Ben cocked a brow. “We’re brothers. We don’t keep secrets. You know this. Wait a minute, how long have you known her?”
Mike gulped. Ben was putting two and two together. His odd behavior lately, needing advice today. He hadn’t really been there for his friends since he’d met Destiny. Mike went to morning PT and showed up at his meetings and the occasional barbecue, but that was about it. All the rest of the time he spent with Destiny. Or hanging out in his apartment talking to her. “Two months.”
“Two months.” Ben whistled. “That explains a lot. Why would you keep her secret?” There was no rancor in his voice, just curiosity, which actually made him feel worse. Anger he could take. Ben sounded like a wounded puppy, hurt that he would keep something like this from the group.
“At first, she was just a girl I met at the hospital. We hung out a few times. I didn’t think it would ever amount to anything, so I didn’t say anything. Who cared I made a new friend?”
“Then you wanted more,” Ben guessed.
Mike nodded. “She’s great, Midas. Everyone would love her. She just has this magic about her. She can make anyone feel welcome when she meets them.”
“She does sound perfect for us.” Their group was lucky. Everyone got along. Kinsley, Abigail’s friend from the FBI, was a prickly woman when they first met, but now that she moved here and they got her help with her anger issues, everything was good again. “So why did it take you two months to ask her out?”
“I didn’t. She asked me.”
Ben smiled broadly and clapped him on the back. “Aggressive. I like her. She really will fit in.” Everyone’s woman was a force to be reckoned with. Abigail and Kinsley had been in the FBI. Hannah and Linzy ran their own businesses. Cora was a computer analyst. Olivia used to work at a shipping yard for importing.
“She will if I can get this date to go perfectly.” His brain was in overactive mode, analyzing everything that could go wrong. “So will you please help me already?” Because he was freaking out a little.
“You don’t need help, Mike.”
“That’s it? That’s your great advice?” His voice rose to almost shouting. A few heads poked out of their offices to look at them.
“Let’s go outside.” Ben put an arm around his shoulders and guided him out. As soon as they were out, Mike shrugged off his touch and stomped off. Some friend Ben was being. Figured, the one time he asked for help, he didn’t get any. He had a better chance getting advice from a fortune cookie.
“Mike, stop.”
“Fuck off.” He didn’t bother turning around.
“You wanted advice.”
Mike stopped and made an about-face. “I did and all you’ve done is joke and tell me I don’t need help. How is that supposed to be helpful?” He was shouting again, but he didn’t care. Let people stare.
Maybe he was better off talking to one of the women. Linzy was a sensitive woman. She had to have better advice. Hell, any of the women had to be better than this. Even Kinsley.
Ben closed the distance between them. “I told you that because you don’t need help getting the girl.” He held up his hand when Mike opened his mouth. “She askedyouout. So obviously she likes you just the way you are. I know you tend to overthink things with women. They can be complicated, I won’t lie. Just when you think you figure them out, they throw a curve ball at you.” He leaned in close to whisper. “I think it’s to keep us on our toes.”
Mike just blinked, having no idea what Ben was talking about as far as curve balls went. He did, however, agree that he tended to overthink things. Only with women. Everything else, he was fine. It was downright frustrating. “Which is why I need help. I keep worrying I’ll do something to mess up tonight and I’ll never see her again.”
“Is she aware of your nervousness with the fairer sex?”
“Yes.” It was hard to miss.
“I’m guessing you’ve shared a meal together before. After all, you’ve known her for two months.” He really wasn’t going to let that go any time soon.
“We have.”
“Then I don’t see what the problem is. Tonight should be no different than any other.”
“But it’s a date,” he gritted between clenched teeth.
“It’s a title.” Ben shrugged. “Treat it no differently than any other night.”
Yeah, easier said than done.
“You’ll be fine.” Ben clapped him on the back. Mike felt a lead ball settle in his stomach. This was no help.
Chapter 12
