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sit at the bar and finish it, then call for a cab.  She didn’t want to just rush out the door, because that would be too obvious, but she couldn’t stay.
    “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Megan Walker.”
    She turned her head and spied Brad Prescott, starting quarterback for the Winchester Bulldogs their senior year.  He’d been a good-looking guy back in the day, although he’d been quite full of himself.  But he’d been graced with an athlete’s body and he’d taken the Bulldogs to the playoffs that year.  They hadn’t won, but they’d come close.  She knew he’d gotten a scholarship to play football somewhere, but she couldn’t remember what school he was going to attend.  In fact, she hadn’t thought about Brad since graduation.  “Brad.  Good to see you.  How’ve you been?”
    She could tell by looking that he’d been better.  His hair was starting to thin, and that was a shame.  His dirty blonde hair had always been one of his nicer features, but he was losing the battle.  Megan could tell he’d be completely bald by forty…if he was lucky to make it that far.  He also had a slight belly, but nothing too extreme.  She could tell, though, that he liked his beer.
    “Not bad.  What about you, little lady?”
    Seriously?   Megan tried not to grimace.  She could play nice for a little while longer.  She surveyed Brad a little more closely.  He had a tan going and had a wedding band.  Maybe she could get him to talk about family instead of making her feel like the “weaker” sex.  “Fine.   So…what have you been up to since high school?”
    He leaned over toward her, and she saw the slack jaw.  He’d already had one beer too many.  “You know, I’m getting tired of answering that question.”
    Megan decided to lighten the mood.  “Maybe we should have sent out biographies to everyone before tonight, right?”
    He started laughing.  “Yeah.”   He nodded.  “But…to answer your question, I’m an assistant high school football coach in Colorado Springs and I’m married to a woman I met in college.  We have two kids and the third one is on the way.”
    “You teach anything?”
    “Yeah…history.”   She nodded.  “So what about you, Miss Megan?”
    “I’m an assistant librarian here in town.”
    His eyes narrowed and then he brought his beer up to his mouth, draining the glass.  “No kids or anything?”
    She shook her head.  “Nope.”
    He pulled his lower lip into his mouth and allowed his eyes to drop to her lips…and lower.  Megan started to feel uncomfortable.  “What say you and I blow this joint and I give you the chance to say you sacked the quarterback?”
    The bartender placed her new drink on a napkin in front of her and she handed him her money.  Then she turned back to Brad and wondered if she should be flattered or offended.  She chose the latter, assuming that she wasn’t the first woman he’d hit on tonight.   “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
    He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.  She saw him move his eyes to behind her.  “Oh.  I should have known.”
    She wondered what he was talking about until she turned around to see what he was looking at.  Tyler had approached a nd was on the other side of her, playing the role of knight in shining armor.
     

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    PART OF MEGAN was relieved that Tyler had come to “rescue” her , but the rest of her felt upset that he couldn’t take a hint.  She looked back over to Brad, ready to tell him he didn’t know what he was talking about.  Before she could speak, though, Tyler started talking.
    “Well, if it isn’t the star QB.  How’ve you been, man?”
    Brad stood and offered his hand to Tyler, just behind Megan’s back.  “ Great.  You? ”
    “Can’t complain.   What’ve you been up to?”
    “Aw, just raising a family.  You finally got a band going, huh?”
    Tyler grinned.  “You listen to Madversary ?”
    “No.  Don’t take it