Faithful to a Fault Read Online Free PDF

which was the entire reason he waited until so late. The less people around to witness possible humiliation the better. They grabbed stools on the far side of the bar. A man was working and Pete wondered if he’d gotten the days wrong. Sarah was nowhere to be seen.
    “What can I get ya?” the bartender asked.
    “Uh, just a pint of whatever from the draft.” If he wasn’t going to see Sarah, at least he could enjoy a beer before heading back to the guesthouse. Tony ordered the same.
    After the bartender left their drinks and a bowl of pretzels in front of them, Tony asked, “So are you going to ask her out?”
    Pete nearly choked on his beer. Damn, very smooth. “Who?”
    “Don’t play dumb. Obviously I mean Sarah. You stare at her like she’s a gift from God. And she tries to hide it but she wants you too.”
    “Yeah?” Eager, much? “Yeah. Well, I thought about it. But she’s not here so this trip was a bust.”
    “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Tony drawled. He motioned with his glass toward the back of the bar.
    Sarah walked through doors carrying a crate of glasses. As she walked toward the front, she called out to the man who had served their beers.
    “Thanks for watching the bar for me, Benny. I’ve got it from here.”
    “No prob. You’ve got two new guys at seats three and four.”
    Sarah glanced their way, smiled and gave a little nod. “Hey you two. Let me put these glasses away and then I’ll come on over.”
    “No rush.” Pete held up his still-full pint of beer. “We’re set for a bit.”
    She blew stray hair from her face in an exasperated gesture Pete found adorable. “Actually, I have a few more bar chores to finish up so I’m not stuck here all night. Do you guys mind?”
    “Go for it,” Tony encouraged. “We’ll let you know if we need a refill.”
    “Okay, great. Thanks,” she said with a larger smile.
    Pete felt his stomach clutch and took a sip to hide any evidence that she was getting to him. Seriously, was he in high school again? Women didn’t make him feel like this. They didn’t get to him, didn’t make him sweat with nerves or stumble over his own words and thoughts. They didn’t make him second-guess himself.
    Except Sarah.
    Well, there was a first time for everything. And as he watched her scoot around the bar putting glasses away, wiping down bar equipment and doing a general cleanup, he realized he might be willing to do almost anything to get her in bed for one night.
    Not a good sign. Thoughts like that led to thoughts of continuing the relationship. She wasn’t going to follow him to California. That was permanent. Permanent didn’t exist. Not in his world. Not in his experience.
    She stooped down to open a cabinet beneath the bar and Tony whistled low. “I gotta say, I have to envy you a little.”
    “There’s nothing to envy.” Yet.
    Sarah chose that moment to walk over, wiping her hands on a towel. “There. That should get me ahead of the game for closing duties.” Her eyes swept the empty bar. “Looks like you two get my undivided attention for a while. What brings you out tonight?”
    “You.” He could play around, make a joke about it. But she didn’t seem the type to want jokes. The positive response to his blatant honesty after he’d walked her home told him the straightforward approach was best.
    She flushed a little. “Ah.” The sound came out strangled.
    Tony set his empty glass down with a thunk. “I’m gonna hit the head,” he announced pointedly, then left without another word.
    “He didn’t have to go,” Sarah said, chewing on her bottom lip.
    “That’s Tony. Perceptive as always. So, how’ve you been?”
    She took a deep breath, as if preparing for something bad. Shit. Here comes the rejection.
    “I’ve been thinking about what you said, how it wasn’t a permanent thing. I kinda realized this might be my one opportunity.”
    His stomach flipped and it had nothing to do with the half-finished beer sitting next to