Another patron called to the bartender from the other end, and he reluctantly stepped away to do his job.
“So…” The guy next to her leaned on the bar, moving closer to her. “Are you from around here?”
“No.” Gemma deliberately stared straight ahead and stirred her drink with the straw. She wanted to eat the cherries, but she was afraid it might be construed as seductive somehow, and she didn’t want the guy next to her to get the wrong idea.
“Me neither,” the guy went on. “It’s a nice town, though.”
“Yep.”
“Yeah.” He took a long sip of his beverage before turning back to her. “I’m Jason, by the way.”
She smiled thinly at him, doing her best to be polite. “Gemma.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand to her, but she didn’t shake it.
Jason was a little cute, but he appeared to be in his early thirties. Not to mention the fact that she definitely wasn’t looking to hook up with anyone. She’d run away from the sirens and Sawyer to avoid that. Besides, Jason wasn’t Alex.
“Are you here alone?” he asked.
“I’m having dinner alone,” Gemma clarified. “I wanted some time to myself.”
“Oh.” He scratched his head, and for one glorious moment she thought her rebuff was going to sink in. “A pretty little thing like you should never dine alone. Why don’t you have dinner with me?”
“Don’t you think I’m a little young for you?” Gemma asked. The guy was probably twice her age.
“Is that what’s bothering you?” Jason laughed jovially, as if he’d solved a problem that Gemma didn’t even know needed solving. He leaned in closer to her then, almost whispering to her. “The younger the better, that’s what I always say.”
“Wow,” Gemma said. “That’s actually really creepy.”
“Aw, come on, honey.” He brushed his hand against her arm in a way that was probably meant to be flirtatious, but it made her skin crawl, and she pulled away from him.
“Is he bothering you?” the bartender asked, leaning over the bar and glaring at Jason.
“We’re just having a little fun, that’s all.” Jason laughed and moved away from Gemma, trying to look more innocent than he actually was.
“Is he bothering you?” the bartender repeated, and this time his eyes were fixed on Gemma.
Out of the corner of her eye, Gemma had seen the bartender hovering around her, sometimes ignoring the other patrons. Now at the other end of the bar a young man kept leering at her, much to the annoyance of his date. And Jason was next to her, stealthily trying to put his hand on her thigh under the bar.
Gemma had hoped to sit quietly, eat her meal in peace, and think about what she should do. But this was obviously not the place to do it. It was too busy, and she was drawing too much attention.
“You know what? I think I should just go,” Gemma said. Jason pouted, and she ignored him and jerked her leg away from his hand.
“You haven’t even finished your Cherry Coke,” the bartender said. “And if he’s bothering you, I can have him thrown out.”
“Oh, come on!” Jason protested, and threw his arms up in the air. “I wasn’t bothering anybody! We was just talking!”
“You’re always harassing ladies,” the bartender insisted, glaring at Jason. “We should have you banned from here.”
“How much do I owe you?” Gemma asked, interrupting their argument.
“Nothing.” The bartender smiled at her.
“I can get your drink,” Jason hurried to supply.
“I got it,” she snapped. “How much is it?”
“There’s no charge,” the bartender said, softening. “You didn’t drink any, anyway.”
She wanted to argue with him, but she wanted to get out of there even more.
“Thank you,” she said simply, and slipped off the stool.
Gemma hurried out of the restaurant. She wanted to jog, but she forced herself to keep her pace to a normal speed. Her stomach rumbled, and she knew she’d have to find someplace else to eat. It was nearly dark now, and she didn’t know the town, so she wanted to hurry.
She’d nearly made it around the corner when she heard footsteps pounding behind her, and she looked back over her shoulder to see Jason running to catch up to her.
“You sure took off like a flash.” Jason grinned as he fell in step next to her. “Sorry if I said something to offend you in there.”
“No, you were fine,” she lied, and shook her head. “I just didn’t realize how late it was. I have to be getting home.”
“You haven’t eaten anything yet,” Jason reminded her. “Let me take you out somewhere. I’ll find you something real special.”
“No, I’m all right,” Gemma insisted. She turned down the alley that led to the lot where she’d parked her car, and Jason stayed at her side.
“Please, Gemma,” he entreated. “I was a jerk inside. Come back in. Get something to eat with me. Let me make it up to you.”
She softened a bit and slowed down, but she still didn’t want to go back in there or eat with some stranger. Really, she just wanted to get out of there.
“Sorry.” She smiled up at him. “I’m not hungry anymore. I should go.”
“Wait.” He grabbed her arm when she started walking away, and while his grip wasn’t exactly painful, she didn’t like it. “If you’re not hungry, there’s plenty of things we could do.”