Chapter 41 - Handy Tom

The place looked somewhat old-fashioned but modern at the same time. Someone was on the stage singing and playing the guitar, while others conversed with their partners at their various tables while drinking whatever they had in their glasses.

"I have a favorite spot where I like to sit and enjoy the view," Tom said as he led the way to a table at the distal end of the hall. Lucy noticed that from where they sat they could see almost every part of the bar.

"Cool, right?" Tom asked when he noticed she was still looking around the place.

"Undecided," Lucy said as she returned her attention to him.

"Could that be Handy Tom?" A chubby blonde waitress who looked like she was in her mid-twenties, questioned as she strutted towards them.

"If he looks like Tom, then he definitely is Tom," Tom said with a wink making her raise a hand to her lips which were painted red.

"You know, I was in doubt when you walked in. But when I saw you heading to this spot with this beautiful lady beside you, I decided it has to be you! OMG Tom! You look like you just walked out of my fantasy," She said with a dreamy smile,

"Do I look good enough to snatch you from your husband now?" Tom asked playfully wiggling his brow.

"You sure do. As long as you don't mind changing diapers," The Waitress said, rubbing her abdomen. That was when Lucy noticed the wedding band on her finger and her barely noticeable baby bump.

"Just get me a good divorce lawyer and I will elope with you... But wait, hope your lady won't mind?" She asked, looking at Lucy with mock alarm.

"I'm sure she won't," Tom said with a wink, "Tricia meet my neighbor, Lucy. Lucy, meet Tricia the love of my life and my favorite waitress in all of Ludus," Tom introduced, grateful that no one here knew his true identity.

"Neighbors? I see," Tricia said as she looked from Tom to Lucy, "It's nice to meet you," Tricia said with a friendly smile and Lucy returned her smile.

"You seem like a regular here," Lucy told Tom after Tricia had taken their orders and left.

"I'm pretty outgoing. That's how I get my clients," Tom said, which was also partially true in a way.

He frequented pubs, clubs, and bars where people often gathered, and he tried to engage in different conversations to gain information about what people thought about his company and services and also get ideas. Everywhere he went he simply introduced himself as Handy Tom, and that was all they knew about him.

"Nice. So about your lady..."

"Let's talk about her later. I'm curious about something, have you ever been in a relationship?" Tom asked, cutting her off.

"If you're asking because you're worried I won't be able to advise you because of that, you have nothing to worry about. I have a wealth of experience from my twin brother and my best friends," Lucy assured him.

Visitt novlbin(.)c/m for the ltest updates

Tom looked at her, slightly amused. It seemed like she was in a haste to help him win her heart, "No. I'm asking because I would like to understand why you chose to be single. Did something happen?" No matter how hard he thought about it, it just didn't make sense that a lady with no prior relationship experience would just choose to be single for no reason.

"I don't want to talk about it," Lucy said and was grateful when the waitress chose that moment to bring their order to the table.

Tom watched her and could tell he had been right. There was a story there. Something must have made her decide she was better of without men, and he intended to find out what that was, "So what would you like to talk about that doesn't involve my love interest?" Tom asked after the waitress left.

"I thought she was the reason you dragged me out because you wanted us to talk about her?" Lucy asked with a slightly raised brow before picking up her glass of cocktail and sipping from it.

"No. I dragged you out because I was bored and wanted to spend some time with someone outdoors," Tom corrected as he raised his glass of cocktail to his lips and took a sip.

"So don't you think the earlier we strategize on how to get her, the better for you? At least once you get a girlfriend you'll be too busy to be bored," Lucy said, raising both brows with a stiff smile on her face as she used her right hand to push her glasses up her nose, while her left hand held the glass.

That explained why she was so eager to talk to him about it, Tom mused. "Shouldn't you take off your glasses? Or do you need them to see me?" Tom asked, realizing he had no idea as to how bad her sight defect was.

"As I said before, I feel more comfortable wearing them. So neighbor, why don't you tell me about yourself? You already know I have a twin brother, and you even know my best friend's name, yet the only thing I know about you is your name, where you live, what you do, and the fact that you are interested in a woman whose name you don't know," Lucy said, before taking a long sip from her glass, and winced a bit at the bitter-sweet taste.

Tom could tell she was trying to shift the conversations from herself to him, "Let's see. I have two younger siblings, a guy, and a girl. I have two really close friends, Jonas and Tyler. What else?"

Lucy looked at him, and even though a voice in her head kept telling her it was a bad idea to voice the question on her mind, she went ahead to ask anyway, "Do you always hook up with random women at the club?"

The corners of his lips twitched in amusement, but he tried not to smile as he looked at her, "You're sure you want us to talk about that?"

"Well, we are friendly neighbors, aren't we? What harm could come from it?" She asked with a shrug as she kept her empty glass, and picked up another one, and took a long sip.

"Let's do it this way, if I answer your question, then you have to answer one of mine too," Tom suggested.

"As long as your question has nothing to do with why I'm not in a relationship, then I'm game."

"Alright then. No. I don't always hook up with random women."

"So what..."

"I answered your question, so it is my turn," Tom said with a grin.

"But I'm not satisfied..."

"No buts, boss. It is my turn."

Lucy looked at him as though she wanted to argue, but picked up her glass again and downed the content before flashing him a smile, "Okay. Fine. Go on and ask your question. I'm all ears," Lucy said as she nursed her now empty glass of cocktail.

Tom signaled to Tricia to serve them again. If he was to judge by the first night at the club, then he knew without a doubt that at the pace she was going, she was likely going to getting drunk soon. That was good enough for him since he knew she was the type to loosen up and talk a lot when drunk.

"What is your favorite color?" Tom asked, catching her off guard since she had been expecting something very personal. He almost smiled when he noticed the flicker of surprise on her face. Who did she think she was dealing with?

"I love colors generally and my color preference at any point is subject to the object. So I'm afraid I can't give you a definite answer," Lucy explained and waited for him to ask her to explain further.

He understood what she meant, but looking at her face he also knew she wanted him to probe further, so he decided not to, "I see," Tom said with a nod, and she pursed her lips as she tried to figure him out.

"Okay, I can continue with my question..."

"Why don't we set some ground rules between us?" Tom asked, interrupting her.

Chapter end