I go back to the shop and check in with Oakley and Travis as the other guys filter in from their day of work. “So you almost finished with the firepit?” Travis asks me, business as usual.
“Yup,” I answer, my heart doing the same thing it always does when I think about finishing work at Dakota’s. It squeezes tight in my chest, hating the idea.
“Good. I’ll get the final bill ready for you to take to Mr. Serial-killer Hottie.” He winks at me, and I laugh, shaking my head.
“Really? I thought you were the serious one,” I deadpan, and Oakley cackles.
“We all know that’s me.”
Everyone in the shop laughs at that, and Oakley raises his middle finger, sweeping it around at all his employees and his husband, who’s laughing even more than the rest of us.
“Thought we were done with the Serial-killer Hottie shit too,” I say, washing my hands in the sink, trying to get some of the dirt off.
“Now who the hell said that?” Jackson teases, and I roll my eyes, giving up on getting any more dirt off my hands and drying them with a paper towel.
“That reminds me though...” I turn my attention to Oakley and Travis. “I’m going to meet him on Thursday to go to trivia night at the tavern, if you guys want to join.”
I hold my breath for a second, waiting for the teasing to start about mixing business with pleasure, and although they’ve both perked up at that, they look more confused than mischievous. “Wait. You’re going to trivia night with a client?”
“Yes...” I say cautiously. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No...” Travis is hesitant, which makes me squirm.
Jackson is the next one to speak though. “Wait a minute... Are you actually switching teams? I was just giving you shit before, but is this a date?”
I try to swallow the lump in my throat and fight fidgeting as I stand there with Oakley, Travis, Jackson, and now Archie and Walker’s eyes on me. “I uh...”Am I sweating? Shit. This shouldn’t be so hard.“I don’t know,” I say honestly, and surprisingly, none of them laugh at me.
Not one of them makes a joke.
They all have a look of wonder and maybe surprise... But they aren’t teasing me.
“Oh,” Travis says.
“That’s fucking awesome,” Oakley says, and he seems genuine. Though I don’t think Oakley can be anything else.
“Hell yeah!” Jackson slaps a hand over my shoulder and grips it gently. “You’re getting back out there. I’m so proud.”
“I don’t know about all that,” I say dismissively. “I just... He’s nice to talk to and...”
They all wait for what I’m going to say next, and I chicken out before I can say I’m totally and completely attracted to him. I want to know what it’s like to kiss him. It’s becoming this living thing under my skin.
Lying in my bed late at night, it’s his face I see. It’s his lips I crave. I’m dying to have a taste.
“And . . . ?” Archie asks, totally dialed into this conversation now.
I wave it off, feeling a little embarrassed. Not because Dakota is a man. These are my best friends in the world, and they’ve all been with men—it’s not unusual to them. But me being... shit.
Smitten.
Yeah, that’s unusual.
But that’s exactly what I am.
“Whatever. Whoever wants to go to trivia night next Thursday can come. Well, not too many people though. Dakota isn’t a huge fan of people, and I convinced him to let some of you assholes come over to his house after, to try out the new firepit.”
“Holy shit,” Jackson says, and I clench up tight because I already know what’s coming by the amused, overjoyous expression he’s wearing on his stupid face. “Gabe’s in looooove!”
The rest of the guys chuckle, and I sigh heavily before walking toward the exit, waving a middle finger at them all on the way out.
