He cleared his throat. “So, Mark. I’m afraid I forgot some of the details from our first meeting, but tell me more about your work.” And then Drew put his chin back into his hand and nodded without listening as Mark launched into what any fool could predict would be an exhaustive rundown of the financial services “game.”
So much for trying to put honest effort into your date.This was what came of trying to do the rightthing.
Bas’s words from earlier echoed in his head. “Sometimes you need to make your own right path - one that’s true to who you are. And trying to love people, to forgive them for being blind and stupid, is generally always the right way.” The words had stunned him at the time, but as he thought about them now, he realized they were not only true, but completelyBas.Sebastian Seaver was not a person who played well by other people’s rules, and he sometimes played fast and loose with legalities. But when it came to his family, to Drew, that meant there was no limit to what Bas would do to keep themsafe.
And Drew was starting to believe that there was no limit to how many times they’d find their way back to one another, either. They’d done it back when they were stupid teenagers, for God’s sake. After Bas had proposed to Amy. After Drew had dated Cam. And then again afterHalloween.
Drew was a fortunate man in many ways, but if it had been the sum total of his life’s luck to simply be born in Sebastian Seaver’s sphere, then Drew would still have been the luckiest bastard on theplanet.
Drew clenched his fingers under the table, thinking of the way he and Bas had left things, how angry Bas had been. And with good reason, considering Drew had been a total hypocrite.Stay safe, Bas. Don’t take risks, Bas. You have nothing to prove, Bas.And yet here was Drew, suffering through the world’s most boring date while somewhere out there, Bas was worried abouthim.
Mark’s droning cut off as his phone soundedyetagain.
“We can reschedule, if you want,” Drew offered.Please say yes, please sayyes.
He checked his own phone to see if he had any messages from Sebastian, but there wasnothing.
“Oh, no!” Mark said. “No, not at all.” He gave Drew an apologetic smile. “In fact, I’m going to shut my phone off and leave it right here.” He winked. “So I won’t be tempted. And you knowwhat?”
He reached out and snagged Drew’s phone from his hand. Before Drew could protest, he placed both phones face-down in the center of the table, a set of twins with matching jet-black cases. “Now both of us can concentrate on our conversation,” he said happily, then leaned forward, like Drew might just reveal the secrets of the universe. “Tell me more about what makes Drew McManntick.”
“Excuse me, sir. Your champagne?” the waiter said. And Drew could almost imagine the server giving him a sympatheticglance.
“Yes, yes,” Mark agreed excitedly, and Drew looked longingly at his phone as the waiter poured their champagne and they both sippedcautiously.
“Perfect!” Mark enthused. “Isn’t it perfect,Drew?”
“Very good,” Drew told the waiter. “Thanks.”
The waiter nodded. “Are you ready toorder?”
“I think we need some more—” Mark began, just as Drew said, “We’reready.”
“Oh,” Mark said. “But we hadn’t even talked about getting a variety of entrees toshare.”
Kill me now.“You know, I’m really just in the mood for a steak.” Drew gave an apologetic shrug. “Maybe anothertime.”
“Yes! Yes,next time,” Mark agreed, waving his arms so enthusiastically that he knocked his menu into Drew’s water glass, sending it spilling across the table and onto Drew’s lap before rolling onto the floor andshattering.
“Fuck!” Drew said, jumping up and mopping at his jeans with hisnapkin.
“Be careful sir,” the waiter warned, picking up the larger pieces of glass. “I’ll get abroom.”
“Here, let me help,” Drew offered, bending down to help him despite the waiter’sprotests.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! So, so sorry. So very sorry!” Mark was bleating, and Drew could only sigh. There were signs, and then there weresigns. He should excuse himself before the universe intervened any further, he thought wryly, because someone might gethurt.
“Listen, Mark,” he said, resuming his seat as the waiter hurried away for a broom. “I reallythink…”
But Mark was guzzling his glass of champagne, nearly in tears. “I’m so very sorry, Drew! God, I looked forward to hanging out with you for so long, and nowthis.I can’t believe I’ve ruinedeverything.”
“You didn’t,” Drew assured him, and it wasn’t a lie, since the date hadn’t been going anywhere, anyway. “Really. I’m just tiredtonight.”
“You haven’t even had any champagne!” Mark wailed, and moisture trickled from the corner of hiseye.
Fuck.
Drew lifted the glass to his lips and took a deep sip, barely suppressing his shudder. He reallydidn’tlike champagne, and this bottle was particularly bitter. “See? Yum,” he said. “But I really am tired. Maybe wecould…”
