Two months isn’t very long—Dave had pointed that out, before sending her that picture of himself looking extremely happy with adorable, brown-eyed Luc.
Jon had, absolutely, waited too long to get his head out of his ass.
It was time to accept that.
Casey squared her shoulders and typed. I hope my insanity doesn’t make you skip Stefan’s wedding. You really need to be there. I know you want to, and I promise—I swear—that I’ll behave. I’ll make sure Jon does, too. And I hope you’ll bring Luc, so we can all meet him. Properly. (He seems lovely, please don’t be too mad at me!!) I love you. Please please please forgive me.
Casey hit send.
She blew her nose one last time, put her car into gear, and headed back to that swanky downtown apartment, where she was going to have a very hard conversation with her brother.
Chapter Two
“So Air-Biscuit Jon’s last name is Esparza, huh?” Rio said.
Werewulf’s was starting to get busy, but he’d found Dave staking a claim on the big booth in the back of the restaurant. It was the only booth that seated four so comfortably that they could easily squeeze in six, provided everyone liked each other and had showered recently.
They were meeting Thomas King, his wife Tasha, and Mike Lee for burgers and beer, but Rio slipped into the bench across from Dave, because this conversation needed direct eye contact.
The younger SEAL squinted a bit, wary as he tried to figure out why Rio had brought up his lying, cheating ex, many long weeks after they’d last discussed him.
“Jon Esparza,” Dave confirmed. “Yeah...?”
“Is Luc still in London?” Rio asked.
Now Dave was perplexed at Rio’s rapid change of subject. “I haven’t heard from him in weeks.” He smiled wryly. “I was gonna ask you. He’s gone dark on social media, too.”
“Last I heard,” Rio said, “was right after he arrived, but he was extremely monosyllabic. My mom told me that Aunt Angela told her that the new job was running him hard.”
“Or he’s already seeing someone, and doesn’t want to rub my face in it,” Dave pointed out.
“Rumor I heard was that he’s still seeing you,” Rio said. “I thought maybe you changed your mind about the long-distance thing.”
“Okay,” Dave said slowly. “I don’t know how you heard that, because I have not told anyone except for... well, I, um, told an... old friend, yeah, that, um, Luc and I are kinda... still dating. In fact, I sent her a picture of us just a few days ago because... See, Jon finally checked himself into rehab and, um...” He stopped. Shook his head. “I mean, I say those words and I still can’t believe it, after all those damned interventions.” He shook his head again. Forced a smile. “Long story short, this... old friend reached out, said Jon wanted me to come to the friends-and-family day at Blue Mountain—that’s the facility he checked into—and I, well, I told her no. I made it seem like I was still seeing Luc, you know, that he was still in town, and that it was, um, kinda serious. She’s been pushing to get me to at least go and see Jon, plus there’s this wedding coming up that we’re all attending, and... well, to avoid that clusterfuck, I’ve kinda kept the I’m-seeing-Luc fabrication going.”
Rio nodded. Last winter, he’d played matchmaker and talked Dave into giving his favorite cousin a call. Luc had just moved to San Diego, so it seemed like a win/win, since Dave was just coming off of a particularly bad breakup with Jon. Esparza. The brother of Casey freaking Esparza.
Dave and Luc had gone out a few times, but then Luc got a job offer from a company based in London. The story Rio heard from both Dave and Luc was that neither wanted a long-distance relationship, so that had been that. They’d parted as friends.
“And when you show up at this wedding without Luc?” Rio asked.
Dave shrugged. “I figured I’d say he had a family emergency...?”
Rio nodded. “Your old friend Casey Esparza thinks that I’m Luc,” he told Dave.
“Oh, shit,” Dave said, wincing before his eyes widened. “Oh, shit. What did she do?”
“She accosted me in the parking lot at Ralph’s.” Accosted was pure hyperbole, and it was obvious from Dave’s expressive face that he knew it. Still... “I have no clue how she found me—or rather the me she thought was Luc. If she paid for a PI, she should ask for a refund. You know, on account of me not being Luc?”
Dave was shaking his head and sighing. “Rio, I’m so sorry. She’s always been... a bit of a champion for Jon. Well, no, that’s not quite true. She’s been a champion for Jon and me. She’s a hopeless romantic, and she loved the idea of childhood sweethearts lasting forever.”
“And when, exactly, were you going to tell me that you’re old friends with Casey freaking Esparza?”
Dave looked sheepish. “I dunno. You were so into her and Wild Sky and we were just starting to be friends—I mean, real friends. You’ve always been friendly—you and Thomas. And Mike, too, but... I think I wanted to be sure that you liked me for me, not because I could introduce you to Casey...?”
One of the reasons Rio liked Dave so damn much was because he said shit like that. He just spoke his truth and didn’t give a damn that he’d be revealing his innermost vulnerable feelings.
So Rio responded in kind. “Well, that’s fucking stupid, asshole. I don’t like you more because you know Casey freaking Esparza. How fucking shallow do you think I am?”
