Finding Asher

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ashley

"I hired someone to help out at the shop," I tell my best friend, Nicole, as I lean back in the chair and relax.

It's been a while since I've been able to get away and have some time for myself, so I'm thoroughly enjoying this pedicure. I close my eyes and clear my head of everything else.

"Nicole? Did you hear me?"

"Huh?" She asks, glancing over at me. "Did you say something?"

"I told you that I hired someone at the shop."

"I thought Logan was helping you."

I blow out a breath and look down at the tiny, black haired woman painting my toes. The shade I've chosen looks a lot pinker than it did in the bottle.

Ugh, I'm gonna look like a stripper.

"I can't expect Logan to stick around all the time. He's twenty-one; he needs to get out and have fun every once in a while."

"When I was twenty-one, I was a full-time college student with two jobs. You're a cool mom," she sighs and relaxes back into the chair. "Way cooler than my mom."

"He's been through a lot. I just don't want him to feel like I'm his responsibility, you know? Plus, I could use a little alone time. He's always around."

She raises her head so fast, her short black curls bounce like little springs. "Oh, so you and Richard can have a little romance for a change?"

I chuckle although it's sarcastic. "Richard and I haven't had romance in a long time."

And I know exactly why, although I'd never tell Nicole. At least not any time soon.

Asher has been on my mind a lot, though I'm not sure it's for all the right reasons. He's just so different than Richard, so much more exciting. I should feel terrible for thinking of him that way while I'm committed to Richard, but...

"Damn," Nicole stuffs her phone back into her purse and sits up in her chair. "Sister Bertha's trip to Texas got moved up so I have to get to work. I'll call you later."

"Sister Bertha? Didn't she die?"

"On Monday. I'm getting her ready for her trip to the pearly gates. Her family is having the funeral in Texas and apparently she's starting to turn purple, so we need to be sending her on her way."

"Ew," I say, visibly cringing. "Have fun with that."

After Nicole leaves and my nails are dry, I decide to stroll around downtown and do a little window shopping. I think it's been a while since I've bought myself a new outfit, but then again, I don't do much to get dressed up for. That's why my wardrobe largely consists of leggings, yoga pants and old concert t-shirts.

I see a familiar looking face in the distance and my heart unexpectedly leaps in my chest. He doesn't notice me yet, so I keep walking in his direction, hoping that he does.

As expected, a smile spreads across his face when he sees me coming. He stops in front of me and his eyes move down my body causing me to blush. It's not like I'm particularly sexy today in my skinny jeans and flannel shirt, but the way he's looking at me makes me feel like I belong on the cover of a magazine.

"Long time no see," he smirks.

"Yeah I'm sure I'm the last person you want to see on your only day off."

"Nah, I don't ever mind running into you," he says smoothly.

Okay, he's definitely flirting with me. It's been so long since I've been in this type of situation, I don't have a clue what to say. Where's Logan when you need him?

"So, what are you doing in this part of town?" he asks, breaking the awkward silence.

"I was having a girl's day with a friend of mine, but she got called into work," I reply.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I was supposed to meet my cousin for a beer, but he ditched me for his girlfriend."

"Rude."

"I'm used to it," he looks around and shrugs. "So, any chance you'd want to take his place? My treat."

I would love to say that I thought long and hard about my response, especially since my answer should've been a solid no, but I spit out a yes and in record time.

I clear my throat and try to sound less affected, "Yeah, that sounds like fun."

The only bar in this part of town is a hole in the wall health department nightmare. It's been a part of this town since the nineteenth century and the people around here insist on keeping it going despite its deteriorating condition.

I've never actually been inside the place before, but as I'm sitting at the bar next to Asher, I can't help but get caught up in the charm this little place offers.

The light fixtures and billiards are original antiques from the glory days of the bar at the turn of the century. The dim lighting and chilled environment give it sort of a romantic feel.

"I like this place," I say, thinking out loud.

"Me too. Never seen anything like it."

"What can I get for the lovely couple?" The old bartender with a handlebar mustache asks.

Asher and I share an amused glance before chuckling at his insinuation. Surprisingly though, neither of us bother correcting him.

"I'll have a beer and..." he looks over at me and raises a brow.

"Oh, me too."

The bartender walks away to get our beers and I notice Asher smirking at me out of the corner of my eye. "What?"

"Never thought of you as a beer drinker."

I furrow my brows. "What am I? A wine drinker? Like every other mom?"

He shrugs. "I don't even know anymore. You're nothing like I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I guess when Logan told me his mom owned a pot shop, I kind of expected like an old, long haired hippy woman with a headband made of dandelions."

I laugh harder than I've laughed in months. I can understand why he'd think that considering most pot shop owner's I've met do fit that description.

"How did you get into this sort of thing anyway?" he asks.

