Crazy, Hot Love Read online

  Here goes nothing.

  2

  Claire

  I walk into Dirty Dicks and, thanks to my incessant Instagram stalking, I spot Joseph right away. He’s standing at the end of the bar, sipping on a drink with one hand tucked casually into his pocket, and sure enough, just to the left of him sit Rhett, Trevor, and Lincoln.

  “Hey, Claire, what can I get ya?”

  I turn my attention to the bartender, Sarah. “I’ll have a Bud Light, please.”

  She reaches into the cooler, pops the top off a bottle, and hands it to me as her gaze follows mine to the opposite end of the bar. “Are we staring at Trevor and Lincoln or the sexy stranger next to them?”

  “The stranger.”

  “Do you know him?” she asks.

  “His name is Joseph, and tonight is our first date.”

  “Ahh. Mo got to you again, huh?”

  “I hate her.” I look at Sarah, and we both start laughing. “Why does she do this to me?” I fake-whine.

  “The real question is why do you let her to do it to you?”

  I take a drink of my beer and shrug. “Because I can’t say no. Because I’m an idiot. Because I’ve got nothing better to do. Because I would love to find a good, dependable, strong man. Should I continue?”

  Sarah chuckles. “No. I think I’ve got the picture. For what it’s worth, he seems nice. I waited on him when he first got here.”

  “How long ago was that exactly? I mean, I’m twenty minutes early, but my best friend owns the place. What’s his excuse?”

  Lifting an eyebrow, Sarah examines me. “You’re already looking for something wrong with him, aren’t you?”

  “I am not.”

  “Are too.”

  “Don’t you have someone to wait on, customers who could use a refill or something?”

  I’m totally joking and she knows it, which is why she puts her elbows on the bar and leans toward me. “I’ll tell you what, when things go south with Joseph at the end of the bar, find me, and I’ll set you up with a real man.”

  Well, that’s an interesting offer, and I’m intrigued as to who she would consider a real man.

  “I just might take you up on that. But first…” I tilt my bottle toward the end of the bar and stand. “Do me a favor, would ya? Keep the three stooges focused on anything but me and my date.”

  “I’ll do my best, but you know as well as I do that as soon as they spot you, they’ll be watching like a set of horny ladies in the front row of a Magic Mike show.”

  The vision makes me laugh. I tip my beer at Sarah and walk away.

  I’m halfway across the room when Joseph looks up and spots me. I have no clue if he knew what I looked like, but he pushes away from the bar and strides toward me.

  “You must be Claire.” His smile is warm and friendly when he reaches for my hand. I slip my fingers around his for a quick shake.

  “And you must be Joseph. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He points to the beer in my hand. “Have you been here long?”

  “Just a couple of minutes.”

  He smiles knowingly. “And you decided to order a beer and watch me from afar to make sure I wasn’t a creep.”

  “How did you know?”

  He laughs. It’s a husky sound, sort of like Trevor’s laugh. I wait for it to reverberate straight to my toes, but nothing. Absolutely nothing.

  “I have a sister. She does the same thing. It’s actually really smart. You can’t be too sure these days.”

  “Yes. That’s exactly how I feel.”

  “Should we grab a table?”

  There might not be tingles in my toes, but there’s a definite flutter in my belly, and I find myself smiling back at him. “That would be great.”

  Joseph guides me toward a booth at the back of the bar. I slide in, and he sits opposite me.

  “Do you come here often?” he asks, picking up the menu.

  “Actually, I do. My friends and I come here all the time. One of them owns the place.”

  Over Joseph’s shoulder I see Rhett, Trevor, and Lincoln spin on their barstools. Rhett stares daggers at the back of Joseph’s head, probably ready to pounce if I show any signs of distress, Lincoln smiles and waves, and Trevor…well, I’m not sure what’s going on with Trevor because he’s looking at anything and everything in the room except me, which is about normal for him. When I’m around he either flirts or avoids me like the plague. There isn’t a whole lot of in between.

