“I was.”
“And?”
“Took her home. She has an early morning.”
He studies me. “And?”
“Aileen was great.”
“She’s great.” He produces the patience of a man counting very slowly in his head. “Then why are you here?”
“Told you,” I say, trying to find the same patience in me too. Jesus Christ, does he need me to spell this out for him? “She’s got an early morning. And I’m hanging out.”
“You seeing her again?”
“No.” My reply comes automatically.
He opens his mouth, takes one look at my face, and closes it again. He nods once, not fully convinced, but he lets it drop. I appreciate that more than I’ll ever say.
“Supernatural?” I ask.
His whole face lights up before I’m ready for it. That smile, the wide one he gives out only when he’s truly happy about something, is rarely seen. I’ve been friends with him a long time, and I’ve seen all the other versions. I’ve watched him flip the switch in a room, turn the charm on, making everyone in the room believe they’re the one he came to see. This one slips out when something hits for real, taking over his whole face before he remembers to control it. The fact that I can tell the difference now is irritating as hell.
“Yeah,” he says. “Definitely. I’ve got beer.”
“Give me a minute.”
I head back out to the truck for the beers I left on the back seat, but once I get there, I just stand in the parking lot with the door open and my hand braced against the frame.
The air’s cold enough to sting my lungs.
I was probably meant to see through more of what would happen with Aileen. That wasn’t always the routine, when my grumpy ass can’t hold on to relationships for more than a few months.
Trevor brought her up a few days after he got back from his honeymoon. He had that look, trying to play it casual while lining everything up. He gave me her name and three reasons why we would work. I usually let him talk himself out, let it sit for a week before I say yes to anything. This time, I said yes before he finished. He looked surprised, and so did I. I think I was trying to get out of my own head after Azure Tides, trying to prove something to myself.
Trevor’s been on my case for years. He found his person, and now he wants everyone else to have the same thing. It’s kind of annoying, sure, but I can tell it comes from a good place. He knows better than to act like it’s my top priority, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. As he always says, that’s what stepbrothers are for.
I grab the beer and go back inside.
Here’s what I’m not going to say to Lance tonight or any other time: the date was more than fine.
For once, I actually thought Trevor got it right. Coasterra was a solid choice, the view from the terrace at that hour makes the whole evening feel like it’s building toward something promising. Aileen was sharp, easy to talk to, asked proper questions about the shop and listened when I answered. She showed up ready for it.
I fucking didn’t, even though she’s probably the kind of person I should want to see again.
The food came. The conversation wasn’t bad. We bitched about bureaucracy, shitty regulations, and the satisfaction of fixing things that other people fucked up. She made me laugh twice, which is more than most people manage.
I kept trying to pull my attention back to Aileen. She deserved that much. Then I saw Lance across the restaurant, sprawled at the bar with his friends, and the whole night went off-center. Any plan I had to keep him out of my head for one goddamn night went straight out the window.
I needed a minute, told Aileen I was hitting the restroom. Splashed cold water on my face and tried to talk some sense into myself.
I stepped out and stopped short. Lance was right there, looking too delicious, standing outside the bathroom door like forty feet across the restaurant hadn’t been torture enough.
For a second, I considered doing the smart thing—nodding at him, stepping past, going back to my table like a man with some self-control left.
Then we ended up trapped in that small space, his body caging me in as we moved out of other people’s way. I was so close to reversing us, pinning him to the wall with both hands and taking what I wanted.
I didn’t. But fuck, it was close.
