Page 51 of The Friendship Pact

“In good shape. Just finished cleaning up the shoulders and back roads.”

“Thanks, guys, for keeping us safe on the roads,” Cole said.

The men nodded and took a seat at the opposite end of the bar.

Cole took a swig of his beer. “So, when are you going to take Dad’s advice?”

“Advice?”

“You know. Tell Kate how you feel. Ask her to the wedding.”

As far as Nick could tell, and regardless of his growing feelings toward her, Kate had showed little interest in him other than as friends. When she kissed him in her drunken state, she could have been thinking of her ex for all he knew.

Spencer returned, interrupting his thoughts. “You two want to order food?”

“Yeah, I’ll take the rodeo burger,” Nick said. “Put Cole’s on my tab.”

“Avoiding my question, Nick?” Cole said.

Spencer, with pen poised, looked between them. “Order, Cole,” Nick demanded.

Cole’s lips turned upward in a knowing smirk, and he ordered. “Bacon blue basket with onion rings.”

“Anything else?”

Cole held up his empty glass. “Another one. Someone must have drunk it while I wasn’t looking.”

Spencer grinned, and Nick suppressed an eye roll.

“Well?” Cole said to his brother.

“We made a pact,” Nick said.

He looked his brother in the face. “A what?”

Spencer placed another pint in front of Cole and refilled Nick’s water.

Nick had told no one about the friendship pact, and he felt stupid saying it out loud. He waited until Spencer was out of earshot. “Neither of us wanted a relationship, so we formed a friendship pact.”

“Why on earth would you do that? Kate’s gorgeous and sweet. I don’t think you could do better.”

Nick shrugged and lifted his glass to his lips. “Kate had just ended a long-term relationship, and I didn’t want to get involved.”

“But now?”

“Now . . . I’m thinking it’s time to end the pact.”

“Good. Scoop her up before someone else does.”

“What about you? You’re giving me advice, yet your love life isn’t exactly noteworthy.”

Cole shrugged. “No one I’m interested in. Besides, you snatched up the new girl in town before anyone else could.”

Nick couldn’t help but smile. He had, hadn’t he. At least he still had it.

The brisk air from the opened door made Nick and Cole turn to see Kate and Mayor Benson walk in together. Kate laughed at something the mayor said. When the mayor caught Nick’s eye, he placed a hand on Kate’s lower back and whispered in her ear, causing her to laugh again.

Nick turned back to the bar and focused on the football game. He couldn’t stomach the idea of Kate and Morty. Maybe he didn’t have “it” after all.