  I wave back at Lincoln. Joseph turns around, following my gaze across the room.

  “I’m guessing those are your friends,” he says, facing me.

  I nod and smile.

  Joseph doesn’t.

  “I’m sorry. Is that weird? We can leave and go somewhere else if you’d like.”

  “No. No.” He shakes his head adamantly and then starts to nod. “Okay, yes, it’s a little weird.” Reaching across the table, he places his hand on mine for a brief second before pulling it back. “But I don’t want to leave. I just hope your friends aren’t putting me under the microscope. That would be awkward for a first date.”

  “Oh no, not at all. And I promise they won’t come over here.”

  “Thank God.”

  I furrow my brow, and Joseph corrects himself.

  “Not that I wouldn’t want to meet your friends, because I absolutely would,” he explains. “But you know…first date and all.”

  “I completely agree.”

  Well, if that didn’t make things awkward. Taking a moment to myself, I concentrate on the menu—even though I already know what I’m going to order. But Joseph doesn’t let me hide for long. He hooks a finger over the top of the menu and pulls it away. His smile is hesitant.

  “Can we start over?” he asks. “I feel like I just made things weird right off the bat, and I didn’t mean to.”

  “I’d like that.”

  We’re interrupted for a second when our server arrives. I’ve known Sean for years, and he smiles when he says, “Good to see you, Claire.”

  “You too, Sean. Mo told me you started taking classes again. How’s that going?”

  He rolls his eyes. “Exhausting. But I’m getting through it.”

  “Hang in there. It’ll be over before you know it.”

  “Let’s hope.” Sean’s gaze cuts to Joseph. “What can I get you two tonight?”

  “I’ll have my usual with another beer and a water,” I say, folding my menu and handing it to Sean.

  “What’s your usual?” Joseph asks.

  I open my mouth to answer, but Sean does it for me. “Turkey club on a croissant with mayonnaise, no tomato, and a side of fries.”

  Joseph’s eyes widen. “You do come here often. That actually sounds really good. I’ll have the same.”

  Sean tucks our menus under his arm and walks away.

  “So, Claire, tell me about yourself. Mo says you’re a teacher.”

  “I am, first grade.”

  “Wow. Young ones. That must make for some interesting days.”

  “You have no idea.” I smile and shrug. “But it’s not bad. They’re at the age where they’re still eager to learn, and they haven’t quite developed an attitude.”

  “I don’t think I could teach. It takes a special person to have that sort of patience with a child.”

  “Thank you.” His words warm me from the inside out, and I find myself relaxing against the seat, enjoying his company. “I won’t lie though, there are days I come home and need a stiff drink.”

  Joseph’s eyes light up when he smiles. “Oh, I bet there are. We all have days like that. Myself included. Although my work can’t yell back at me.”

  “Or spit at you or throw things or put a whoopee cushion on your seat.”

  “No way. A student put a whoopee cushion on your seat?”

  I nod, laughing.

  “I bet you were pissed.”

  “Not really. It was actually kind of funny. All the kids got a good laugh out
of it.”

  “And the kid who put it there, what happened to him?”

  “He got sent to the principal’s office.”

  “I bet he’ll never do something like that again. I never would’ve thought to do something like that to my teacher.”

  “Yes, well, times have changed. Kids these days are a lot bolder than we used to be. But that’s the worst that has happened.”

  “For now.”

  “Touché.” I tip my beer at him. He does the same, and a comfortable silence surrounds us as we each take a drink.

  “What do you do for fun when you’re not teaching?” he asks.

  “Really? You want to know more about me? Because I’d love to hear about you and what you love.”

  Joseph waves me off. “I’m boring. And we’ve always got date number two for that, so for now, let’s concentrate on you.”

  Can this guy get any sweeter? I’m going to owe Mo an apology by the time the night is over. “I volunteer at Bright Start Learning Center and at Animal Haven with Mo.”

  “What is Bright Start Learning Center?” he asks.

