Hot SEAL, Heartbreaker - Cat Johnson Page 0,1
to drink and eat here.
“Oh? McP’s in Coronado, huh? That sounds fun. Are you two going to have dinner there?” Jenny asked, sounding a bit too inquisitive about Alicia’s plans.
“Why does that matter?” Alicia asked, suspicious. Or maybe just cautiously paranoid.
“Um, it doesn’t matter. I just love their nachos, is all,” Jenny stuttered.
Alicia narrowed her eyes. Why was her sister so interested in her dinner plans?
It was easy to be suspicious of the habitual matchmaker. But no, even Jenny couldn’t throw together a blind date on zero notice.
Alicia figured she really was just being paranoid. Matchmaking PTSD from her past experiences with her relentless sister.
She decided it was safe to answer the question. “We’ll probably order something. We usually share a platter of wings and nachos.”
Her stomach grumbled at the mention of food. No surprise. Lunch had been many hours ago.
Where was Shelly anyway? Alicia needed to call her.
She also should probably order a little something now before the beer she’d been sipping while she waited went to her head. Shelly would probably be hungry when she arrived too.
Some chicken wings should do it for now.
But first, she had to ditch this call. “Jen, can I call you later when I get home?”
“Sure. No problem. Talk to you later.” Jenny was back to her bright and sunny self as she disconnected the call so fast, Alicia didn’t even have time to say goodbye.
That quick reversal in Jen’s mood was strange. But Alicia couldn’t worry about it now. She was suddenly starving.
She saw the waitress headed her direction and lifted one hand.
“What can I get for ya?” the server asked.
“Can I get an order of chicken wings, please?”
“Sure thing. Ranch dressing or blue cheese?”
“Ranch, please.”
“You got it.” The twenty-something headed off toward the kitchen and Alicia was one step closer to getting what she wanted. Food to fill her grumbling belly.
While she waited, she lifted her pint glass and glanced around.
Lots of people filled McP’s but still no Shelly.
She was about to reach for her cell again to call her friend when the phone lit and Shelly’s name and photo appeared on the display.
Alicia swiped the screen to answer the call and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Don’t hate me,” Shelly began.
Alicia let out a breath. “You’re not coming.”
“I’m so sorry. One of the producers sprung this last minute thing on me.”
“It’s fine. I understand. It can’t be helped. You’re in the exciting but unpredictable world of television.” Meanwhile, Alicia lived by the clock and her schedule, as a new patient came through her door every hour, on the hour.
“You know I’d much rather be there with you than here at work.”
Alicia laughed. “Oh, I know you would.”
Ogling the guys from the Navy base was Shelly’s favorite pastime. And there was no place better to do it than McP’s Irish Pub in Coronado.
Shelly would definitely be drooling over the group seated at the bar tonight.
Alicia sent the rowdy bunch a glance. One dark-haired hottie at the far end of the bar looked her way at the same time.
They locked eyes and she panicked.
She’d been caught staring. She yanked her focus away and felt her cheeks heat.
Unaware of the drama playing out at McP’s, Shelly continued, “I’m so sorry about this. I owe you a bunch of drinks for standing you up.”
“It’s okay. Really. You already did me a favor tonight.”
“How’s that?” Shelly asked.
“My sister is matchmaking again. Luckily, I could tell her I had plans with you so at least, for tonight anyway, I’m safe.”
That Valentine’s Day party, however, was another story. Alicia still had to figure out a plan for that.
“Jen’s been pretty relentless with the matchmaking lately. What’s up with that?” her friend asked.
Shelly was right. Alicia’s sister was desperate for her to get into a serious relationship.
“I honestly think it’s just so she can have us over and use all her wedding and shower gifts,” Alicia said. “Her getting married last year might have been the worst thing to ever happen to me.”
“I thought you liked your brother-in-law.”
“Oh, I love Jason. But I don’t like my sister so much now that she’s his wife and the happy matchmaking homemaker.”
Alicia wasn’t going to let her love life be dictated by her sister’s obsession with china, stemware and her new air fryer.
“Besides,” Alicia continued. “I think I’m going to take a little hiatus from men for a bit.”
Her friend remained quiet.
“Shell? Did I lose you?” Alicia glanced at the display on her cell to see if the call had