Free Raspberry Crush by Jill Winters

returning the handshake. "Well, later, Billy," he said, and walked away from the bar.
    "Okay, I'll come find you guys," Billy said lamely to his back.
    "Later, man!" Mark called after him, smiling like they were already great buddies. This, Billy noted, was so typically Mark. He was just one of those over-the-top, outgoing people who had a thousand friends. Not that she minded; she liked that he was so amiable. It made her feel special to be the girl he picked out of the hundreds he seemed to know.
    However if she were to be completely honest... Mark's constant need to be "on" occasionally got to her. Just ever so slightly worked on her nerves. But she wasn't going to focus on that now. She'd been waiting anxiously for Mark to show; she wasn't about to start nitpicking. Tonight was about romance. Tonight was about reconnecting with the man in her life.
    With one arm she leaned into Mark for another squeeze, and looked up into his handsome, perennially happy face. It was no wonder Mark was so popular—he was like a yellow burst of sunlight. So positive, so upbeat. He's really special, Billy told herself firmly.
    "So, have I missed anything?" he asked, running his fingers playfully down her back.
    "Nope. Before you got here, I was on the dance floor doing the cabbage patch, but that's about it."
    "Sure you were," he said with a laugh, and turned to order a beer. "By the way, what are you drinking?"
    "Raspberry crush," she said, though she couldn't help thinking, Doesn't he know that by now? Just then a rowdy bunch of college kids barreled into the bar area.
    "Excuse us, guys," Mark said, flashing the crowd a winning smile as he and Billy shifted over to make room.
    "So how was work?" Billy asked, wincing as a kid accidentally knocked into her side.
    "Work's great," Mark replied brightly. "Just terrific, I'm loving it."
    "Oh, good," Billy said for lack of anything else. "Anyway... I missed you this week." Smiling sweetly from under her lashes, she leaned in closer, trying to flirt.
    Mark turned back to the bar to pay for their drinks. "Thanks, thanks a lot!" he gushed to the female bartender. "Thanks again!" He turned back to Billy. "Want to go sit down? I think I see your coworkers over there."
    She had to stand on tiptoe to see over the crowd, but finally spotted Georgette's white pompadour. Katie and Des were sitting with her at a table across the room.
    "Let's go join them," Mark suggested cheerily.
    "Okay, but... well, it's just that I missed you this week," Billy said again—which, by the way, sounded a little lamer the second time around.
    "I missed you too," he said, and dropped a light kiss on her lips. "Come on, let's go over and say hi."
    "Okay," Billy said, trying not to feel too disappointed. True, she was the one who'd suggested Mark meet her out with her coworkers, but she'd hoped he'd focus more of his attention on her. At least for a couple of minutes...
    But she should've known. That was Mark. He had an overactive friendly gene, and she supposed she was being a little bratty. As they approached the table, Billy noticed a fourth person there: a thin, wiry man in his thirties, hunched in the seat next to Georgette. "Hey, guys!" Mark said, and shook each person's hand. "How's everybody doing?"
    "Hi, Mark," Katie said affably. "Hey, have you met Georgette?"
    "No, I've never had the pleasure," he said brightly. "Georgette, is it? It's great to meet you."
    "Hi, there," she said, capturing Mark's hand in what appeared to be a very tight squeeze. "I'm the baker," she added, and Billy noticed her words were a little slurred. "And this here's Louis," she added, gesturing loosely toward her new friend.
    "Hey, there, Louis!" Mark said, greeting a total stranger with his usual zeal. "Great to meet you, buddy," he added, obviously unfazed by the fact that Louis remained as still and silent as a stone. Meanwhile mild irritation worked its way into Billy's mind, but she tried to push it aside. Stop nitpicking, she scolded