  “It’s a tutoring facility. I work with kids who need a little extra help.”

  “Wow. A teacher and a tutor and volunteer. I think I hit the jackpot with you. My mother would absolutely love you. I think she’s getting tired of the women I’ve been bringing home.”

  “Oh. Do you live with your mother?”

  His eyes widen. “No. God, no. I meant that figuratively.”

  Whew. Not that there’s anything wrong with living with your mother, but we’re pushing thirty, and getting it on with Mama in the next room would be extremely uncomfortable.

  “But the few women I have introduced her to wouldn’t hold a candle to you.”

  “Well then, I’m honored,” I say, remembering all the photos I saw of him and his mom on Instagram. “Are you and your mother close?”

  “Very. She was a single parent. Worked her butt off to raise me and my sister. Maybe one of these days you’ll get to meet her.” He winks playfully and takes another drink of his beer.

  “I guess we’ll see how tonight goes, huh?”

  “I guess so.” Joseph looks around Dirty Dicks. “Is there a bathroom around here?”

  “Past the bar down the hall.”

  “Thank you.” He stands, and I watch him walk toward the bathroom. I wait for him to turn the corner before I pull my phone out of my purse. I send a quick text to Mo.

  You were right. He’s nice.

  Her reply is quick. I told you so. But if things are going well, why are you texting me?

  He stepped away to use the restroom.

  In that case, tell me everything.

  There isn’t much to tell. He’s courteous and sweet. I could definitely see myself going on a second date with him.

  That’s great! And I won’t even say I told you so.

  You already did.

  There’s a pause. I wait to see if Mo will reply, and then I catch sight of Joseph walking toward me. He’s on his way back. Gotta go. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow morning.

  “Who were you talking to?” he asks, nodding toward my phone as I slip it into my purse.

  “That was Mo. I figured she was dying to know how things were going.”

  “And…what did you tell her?” Joseph slides into the booth.

  A giddy feeling bubbles up inside of me, and I decide to go for complete honesty. “I told her I could see us going on a second date.”

  Joseph slides his hand across the table, resting it on mine. “I’m glad to hear you say that, because I have a surprise for you after dinner.”

  “You do?” My mind races with all of the things it could be. An evening stroll in the park followed by dessert at the local ice cream shop and a sweet kiss on my doorstep, maybe?

  “Yes, but it’s going to have to wait until after we eat.”

  We’re interrupted a second time when Sean drops off our food.

  “This looks wonderful.” Joseph removes his hand, squirts ketchup onto his plate, and offers me the bottle, but I wave him off.

  “You won’t be disappointed.”

  We fall into easy conversation about everything under the sun as the patrons around us bustle and laugh. Joseph, who asked me to please call him Joe, tells me about college and what it was like growing up in New York, and I tell him all about growing up in a small southern town.

  I always swore I’d get out of Heaven, Texas, and when it came time for college I ran fast and far. But it didn’t take long for me to realize small-town living wasn’t so bad. Coming home was an easy decision, made even easier when Mo’s dad had a stroke.

  We finish our dinner and politely decline Sean’s offer of dessert. Shortly after he walks away with our dirty dishes, a woman approaches our table.

  A familiar woman.

  Where do I know her from?

  I try to place her, but Joe answers my question when he stands up and pulls the woman in for a warm and perhaps slightly too long embrace.

  No. Freaking. Way.

  His mother is crashing our date?

  Is this some sort of joke? I look around, expecting a crew of cameramen to jump out and yell, Gotcha. Because who does this? Who brings their mother on a first date? Well, Joseph Barry does obviously. He was worried about being interrogated by my friends, and yet he thinks it’s okay to introduce me to his mother?

  “Claire,” Joe says, motioning for his mother to slide into his side of the booth. “I’d like you to meet my mother, Lorraine.”

  I draw in a shaky breath as I reach across the table to shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I lie.

  “You too, dear. Joseph has told me so much about you.”

