good for you for being adventurous. I love New York and have always wanted to try living here, but I can't leave Nashville, at least not now."

I looked at Paige. I can't leave Nashville?

"Gary's youngest is in high school," she said.

"Oh." I had no idea what to say.

"It's complicated," Gary said.

"Oh," I said again, suddenly feeling awkward. Was he separated? Divorced? How many kids did he have? Would it be appropriate to ask? Call me sheltered, but I'd never really hung out with anyone who'd been separated or divorced, much less with kids on top.

Mercifully, Paige changed the subject. "So, Waverly, I know you're swamped these days, but I need you on a plane again." As she spoke, Gary excused himself to use the restroom.

I raised my eyebrows. "Somewhere exciting, I hope." Our last couple of trips had certainly been lacking in the glamour department. Central New Jersey and upstate New York? Enough said.

"How do you feel about Cleveland?"

"Cleveland? As in...Cleveland?"

She laughed. "The one and only. I have a buyer for Bella's Boutique who wants to see your line, and she specifically wants to meet you."

"She specifically wants to meet me?"

"Yes."

"Why? You know the products as well as I do now."

Paige laughed. "h.e.l.lo? You're a minor celebrity, Waverly. A lot of women out there watch Love, Wendy. Or have you forgotten that?"

I looked at her. "Do you watch Love, Wendy?"

"Me?"

I nodded.

"No."

I pointed at her. "See? You don't watch it. Andie and McKenna don't watch it. Kristina doesn't watch. Even I don't watch it. That's my reality, which is why it's so weird for me to hear that yet another complete stranger wants to meet me. I've lived in New York for...how long now?" I held up a hand and counted the months on my fingers. "Three months? And in that time, how many times have I been recognized on the street by someone who lives here?"

"How many?"

I collapsed my fingers around my thumb. "Zero."

"Really? Never?"

I shook my head. "Not once. Anytime I get recognized, it's always a tourist from somewhere like...Cleveland."

She laughed. "So can you go?"

"When would we leave?"

"Can you do Thursday afternoon for a Friday late-morning meeting?"

I pulled my day planner out of my purse and flipped through it. "Yes, I'm not taping on Friday, so that should work."

"Good, because you know what else is happening in Cleveland on Friday?"

"In Cleveland? I have absolutely no idea."

"Guess."

"Um, pumpkin festival?"

"Nope."

"Quilt fair?"

She shook her head. "Try again."

I held my hands up. "Hog parade?"

She laughed. "Try the Atlanta Hawks versus the Cleveland Cavaliers."

My eyes opened wide. "No way!"

"Indeed. Now how do you feel about a trip to Cleveland?"

I smiled at the thought of seeing Jake...at the thought of spending an entire night with him. "Why Paige Murphy, I love the idea of a trip to Cleveland."

"I thought you would. I'm excited to meet this Jake you're always talking about. You think he can hook us up with some tickets?"

"I would think so. Are you a basketball fan?"

"I'm a fan of anything that involves athletic men in shorts."

I laughed and held up my drink. "That sounds like something your cousin would say. Oh my G.o.d, that reminds me. She's coming to visit!"

"Really? When?"

"The weekend before Christmas, for her birthday. I'm so excited. I haven't gone this long without seeing her since we were in college. I'm totally going through Andie withdrawal."

She laughed. "Be careful. That girl is a whole lot of trouble in a very small package."

"Oh, believe me, I know. Why do you think I love her so much? Are you around that weekend? You've got to come out with us if you are. I know she'd love to see you."

She lowered her voice and leaned toward me. "I'm not sure yet. Gary and I are planning to spend a weekend up in Vermont sometime in December."

"Really? I've never been to Vermont, but isn't that supposed to be, like, the most romantic place ever in December?"

She nodded. "He's incredible, Waverly. I mean I know we've only seen each other a few times, but he's completely different from any other guy I've dated. He just makes me feel so...so...I don't know...connected. Does that make sense?"

I loved her choice of word. It was exactly how Jake made me feel. Connected.

I smiled. "That makes complete sense, Paige. I'm so happy to hear that."

"Happy to hear what?" We both turned our heads at the sound of Gary's voice.

I coughed. "Oh, nothing, I was just telling Paige about, um, about a nice e-mail I got from, um, a fan the other day."

"A fan?"

Paige nodded. "Waverly's a celebrity."

I laughed. "Hardly."

Gary looked interested. "A celebrity? Really? How did I not learn this in Chicago?"

I shrugged and took a sip of my beer. Because you and Paige were flirting too much with each other to ask me any questions.

"Believe me, I'm not a celebrity," I said.

"Celebrity." Paige put her hand on my shoulder and nodded. "Just ask the folks in Cleveland."

"Not a celebrity." I shook my head. "So hey, I know this is totally changing the subject, but I have a question for you guys."

"Still a celebrity," Paige said. "So what's the question?"

I leaned toward them. "I was on the subway earlier today and noticed this girl with a huge nose ring, and all I could think was How in the world does she blow her nose? I mean, how does that work?"

Paige laughed. "You're nuts, Waverly." Then she turned to Gary and put her hand on his arm. "We were just chatting about our next trip for Waverly's Honey Shop. We're off to Cleveland after you ride your white horse back to Nashville." I'd never seen her flirt like this before.

I coughed. "We're off to Cleveland after you ride your white horse back to Nashville? That sounds like the name of a bad country song." I closed my eyes for a moment and pretended to play the guitar.