Lyle climbed into the passenger seat, and just as I started the engine, my cell phone rang.
I didn’t recognize the phone number, so I let it go to voicemail.
“I hope they have the Philly Cheese today,” Lyle said.
“I don’t care what they have as long as the beer is cold.”
“We have to be back on the worksite in thirty,” Lyle reminded me.
He was my foreman, and I wasn’t about to get drunk over lunch.
“I’ll order a Miller Lite. I barely feel that shit. No worries, boss man. I’ll be safe at work.”
His lips quirked. “You better.”
I swung into a parking space in front of the pub, and we headed inside. Calista was working behind the bar. We’d dated once, but she’d since broken out the U-Haul for her longtime girlfriend, so that ship had sailed.
“Hey, Lyle,” she said, smiling brightly. Her gaze flicked to me, then right on past as if I wasn’t even there.
“You’re breaking my heart, darlin’.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not sure you have one, Damon.”
“Ouch.”
“Can we get a couple of Philly Cheesesteaks?” Lyle asked. “A water for me and a Miller Lite for him.”
Calista snorted. “So two waters. Got it.”
She turned away to fill our pint glasses. My phone rang again.
I lifted it to my ear. “Yeah?”
“Hey, I saw the ad for your truck for sale?”
What now?
“My truck’s not for sale.”
“But the ad said it was a F150, midnight blue? For sale for 10k?”
“Ten-fucking-K? My truck is worth three times that, and like I said, it’s not for sale. You must have the wrong number.”
“Oh, bummer. Okay. Sorry.”
I stuffed the phone in my pocket and grabbed the beer from the bar.
“Scammer?” Lyle asked.
“Something like that.” I lifted my glass and took a long, refreshing drink. Even watered-down beer tasted fantastic after working in ninety-five-degree heat.
“Damn. Maybe Ted had the right idea. I kind of want to strip off my shirt and pour this fucker over my head.”
Calista laughed. “I’d pay to see that show.”
“Watch out now,” I said with a grin. “You’ll be in trouble with that girl of yours.”
“Please, if I got in trouble for every man who acted like a fool in this pub, she’d have kicked me out a long time ago. I’ll have your food out in a few.”
