The Girl Who Wrote The Dating Manual

chapter thirteen

            I winked at him and called over the loud music blaring out of the jukebox, “Surprise me.”

            He spun around and started concocting a drink. From what I could see in his whirlwind of actions, he was using ice cubes, a squirt of lemon, some vodka and a few other ingredients to make something fancy. It was fancier than you’d probably expect at a bar like Joe’s, but Jamie was quiet the alcohol connoisseur, and loved concocting all different types of alcohols together to make the perfect drinks. We’d had a few cringe-worthy brews in our times, but sometimes we got the genius one that made the other fails worth it.

            When he handed it to me, it was a pretty pale pink color. “I call this one the One-Legged Pink Flamingo. It’s sweet, pretty and slightly uncoordinated, just like you.”

            I snorted. “Ever the charmer. But trust me, by the end of the night, I’ll probably have the coordination of a one-legged pink flamingo.”

            “Well, what do you think?”

            I took a sip of the drink, and my eyes widened. “Holy crap, Jamie, that’s amazing!”

            The drink he’d given me was kind of fruity and tropical, with just a hint of a malty chocolate. Really, it was definitely one of his better ones. But that wasn’t hard, considering the last one I’d tried was a mixture between beer, champagne, vodka and lime juice. I’d thrown up for three hours afterwards.

            He grinned. “Why, thank you. And, as a birthday gift to you, I’ll even let you name it. So when I get famous for my amazing alcoholic hybrids, you’ll know that your name is famous, too. So, what would you like to call it?”

            I thought about it for a second, and drowned the rest of the glass. It was sweet and fruity and absolutely delicious, and it needed a name that fit the criteria. “Hmm…” I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully. “How about ‘Candi Dreams’? After me?”

            He let out a whistle. “I like it. Clever and truthful. Done.”

            I stood up and dusted off my dress. “Well, I should go make the rounds and thank everyone for coming. But Jamie, thank you for booking out the bar for me tonight. You really didn’t have to do that.”

            He glanced down bashfully, his cheeks stained red. “Of course I did, Candi. It’s your birthday. And I wanted to make it special.”

            I leaned over the counter and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, which was already warm, but also pleasantly clean-shaven. “Thank you,” I whispered, before pulling back. “And when I get back, there better be a delicious hybrid waiting for me on that bar.” I winked and spun around, before walking into the crowd.

            After a vodka shot race with Callie and Ava—which I won, of course—a dart game with Tessa and her boyfriend, and a brief snooker tournament with a few of my friends from my cooking and design classes, I finally made it to Chance, who was standing in the corner with a glass of bourbon.