"Hey, how's it going?"
Natalie turned toward the voice. A man with brown eyes and dark hair stood beside her, a cup in each hand. "It's going all right," Natalie replied. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." The man held out one of the cups. "This is for you."
"I don't drink."
"I know. Your friend down the bar told me."
Looking down the bar, Natalie caught the eye of her friend Carol, who smiled and winked. Great. Carol's matchmaker tendencies were kicking in again. "Well, that was nice of her, I guess," she said.
"Take it," the man said. "I promise I didn't spike it or anything. My name's Bobby, by the way."
Taking the cup, Natalie said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Do I get your name?"
"You mean Carol didn't tell you? I'm Natalie."
"Nice to meet you, Natalie. So do you come to a lot of these get-togethers?"
"Quite a few, yeah." Natalie took a sip from the cup. It tasted like plain ginger ale; as long as Bobby hadn't slipped any strange drugs into it, she'd be fine. "They're fun. Have you been to any before?"
"I went to one a few months back, but haven't had a chance again till now. Look, would you like to go out to the deck to talk? It's a little quieter out there."
"Sure." The noise of the music, the crowd, and the TV were combining to give Natalie a headache. She slid off the bar stool, mindful of her, in her opinion, too-short skirt, and followed Bobby outside.
There was more room on the deck than inside the bar, and much less noise. Bobby led Natalie to a table in the far corner, away from most of the others. Natalie smiled and waved at some of her friends as she crossed the deck. In return she got a few smiles and a mouthed, "Be careful" from one of the more protective guys she knew.
She sat across from Bobby at the table. "So where are you from?" he asked.
"Portland, Maine."
"Really? Long drive for you to get here."
"Yeah, but it's worth it to see my friends." Natalie took another sip of her ginger ale. "Where are you from?"
"Next town over. I heard about the party this morning and figured I'd stop by." He smiled. "I'm glad I did. It isn't often I get to spend time chatting with such an attractive woman."
"Well, thank you."
"Thank you for accepting my drink and my invitation." Bobby moved to the seat beside her. "What else would you like to know about me, Miss Natalie?"
"I never know what to say when someone asks me that."
"Then let me ask you a question. Married, single, or divorced?"
"Divorced. One year."
"Same here. Well, the divorced part. It's been five years for me. Any kids?"
"One. He's with his dad this weekend. You?"
"No, the marriage didn't last long enough to spawn any offspring."
Natalie laughed. "Spawn?"
"That's how the children of some of my friends seem. Like spawn. What do you do for work?"
"I sell lingerie."
"Really? Must be a hot job!"
"You'd be surprised at how many people say that. It really isn't any different from working in any other clothing store. Actually, it's probably worse, as far as people insisting they fit into sizes they don't and blaming me when things in that size don't fit. What do you do?"
"I'm an independent contractor. And I'd love to hear more about your job."
"I'm sure you would." Natalie jumped. "Do you mind explaining why your hand's on my leg?"
"Oh, is it?" Bobby said innocently. He took his hand away. "Sorry if I'm being too forward. It's just that I find you extremely attractive."
"You do?"
"Well, yeah. I don't buy ginger ale for just anyone, you know. And a return compliment would be appreciated."
"Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you."
"Yep."