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“Shit, that sucks. Are they going to buy you a new one?” Matthew asks.
“Nah. It was an accident, so it’s no big deal.” My lips curve at the memory of Sam’s smile.
“What are you smiling about? Twenty minutes ago, we could barely get your mouth to quirk,” Nolan presses. He lifts his finger like he’s going to poke my mouth, but I slap his hand away.
My lips turn down while my head shakes in denial. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Adam narrows his eyes at me while Nolan and Matthew stare at me in disbelief. I look away from their probing stares and see Sam standing at the bar next to a couple of other guys. He scans the room, and when he makes eye contact with me, he smiles.
“Ooohhhh. I get it now.” Nolan’s glee couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. “Go talk to him.” He shoves me.
I swat Nolan’s hand away from me. “Stop that. I’m not going over there.”
“Why the fuck not?” Matthew protests.
“Because I’m here with you guys.”
“That’s a cop-out if I’ve ever heard one,” Adam says. I exhale an irritated sigh. I don’t do this stuff around them. I’ve never flirted with a guy while my brothers were around. It always felt too awkward. And I’m not even sure Sam is gay. He looks at me with attraction in his eyes, but I never get my hopes up before I confirm where someone sits on the rainbow.
“Please let me be your wingman. I’ve dreamt of this day my whole fucking life. Please, Carter? Please?”
I look at Nolan with disapproval. “That’s dramatic. And no.”
“Why not?” he presses.
“Because I don’t need a wingman.”
“You need a wingman more than I’ve ever seen any guy need a wingman.”
“Stop saying wingman. Jesus. Fine. We can go over there,” I acquiesce. I will never tell Nolan that I need him to give me the courage to walk over there. He’d hold it over my head for fucking ever.
“Yes!” Nolan fist pumps the air.
“Don’t ever do that again.” I stand from my chair and look over at Sam. He smiles at me again, and my stomach flips. Why can’t I be as outgoing as Nolan? Being introverted has always been a detriment for me. I’ve attempted multiple things over the years to become less of a homebody, and not a single one of them worked.
It’s one of the many reasons Chase would get mad at me. I thought I was free from his constant scrutiny after he broke up with me, but apparently, he’s not done messing with me yet. And I hate that I can’t seem to push him away for good. Confrontation makes my skin crawl.
Nolan walks next to me, his shoulders relaxed while mine are tighter than a drum.
“Hey, guys, welcome to O’Malley’s. I’m Nolan. I run this place when I’m sober. This is my brother, Carter.” Nolan holds his hand out to shake Sam’s hand first and then the other two guys he’s with. They introduce themselves as Taylor and Brody, and I shake their hands after Nolan.
“Taylor is our paramedic, and Brody works for the SFD with me,” Sam explains. Brody is about as tall as Sam, with messy brown hair and a happy-go-lucky smile on his face. Taylor, on the other hand, is a baby-faced blond. He’s adorable.
“Ohhh, you guys are firefighters? Do you know Tucker James?” Nolan asks.
“Yeah.” Sam smiles at me. “Tucker is our captain.”
“What a small fucking world.” Nolan nods his head repeatedly. His dopey smile showcases just how drunk he is, and I can’t help but laugh at him.
“Can I buy you a drink? It’s the least I owe you for your phone,” Sam offers.
“It’s not a big deal, really. Just the screen is cracked. I can fix it when I get home.”
Sam’s eyebrows raise at that. “You’ll fix it yourself?”
“Our Carter here is the brainiac of the Ellis clan. He’s so fucking smart it’s scary.”
“Scary is a bit strong,” I mumble.