I hesitate for a while before coming up with an answer. It's a little hard for me to talk about why I'm here, so I won't go into that. We don't know each other well enough to get that personal and I'm sure he wouldn't want to hear about it anyway. "Just something I thought would be cool if I ever got the chance."

He nods but doesn't ask any more questions. Instead, he stands from his seat and extends his hand to me. "Want to dance?"

There's a couple of older couples out on the dance floor doing what I think is the two step. I don't recognize the song playing on the jukebox, but it's got an easy, romantic rhythm perfect for slow dancing.

I should say no, but then again, it probably isn't even a good idea to be here with him in the first place. He must see the hesitation in my eyes, because he shrugs and sits back down.

"I take it you're not much of a dancer?" he asks.

I chuckle. "I'm definitely not the greatest, but...I have a boyfriend, Asher."

"So I've heard. But it's not like I'm asking you to marry me. It's just dancing."

It's been so long since I've danced with someone. As a matter of fact, the last time was about five years ago just before my husband, Cody, died. We slow danced all the time; sometimes all alone in our living room.

Richard isn't much for dancing or bars or fun in general.

"You know what? Let's do it," I say, standing up and reaching out for his hand.

He looks a little surprised at first, but gladly takes my hand and leads me out onto the dance floor. He places one hand on my hip and holds my hand with the other. We start off with the same two step motions that everyone else is doing. I can't believe this big, buff tattooed tough guy can dance so well.

This isn't so bad. It's actually kind of fun.

"You're a pretty good dancer," I say with a bashful smile. Being this close to him is causing my heart to race and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"I've got a little rhythm for a white guy, I guess," he replies, making us both chuckle.

He spins me around before dipping me suddenly, making my heart drop to the pit of my stomach and not because of the sudden movement. He pulls me up slowly, never breaking eye contact.

While I'm sure at this point, I'm starting to develop feelings for Asher, I know I can't. Not right now. There's still so much I don't know about him and not to mention, I'm not exactly single.

He pulls me closer, wrapping both arms around my waist. My heart beats wildly and my body is loving being this close, this intimate with him, but my head keeps reminding me that I'm not supposed to be doing this.

"Relax. I know you're overthinking everything, but this is just a little fun between friends, nothing more."

I blow out a breath and give him a relieved smile. "Right, just friends."

"And since we're friends, tell me something about you that I don't know."

"Like what?"

"Anything."

"Okay...well...I'm Russian. Well, technically I'm American, but my family comes from Russia," I say. I'm not exactly sure if that's the kind of thing he wants to know about me, but I can't think of anything else to tell him at the moment.

"Do you speak Russian?"

"A little."

He spins me again before pulling me against his body. "Say something to me in Russian."

"Okay..." I try to think of something, but in reality, I don't know that much of my native language. "Ty khorosho tantsuyesh."

*Disclaimer: My Russian is terrible and possibly very, very inaccurate.

"What does that mean?"

"You're a good dancer."

He chuckles, "How do you say thank you?"

"Spasibo."

"Spazbo?"

"Close enough," I laugh.

"Say something else."

I bite my lip. "Khotel by ya, chtoby ty mog." (I wish I could have you)

"Yeah, I'll never remember that one," he chuckles. "What does it mean?"

I look away, trying to think of something since I could never tell him what it actually means. "It means I'm having a lot of fun." It's not a complete lie since I really am having a great time with him.

Finally, the song ends and a more upbeat song replaces it. I'm not one to get down, so I drop my hands from Asher's shoulders and take a step back. "I should probably get home. I told Logan I'd be back about an hour ago and I'm sure he's wondering where I am."

He nods, but I don't miss the disappointment in his eyes. "I'm sure he is. Hey, thanks for hanging out with me today. We should do it again sometime. You know, outside of work."

I smile sheepishly. "Yeah, we should."

When I get home, Logan is sitting at the kitchen table with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He looks up at me and raises a brow. "Was girl's day so much fun that you forgot you had a son to feed?"

I roll my eyes and take the seat at the table across from him. "You're a grown man, Logan. You can take care of yourself."

"I know, I know. I'm just messing with you. So, did you have fun?"

I can't tell him about my little adventure with Asher since I'm sure he'll start asking questions that I don't even know the answers to myself. "I did. I had a lot of fun."

"Good. You deserve it."

I drift away in thought, replaying my dance with Asher, not wanting to forget a single detail of it. He makes me feel things that Richard never has. He isn't my type. He isn't the type of guy I would normally go for and somehow, that makes him even more appealing.

Being friends would be ideal since we work together. He never fails to make me laugh and we do have a lot of fun, but I can't deny that I feel something more for him. Something that goes beyond friendship.

I've been dating Richard for a year now and while our relationship is pretty mundane, it's safe. It's secure and predictable. With everything that's been going on in my life over the past five years, I need that.

And there's nothing safe about Asher.