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“What?”
“To have feelings for my sister.”
I scowl. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re friends. She loves annoying me. I love harassing her. Friends.”
“Okay. Whatever you say. But when you’re ready to admit it to yourself, I’m fully supportive. Better you than that hotshot lawyer who’s been fawning over her at the office.”
“Mitch? She has no aspirations about Mitch. Besides, he’s found his soul mate in a feisty cop.”
“I just want you to know. That’s all.”
I think about it for a moment. “I’ll admit, I think about going there every now and then. But I won’t. I can’t. She has a policy. No cops and no lawyers. Which is a good policy. She doesn’t need to be worrying every night if her guy is coming home.”
He points at me. “You are a coward. And you’re lying to yourself. You agreed to go to the ten-year class reunion for the class two years behind us. We skipped ours and went fishing. You wouldn’t do that with an annoying friend. You wouldn’t have even done it for Allyssa a year ago. Something’s changed.”
I push the plate toward him. “Have another hot wing and change the subject.”
When the guys start cheering and whistling again, I look to see what’s going on now. Several of the men are wheeling a big cake toward me. But it’s not a real cake, it’s the type of cake that a person would jump out of. I shake my head and Tom holds up his hand, then removes the top. Inside the cake are six puppies.
Tom gathers up four of them and brings them to me.
“Don’t make me pull my concealed weapon, Tom.”
Mark laughs and takes out his phone. “You like puppies. Just pose for one picture, Link.”
“I like Rosie. That doesn’t mean I like all puppies.”
Tom hands the puppies to me and someone else brings the other two. They are wiggling and trying to lick me, while Mark holds up his phone. “Okay, smile!”
I scowl at the camera. “Do not send that to Allyssa.” I gather up the puppies and put them back in the cake.
He grins. “Oh, I’m definitely sending this to Allyssa.” I try to grab his phone, but he gets to his feet and moves away from me long enough to text the picture. Then he returns to the table and sits. “I’m going to make this my wallpaper image.”
“You just lost any shot you had at being my best man.”
“Totally worth it, man.” He gets a notification on his phone and he laughs at whatever Allyssa’s response was.
I pick up my glass. “I’ll get you back one day.”
Mark laughs. “Again, totally worth it.”
Mark and I finish off the appetizer plate, then go to the pool table. We’ve been playing pool together since high school. We’re both pretty good and we never know who’s going to win.
He racks up the balls and looks at me. “Care to make a little wager?”
“No. I’m done with wagering.”
“Come on. Just one more.”
I break the balls and sink three balls before I miss a shot. “What’d you have in mind?”
“I bet one hundred dollars that you and Allyssa will become Link and Allyssa before the year is out.”
“Payable on New Year’s Eve?”
“Sure. What do you say?”
I go to him and shake his hand. “I say, I’m going to have a very pleasant New Year’s Eve paid for by you.”
