"I took my purse off my shoulder and set it on the bar. "That's a new one. Not interested in Miranda. Never heard that one before."
Shaking his head, he left to get my soda. It didn't take long for the first poor chap to find me. He was skinny and tall with shaggy blond hair covering his eyes. "Hey, that girl you're with?" He shoved his hands in his pockets as I admired his highlights.
I cocked my head as if confused. "Which girl?"
He pointed to Miranda's golden head sticking up above the crowd. "That one. The blonde. What's her deal? She single?"
"I crossed my legs and looped my hands around my knee. "I guess you could say she's single. But her court-ordered therapist has forbidden her from dating men for a while, otherwise, it's back to county lockup." I shrugged. "But you never know, she might bend the rules. Just don't give her your real name. It's really hard to change your identity if things don't work out."
"Uh, thanks." He scratched his head and walked to the opposite end of the bar, stealing a glance over his shoulder at Miranda."
"I'm disappointed."
I jumped; surprised to find the bartender leaning towards me with my drink. I was so busted, but I could play innocent just as well as I could lie. I widened my eyes. "Disappointed? In the weather? Your stock portfolio?"
He slid my glass to me. "His excuse was much more clever than mine."
My eyes narrowed. "Maybe if I knew you'd be eavesdropping"
"tonight, I would have come up with something better for you." I snagged a few cherries from the fruit tray in front of him and dropped them in my Coke.
He gestured to the tray. "Do help yourself to the salad bar."
"That's the plan. I like to be fancy." I bounced my foot to the beat of the music.
He bent down, reappeared with a pink drink umbrella, and stuck it in between the ice cubes. "There you go. You're the fanciest girl in the bar. I just hope they provide your poor friend with her medication when she's in county lockup." He rubbed his chin in mock concern."
"Oh, they do. Medical care in prison is much better than the plan I've got." I twirled the umbrella between my fingers. "I think they even give her double doses."
He propped his elbows on the shiny, black bar top. "How do you know she wouldn't have wanted to meet that nice young man? He might have lovely eyes under that hair."
I stabbed the umbrella back in between the ice cubes. "Don't worry. Miranda finds the ones she's interested in. I keep the rest out of her way."
"How kind of you. And she wouldn't object to these inspired excuses you're using?" He ignored the two men standing next to me, waiting for a drink."
"I reached in my purse, fished out my favorite Mac lip gloss, and applied a coat. "She thinks it's hilarious. I tell her all about them at the end of the night and she picks her favorite. We've been friends for a long time. If I didn't love her so much, I'd hate her." I rubbed my lips together, enjoying the cinnamon"
"zing.
"You two grow up together?"
He was ruining my fun. "Not exactly."
He looked at me, waiting for an explanation.
"That's a long story for another night."
He held up his hands. "I'm here every weekend."
"I'll jot that down in my planner." Really, I will. "But let's just say we both have very good reasons for my being her social director."
He frowned at the growing drink line, held up one finger in a just-a-second gesture, and got the guys their drinks. Then he came back to me. "What's your name, guardian of the beautiful Miranda?"
