Darlene patted Zach’s cheek. “You’re sweet. Take good care of our Miguel.” Then she walked away. Okay, I was going to kill my best friend.
“Are you okay?” Zach asked.
“I’m fine. Sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable.”
He shook his head. “She didn’t. It was all in good fun.”
I huffed a relieved breath. “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
He checked his phone and winced. “It’s after one in the morning. I’m going to have to head out.”
A round of protests went from my group of friends. “Don’t go yet,” Dwayne said. “We’re just getting to know you.”
A pleased smile touched Zach’s lips. “I have to work the brunch and dinner shifts tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day. I need the sleep.”
“Why are you working both shifts?” I asked. “Is Sarah sick?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m going to be at National Guard training next weekend, so I’m working Sarah’s shift this week, and she’ll work mine next week.”
I felt a little put out that I hadn’t known this already. “Is it just Saturday and Sunday?”
“Yeah. Down at Dix.”
“Dix?” Jason hummed seductively. “Where do I sign up?”
“I’d be down for some Dix,” Dwayne said.
Zach’s cheeks turned bright red. “Um…I meant Fort Dix?”
We all burst out laughing. “We know,” I said. “We’re just teasing you.”
He smiled crookedly. “I won’t be able to go out next Friday night. I’ll be home being boring and going to bed early.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Well, maybe I’ll stop by and bring you a pizza so it’s not so boring.”
He looked surprised. “Sure. I’d like that. But don’t go to any trouble on my account.”
“It’s no trouble,” I replied. “You’re my friend. It’s my job to make sure you’re not boring.”
Zach chuckled. He grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair. “That’s nice of you. I appreciate it. But if something else more exciting comes up, don’t worry about it.” He pulled up his rideshare app and ordered a pickup.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from sayingThere’s nothing more exciting than spending time with you.I really had to get a grip. “Okay, I will.” I grabbed my own coat. “I’ll wait with you until your rideshare gets here.”
There was that shy smile again. Gah. I wanted to eat him up. “Thanks.”
Zach said goodbye to all my friends, got lots of hugs, and made promises to come again. It was blessedly quiet outside, away from the noise of the club. It was chilly. I found myself wishing I could snuggle up to Zach’s big body to absorb some heat. He seemed to notice because he put his arm around my shoulders and drew me closer to him. I looked up at him and asked, “Did you have a good time?”
“I really did,” he replied. “Thank you for inviting me. I might have even made a few new friends. I got a couple of phone numbers, including Jason’s. We both played baseball in high school. He was a year behind me, so we didn’t really hang out together. He was a pretty good third baseman though.”
“Was he out back then?” I asked.
Zach shook his head. “No. There were a few guys who were out, and they got harassed and bullied a lot. I’m guessing Jason felt unsafe being out at our school.”
“No doubt.”
A car pulled up. Zach checked his phone. “That’s me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yep, I’ll be there,” I said.
