Although she was annoyed, of course he was right. “So you mean to tell me that you and Sean are going to stay the night with this…mate of yours?”
“Yeah, Liam says we can leave the bikes overnight in the parking lot and get a cab back to his place. Then he or the missus will drop us back to collect them in the morning.”
“And where does this Liam live?”
“Not far. Only a stone’s throw, so it makes sense.”
It all sounded so rational and sensible that Rachel really couldn’t argue.
Granted, he couldn’t have known that she’d arranged to meet with Ethan, but he could have at least called and told her he was planning on pulling an all-nighter.
But that was Gary: impulsive to the last. She supposed she should remember that his unpredictability was one of the things that had made her fall in love with him in the first place. Actually it was probably this very character trait that had led to their engagement.
“Please don’t be mad at me, babe. It wasn’t as if I planned this, and it’s been years since we’ve seen Liam. We were just having a bite to eat for lunch and couldn’t believe it when he walked into the pub. Then one pint led to another, and you know yourself.”
“I can imagine.” Rachel knew exactly how it had gone. The more pints that went down, the more reminiscing and shenanigans there would be. As was always the case where Gary and the lads were concerned.
Still, she supposed she couldn’t be too annoyed. What with the accident and the injuries, he’d had a tough time of it recently, so a Saturday night out with the boys was probably exactly what he needed.
She just wished it didn’t leave her in such a pickle.
“Anyway, we didn’t have anything on, did we?” he asked, and she figured that it mightn’t be the best idea to confess that she’d actually made dinner plans without consulting him. It would make her look just as thoughtless.
Better to just say nothing, and Rachel could call and cancel with Ethan Greene, tell him that something had come up. Although by now, she was sick to the teeth of making excuses to him.
“Not exactly… Oh, it doesn’t matter. You’re right, of course. I wouldn’t want you to drink and drive. Just take it easy on the beer too, okay? You’re still on painkillers, remember.”
“Yes, Mammy.” Gary chuckled, and despite herself, she felt a bubble of irritation. She hated the way he poked fun at her like that in front of his friends. Typical male bravado—mostly harmless but sometimes annoyingly immature. “Hey, I promise I’ll make it up to you. Okay, babe?” But the comment was drowned out by more background laughter.
“Okay then. Have a good night, and we’ll talk tomorrow. Tell Sean I said hi.”
Hanging up the phone, Rachel returned to the kitchen, where Terri was getting ready for the evening rush.
“What’s up with you?” her friend asked, noticing her vexed expression.
Rachel harrumphed. “Just Gary…again.”
“Oh? Sounds ominous.”
“Ah, it’s nothing really.” She went on to explain about her fiancé’s afternoon drinking exploits. She shook her head. “It’s my own fault for arranging that dinner without asking him. Problem is, I couldn’t get him on the phone before now. You know how bad the reception can be in the back of beyond.”
“So it’s just going to be you and Blue Eyes tonight then?”
“Hardly. I’m going to phone him now and cancel. There’s little point when it’s Gary he really wants to see. I’d wager that Ethan’s had enough of listening to me apologizing on Gary’s behalf.” She shook her head. “Anyone would think that somebody somewhere was trying to keep those two apart.”
Terri was silent for a moment. “He’s such a nice guy and sounded like he was at a loose end tonight. Maybe you should just go along anyway?”
Rachel frowned. “Would it not seem a little…weird to have dinner with him though—without Gary, I mean?”
“Not necessarily. You’re the one he knows really. He mentioned he hadn’t actually spoken to Gary. Not unless he managed to before the accident.”
“Not that I’m aware of. Gary was unconscious afterward, and by the time he woke up, Ethan had gone back to London.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I think you should go along,” Terri insisted. “You said yourself you owed him one, so why not? And it’s not as though he’s hard on the eyes either.”
“Terri!”
“What?”
