“I’m sorry, Gabe. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” A husband and wife walked by us and gave Emory the once over. Oh, how well I remembered being the new guy in town.
“No problem, Emory. How’s it going?” I asked. “You getting settled in okay?”
“It’s going to be an adjustment,” he admitted, “but it feels right to me. Josh’s cookies and thoughtful invitation helped to make me feel welcome.”
“Josh? My Josh?” I asked in surprise. “An invitation to what?”
“Um, dinner,” Emory said uneasily. “On Sunday.”
“Sunday dinner? This Sunday, as in Easter?” I asked in surprise.
“Is that a problem, Gabe? I don’t want to cause any trouble.” Emory said, backing up as if I would snap at him like a dog over a favorite toy or a steak. His reaction broke through my shock.
“No, there’s no problem,” I told him. “It’s just that Josh’s Sunday dinners are very sacred. They’re very important to him, which means that you’ve made a good impression on him.”Perhaps better than I realized.I wasn’t going to stress about it, and I surely wouldn’t ruin Josh’s good deed.
“I think it’s more like pity, Gabe, but I appreciate what you said. If you’re sure it won’t be a problem…”
“You’re more than welcome to join us for dinner, Emory. I mean that.” Before I could say anything else, Mrs. Miller from two doors down stopped and introduced herself to Emory. “I’ll see you Sunday,” I said firmly, letting him know I expected to see him there.
I stopped by Brook’s Pets to pick up more of those dog treats Buddy liked so much, a tug-of-war rope, and more catnip mice for Diva because Buddy kept stealing them. Jazzy got a big red sea creature that had tunnels running through the tentacles and a huge mouth as an extra opening and exit. She was going to love that thing. I knew I would probably regret it, but I bought a multi-leveled perch with a bell at the bottom that I could suspend from the top of the cage for Savage. He could curse and ring his little bell for hours.
I checked the time after I loaded the pet toys in my trunk and noted that it was close enough to dinner time to stop at the diner and order takeout. I sent Josh a text to let him know I was bringing food home and settled in on a stool at the L-shaped countertop bar.
“Mind if I have a seat?” Kyle asked from behind me.
I twisted to look over my shoulder and offered him a smile. “Pull up a stool,” I replied.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
“It’s been a really interesting week thanks to your boyfriend,” Kyle said then grinned.
“He told me about the vet visit with Chaz,” I said. I leaned forward and lowered my voice when I asked, “Did you two really have a ‘moment’ like Josh said you did?” I left off the part about them staring into each other’s eyes and such.
“It was…something,” Kyle said. I grinned broadly then because it sounded awfully damn familiar to me when I met Josh.
“Something, huh?” I asked.
“Definitely.” His blue eyes took on a faraway look for a few seconds then he looked back at me. “You won’t believe what happened at the salon,” he said. I would expect just about anything where Josh was concerned.
I listened and laughed at what happened in the salon that morning, even though I felt horrible for Chaz. Kyle must’ve been blind to it, but the rest of us saw how much Chaz blushed whenever Kyle was near. My ex-boyfriend seemed to have his radar honed in on Chaz too, so I was pretty sure Josh was right about the potential there. I also knew that you couldn’t force it, and that they’d need to find their way at the pace that worked for them.
“Then Josh invited me to dinner and…”
“Wait! He did what? When?” I asked.
“Um, Sunday,” Kyle said hesitantly, a lot like Emory had.
“This Sunday? Easter Sunday?” I asked. Kyle nodded to confirm, and my eyes narrowed in speculation. What the hell was Josh up to? He probably did feel bad about Emory being alone for the holiday, but why invite Kyle? Then it dawned on me. He was playing matchmaker. Of course, with Emory thrown in the mix, there could be trouble. What would Josh do if Kyle and Emory hit it off right in front of his best friend? Oh man, it could get ugly. “Did you accept his invitation?”
“Should Inotaccept his invitation?” Kyle inquired. “Is that going to be a problem for you or something?”
“For me? No. I have no problem with you being there. I was just surprised is all,” I assured him. “Be on time,” I warned him. “He runs a tight ship, my guy.”
Daniella placed my carryout order on the counter in front of me. I ordered the meatloaf dinner for Josh and the cabbage roll dinner for myself. I patted Kyle on the shoulder, told him I’d see him Sunday, and went to the register to pay for my food. I gave Daniella a tip—even though we didn’t eat in—because she had started back to college and could use all the help she could get.
Josh was already upstairs when I got home. “Honey, I’m home,” I called out. He came out of the bedroom chewing on his lip, looking like he had been beating himself up all day long. “What have you done?” I was certain to keep the scorn out of my voice because he wasn’t a child, he was my equal. “KyleandEmory?”
“You know already?” Josh asked. I told him about running into Emory at the hardware store and Kyle and the diner. “And you still brought me home food?”
