“I’m glad to hear it.” He turns and starts for the door.
I am irrationally sad over the thought of him leaving. Stupid beer. “You don’t have to go yet.”
His eyes find mine, holding for a beat too long. Heat spills through my stomach, spreading. “I should get to bed.”
I have a bed.
Okay. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that those words didn’t accidentally slip out? “Yeah. Of course.”
“Thanks for the beer and the pep talk.”
“Thank you for keeping me company.” He’s fun to hang out with. Probably too fun, all things considered.
“Are you kidding? This is the first time you’ve invited me since you moved in. I wasn’t going to say no.”
“That’s not true. You were here for steak the other day.”
“Because I weaseled my way into eating half your dinner.”
Good point. “What about when you fixed my thermostat?”
“You mean when I convinced you to make me crab cakes?”
“That’s right! What is it with you and food?”
“I’m a southern boy whose heart is right here.” He pats his stomach. His very flat stomach.
Moving on…
Elliott catches the door. “See ya, Harry.”
“Goodnight, Elliott.
CHAPTER 26
LOREN
MEG
When you get here, just know I didn’t have a choice
“Who’s ready to—”I was about to say bowl, but the woman standing next to Meg at the rental counter stole the words right out of my mouth.
What the heck is Rebecca doing here? Not that I’m not happy to see her, but I also need her to like me, and I tend to overshare when drinking.
Not the best idea when you’ve been accidentally sleeping with your boss’s boyfriend.
I could just not drink but to be honest, the whole reason I’m here is for the one-dollar beers and chats.
“Hey, Loren.” Meg sweeps past Rebecca, clutching her rental shoes under her arm. As if she can hear me silently freaking out, she quickly adds, “Rebecca and I ran into each other after work and started talking, then our Wednesday-night ritual came up and I asked if she’d like to join us for bowling.”
Something in her tone tells me there’s more, but I’ll have to wait to hear it because Rebecca is coming up to us with a pair of shoes dangling from her hands “Hey, Loren. I hope you don’t mind me crashing your party.”
“Not at all.” Looks like Harry Great Pipes is going dry this evening. Probably for the best, considering the last few weeks I’ve put down. “Did Meg explain the rules?”
“The rules for bowling?”
“No. For girl’s night. First four frames are for bitching. After that, we’re only allowed to be positive so we end the night on a high.”
