I forced a tight smile. It was one thing that I felt that way, but for him…no, that wouldn’t do. He had the biggest heart and deserved all the happiness in the world. He had been my, and Grace’s, rock for years, and despite his insistence on being carefree, Fritz lovedhard.Samantha couldn’t ruin that for him. “Fix your tie. I found a thing to go to.”
“A thing?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you once we’re there.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Your tone tells me I won’t like thisthing.”
“Don’t care if you do or not. You’re going.” I stood up and dragged his ass to my car where I drove him to the brewery about two miles from his place downtown.
His only reaction to the singles night was a long sigh, and the fact he didn’t fight me had to be a good sign. He ran his hands over his thighs, and if I had to guess, my brother was nervous. It made my chest tight seeing him without his over-the-top confidence.
I parked, and two beautiful women walked arm in arm into the large wooden doors.
Fritz sat up straighter, and the playful expression I had seen way too many times in college returned. “The only reason I’m not bolting out of this car is because I wanted to try this place out.”
“Uh-huh, it had nothing to do with those babes.”
“Not a thing.” He smirked and got out, the tight feeling in my chest loosening at seeing him be playful again. He was always the goofy, overprotective flirt around Grace and me. He was always there for us and in a good mood and looking for a good time, and I missed this version of him, where I was torn between rolling my eyes or elbowing him in the side.
I joined him inside, where we signed our names on a clipboard and got a red wristband. It let others know we were there for the event and not just the beer. A handsome man with tattoos and long hair played the guitar in the corner, and couples lined both sides of the beer hall.
“I’m going to find that hot ass—lovelywoman I saw walk in.”
“I knew it,” I said, smiling as he winked.
He smoothed down his shirt and headed toward the pair of women and I sighed, suddenly feeling nervous. This was about Fritz and now that he was occupied, I realized I would be required to talk and flirt too. It’d be great to have a distraction, but the last time I was at a bar, in a mood to flirt, I left with Christopher, which for whatever reason made him hate me.
How would he act if we never had that night together? Would we be friends? Flirt?I frowned, imagining a world where we got along and how good that sounded.
“Okay, singles! We’re going to do some pairing up and start some convos.” A soft female voice rang out over the portable speaker, and everyone seemed to stop talking at the same time. “First thing—raise your hand, and the first person you make eye contact is your partner for this activity. Once you see someone, high-five them!”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes because this felt like a classroom thing, but I did as told and met the gaze of a man who was about my height and had bright-red hair. “Hi, I’m Gilly.”
“Steven,” he said, shaking my hand with a very sweaty palm. He blushed from head to toe, and a part of me felt a little bad for him. “You’re beautiful.”
“Oh, thank you.” I smiled, feeling ten shades of awkward, and wanted this round to be over. The emcee gave us the prompt, and I went first. “I teach first grade, my favorite activity on the weekends is to read or hang out with friends, and I drink tea every day.”
“Wow, a teacher, yes, you look like one. Uh, I work in finance, I like hanging out, and I love beer and coffee. Yes.” He gulped and looked over his right shoulder to another guy who seemed to be hamming it up with a woman.
“Okay, we’re going to do this activity again, but this time, you’re going to share three fun facts about yourself and what you look for in a partner.”
We lifted our hands in the air, and I turned to my left, thankful to be rid of Steven, and as I spun, my skin tingled and my heart beat twice as fast as I stared into a pair of very blue eyes.Christopher.Excitement and lust combined into weird hyperadrenaline, and we both seemed to walk faster to each other. He grabbed my hand in a high five and didn’t let go as our arms came down.
“Hey,” I said, smiling and feeling nervous as hell. Which was stupid. I saw him all the damn time.
“Hey yourself,” he said, his gaze warm and tender as he stared at my face. “This is a fun coincidence.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, not caring that it was none of my business.
“Well, my buddy got out of a bad divorce and needed a pick-me-up. Thought this was a good place to have him try. You?”
Hestillheld my hand, and I focused on his mouth instead of how good a simple hand-holding felt. It was sweet and nice, and the way he dragged his thumb over the outside of my hand made my toes curl into my shoes. “Uh, well, my brother. He’s been in a funk, and I thought…this would help him.”
“Ah, small world then.” He smiled again, letting his gaze drop to my mouth for a beat. “We should follow the prompts and be good participants, don’t you think?”
“Right, of course.”
His answering grin made my face get hot because oh baby, his smile lit up his face and made him a million times more attractive. Not that he wasn’t handsome, because he was, but the joy on his face felt special, and I could only stare at him when he looked at me like that. “What? You have this weird expression right now.”
