They pulled into the warehouse and locked everything up. They were the last on the roster today. Just as Evan finished signing out, Cash entered the spacious warehouse, checking on the trucks.
Smith and he locked gazes, sighting in on each other like two bulls about to charge.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” Evan told Smith. “Hey, Cash. Be nice. We had a busy day today.”
“Sure thing.” Cash crossed his arms over his chest, his cast standing out. It must have been killing him to have to stand by while everyone else worked.
Cash, like Smith, was a machine. Cash always did more than his fair share, and he never asked anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do first. He didn’t want a desk job, but without being able to lift anything for another few weeks, Evan had no idea what Cash might be doing.
Whatever it was hadn’t helped his mood. “Hey, you.” A familiar Cash greeting. “Get anything worthwhile done today?”
Oh boy.
Smith’s eyes narrowed. “Some of us actually work instead of whining about lame injuries. Did you really need that cast, or are you using it to get Jordan to kiss it all better?”
“Look, dickhead—”
“That’s my cue to leave.” Evan rushed away as the argument grew louder. He figured they’d either yell it out or fight it out. Normally he’d soothe everyone and send them to their respective corners. Not tonight.
He had a date with Kenzie, and no way would he do anything to ruin that.
* * *
An hour later, he frowned. Evan stood on a soccer field under the lights as grown men and women kicked a ball around, warming up for a game.
Rachel waved at him from next to Kenzie, who looked embarrassed and irritated.
He sighed. He’d been kidding when he’d suggested she’d put another friend between them to slow things down. But if she felt so hesitant to be with him without a buffer, maybe theyshouldtake a break, as much as it killed him to think that.
She made a beeline for him, and he slowed his pace.
Just as she reached him, she latched onto an arm—to keep him from bolting?—and said, rushed and in a low voice, “Look, just go with this, okay? I tried texting you to tell you about our slight change of plans. But I don’t have time to explain just now. Smile and nod.”
Rachel joined them. “I’m so glad you came, Evan.”
“Happy birthday,” he said drolly.
Kenzie squeezed his arm and forced a laugh. “Ha. He’s joking. Rachel, I told you like I told Will, that Evan wasn’t sure he could fit soccer into his schedule. But he did me the favor of coming to check things out.”
“Okay. But I’m pretty sure he’ll make it work.” She winked at him. “Especially if you ask him to. Hold on. I’ll go get Will.”
The moment Rachel stepped away, Kenzie yanked Evan toward her and explained. “I was supposed to get you to come play tonight. But I forgot to text you, and Will and Rachel have been bugging me about it since we went bowling. So an hour and a half ago, when Rachel cornered me, I lied and said I’d texted you and you’d be here. I tried to tell you, but you weren’t picking up.”
She looked disgruntled as she said it, as if this mess were his problem.
Oddly enough, he found it humorous and gratifying that she acted as if he’d solve everything. And he wanted to make it better, just to see her smile.
“I do this, you’ll owe me.”
“Fine, fine.”
“And,” he drew out, “we still go out to dinner. Alone.”
She nodded. “I’m really not trying to get out of anything. This was unexpected.”
He heard the ring of truth in her words. “Okay then. I mean, I know I can be intimidating. I played you like a fiddle Sunday, and then you got to behold my magnificence, seeing my glorious manhood in all its splendor.”
“Um, technically I didn’t see it. I just held it.”
