Doug guzzled his beer. “Benny, stop it. You’re scaring Reggie.”
“He’s not, really, I—”
“Tell us what’s on your mind,” Doug interrupted, his voice relaxed. “Was dinner okay?”
“Dinner was great. Emily is funny and smart. She loves the puppy and played with him. I also learned she’s a demon at Uno and has a vocabulary that would put my coworkers to shame.” He grinned at the thought, saw Benny and Doug exchange a look, and continued as if they hadn’t. “Maggie was gracious, as always.”Holy fuck, was she.He cleared his throat. “We ate pizza and cupcakes. And salad. It was nice.”
“Uh-huh. Nice.” Benny didn’t seem to be believing him.
“It was.” Great, now Reggie sounded defensive.
“Then why so serious outside her door?”
“Why should I tell you anything? You’re her friends. You’ll blab.”
“We won’t,” Doug denied.
“We totally will.” Benny nodded.
Reggie couldn’t help laughing at the glare Doug shot him.
“Look, we love Maggie. We just want to make sure you’re not a bad guy for her.”
“And that would be…?”
“Someone who just wants an easy lay,” Doug said. “She’s not easy.”
“Or rich or connected,” Benny added. “She’s a single mom with a great kid. She’s like our sister. We look out for her.”
“She’s amazing,” Reggie said bluntly. “I’m not sure why she’s still single.”
“Because she wants to be,” Doug said, just as blunt. “She looks out for Emily first, herself second. She’ll help either of us at the drop of a hat, even if it means rescheduling something for herself. That’s the kind of person she is.”
Reggie decided to pump them for some information since they felt entitled to question him. “So what’s her deal then? Is she really over her ex?”
“Totally.” Doug nodded. “What about you? Any exes rattling around in your closet?”
“A few.”
“You over them?”
“Mostly.”
“Hmm.” Benny frowned. “Maggie is not a rebound chick.”
“I know that.”
“She’s also not a one-night stand chick.”
“I know that too.”
“She’s beautiful, inside and out. And funny.”
“What can you tell me that Idon’tknow?”
Benny and Doug studied him.
“Go ahead. Ask me anything you want. I tell you something, you tell me something.”