  “Really?” I laugh humorlessly. “Because we just met tonight. Seventy minutes ago, to be exact.”

  I reach for my beer, downing it in three gulps. Lifting my arm, I signal Sarah for another.

  Joe’s mom watches me for a few moments. She tilts her head and smiles. “Do you drink often, dear?”

  “Only when it’s necessary… Thank you,” I say to Sarah as she drops off another beer.

  Silence descends on the table, and then Joe’s mom leans in and whispers in his ear. “I don’t think it’s the best idea to date a woman who drinks so much.”

  “It’s only her third one,” he replies, softly.

  “I can hear you.”

  Mother and son look at me.

  “Can we have a moment alone?” I ask Joe, giving him a tight smile, one I hope tells him exactly how wrong this is. So, so wrong.

  “Uh…” Joe glances between me and his mom before sliding out of the booth. “Sure.”

  I step around him, careful not to brush his shoulder. He follows me to the bar and stumbles back when I whirl around on him.

  “What were you thinking? You invited your mother on our date? Our first date, no less. You do realize that’s date suicide, right?”

  Joe looks shocked. “But you said we would see how tonight went, and tonight is going well. When I went to the bathroom, I shot Mom a text and asked her to drop by. I really don’t see the problem here, Claire.”

  “The fact that you don’t see a problem is a huge freaking problem,” I whisper-hiss, my voice rising with each word.

  “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. She just wanted to meet you. She’ll ask you a few questions, get to know you, and be on her way.”

  “I don’t want her to ask me a few questions.”

  “Too late. Here she comes. Smile,” he whispers.

  I glance to my right and sure enough, here comes Lorraine, striding across the floor. And she doesn’t look at all happy that we left her high and dry at the table.

  “Joseph, honey,” she says, putting her hand in the bed of his elbow. “I’m not sure it was a good idea for me to come tonight.”

  “I know, Mother, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect Claire to be so…so…”

  “Choose your words wisely,
Joe,” I warn, unafraid to shove my boot up his ass.

  He gives me a worried look. “Uneasy,” he finishes, smiling at his mother. “Go home, and we’ll talk about this later.”

  “You should go too,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

  Eyes wide, Joe looks at me. “Come on, Claire. The night was going so well, and obviously I made a mistake, but this doesn’t have to change anything.”

  “Obviously,” I mutter. “And it changes everything. You need to go. Goodnight, Joseph.”

  I hear a gasp, probably from Lorraine, when I turn around and walk back to the booth to retrieve my purse. Tossing a few twenties on the table, I head back for the bar, bypassing the mother-son duo who are still standing there whispering.

  Sarah must’ve caught part of that little conversation because she waves me down to the opposite side of the bar where Rhett, Trevor, and Lincoln are sitting in all of their sexy cowboy glory.

  “Date over already?” Trevor asks.

  Instead of answering, I park my ass on the stool between him and Rhett and look at Sarah.

  “Another beer? Maybe an appletini?” she asks.

  “Just a water, please.” The last thing I need right now is alcohol. I’m going to sit here with the guys, bitch about Joseph for a few minutes, and then I’m going to go home, open a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, and take a nice, hot bath where I can ponder what in the world is wrong with me.

  Except I already know the answer to that.

  “Uh-oh.” Rhett presses his hand to my forehead, and I slap it away. “Are you feeling okay? You never turn down an appletini.”

  “No, I’m not okay.”

  “Is this about your date and the woman he’s walking out with? Because for the record, you’re way hotter than she is,” he says.

  “She’s his mother,” I growl. “Who brings their mother on a first date? How is that even acceptable?”

  Sarah slides my water across the bar, and I take a drink.

  “Kinda hot for an older chick,” Lincoln says, quickly holding his hands up when I glare at him.

  “Yeah, that’s odd.” Rhett leans back in his seat and runs a hand through his hair. “But why did they leave so quick?”

  “Probably because she thinks I’m an alcoholic and unfit to date her son,” I say, taking another sip of my water. “And I told them to leave.”