“Yeah?” he asks, his face so full of hope.
“Yeah.” I smile up at him, hoping I’m not going to screw this up.
“Thank God,” Mikayla whispers as she clutches her chest.
“Will we be needing chaperones?” Sandy asks, but again, I ignore her and so does Brax.
“I’ll grab your number in a bit. Do you ladies know what you want to order?”
My stomach’s such a mess, I opt for the giant pretzel with the beer cheese dip. Anything greasy could send me over the edge at this point. I am so nervous I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep down much more.
Once we give him our order, he promises to be back soon to check on us. I sit there in shock, unable to say anything right away.
But as soon as he is back behind the bar, Mikayla is the first to speak. “Fuck me,” she mutters. “I thought for sure you were going to screw that up.”
“Me too,” Sandy says, reaching into her purse for her phone. “But I’m proud of you.”
“What if I mess this up?” I ask them. “I could mess this up.”
“How would you do that?” Mikayla asks.
“I could say something stupid.”
“I’m not sure anything you say would chase that man away. He is smitten. S.M.I.T.T.E.N,” Mikayla says, being overdramatic like she usually is.
“No, he’s not.”
Sandy stares at me, and I can read her mind. I’m an idiot. “You’re the smartest out of the three of us with some things and so damn dense about other things.”
“I take offense to that.”
“You would,” Sandy says. “I agree with Mikayla. I never once saw Lucas look at you that way. Not for a single moment.”
I don’t answer right away. I think about what Sandy just said and how Brax looked at me. Did Lucas look at me the same way? Maybe. I blocked out so much of our time together after he shattered my heart into a million pieces. It is almost impossible to think about any happy times we had together after what he did to me. The way he hurt me. How he embarrassed me.
“Not all men are like Lucas, darling,” Sandy says, reaching across the table to touch my hand. “You have to put yourself out there sometime, and I think Brax is the right person for right now.”
“I’ve never been good at casual,” I remind her.
“I know, baby. I know,” Sandy says as she pulls back her hand. “Maybe it won’t be casual. Maybe it will. Don’t label things right now. You deserve a nightout with a nice guy who’s so handsome he could be a movie star. You deserve some laughs and some flirting.”
“She deserves some heavy petting too,” Mikayla adds with a giggle-snort.
Sandy nods. “A lot of heavy petting.”
I sigh as I glance in Brax’s direction. As soon as our eyes meet, he winks. Luckily, I’m not in the middle of swallowing my beer or I might have choked to death on the liquid.
“He’s dreamy,” Mikayla whispers.
“You two sound like you need to get laid more than me.”
“Does he have an older brother?” Sandy asks. “Because you’re right. I do. I deserve it too.”
“He has a younger one.”
Sandy wrinkles her nose. “I like my men more seasoned.”
“Then you’re shit out of luck.”
