They did, as they discovered over the rest of the time it took them to eat. Not many, since their parents had different circles of friends and went to different churches, which often made the difference in the who-knew-who game. But it was a light, engaging conversation and by the time she pushed her almost-empty plate away, Cait was feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time.
“I’m glad you stopped by this morning,” Gavin said after wiping his mouth with a napkin and tossing it onto his plate. “Good food. Good company. Not a bad way to start the day.”
“I agree.” She reached for the check sitting on the edge of the table, but he was faster. “Gavin, I invited you. Hand it over.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“That’s exactly how it works. I invited you, so you’re my guest and it’s my treat.” She reached across the table and held out her hand.
“I was raised to be a gentleman.”
“Which means respecting the lady’s wishes.”
After a few more seconds, he handed over the check and grinned. “You’ve got me there.”
She liked that he didn’t push the issue and insist on paying just because he was the man. And she knew this was the perfect opening for something off-the-cuff likeyou can get it next time, to let him know she wouldn’t mind doing it again. But she chickened out and then the moment passed.
Once they reached the sidewalk, she realized they were leaving in opposite directions. “Thanks for letting me buy you apology bacon.”
“Thank you for breakfast. And I’m glad we cleared the air.” He tucked his hands in his pockets, lifting a shoulder against the cold breeze. “You know, you should go to Kincaid’s Pub sometime. I think you’d like it.”
“I’d like to. I’ve heard a lot about it.” She wasn’t sure if he was hinting around that he’d like to meet her there for a drink or not, but she found herself hoping he was.
“Shoot me a text and I’ll meet you there if I’m free.”
And that answered that.
“Sounds good. See you around,” she said, with a smile on her face, and then she turned and walked away before the disappointment could show through.
* * *
“What’s up with you and that EMT?”
Gavin didn’t answer for a few seconds, trying to decide how to play it. Grant had become his best friend, so he wanted to be honest with him, but if Gavin opened that door even a crack, Grant was going to barge right through it.
It was Friday, and he hadn’t talked to Cait since Tuesday, but he’d sure thought about her a lot. And done a lot of kicking himself in the ass for not having a way to contact her.
He hadn’t been able to judge whether she’d enjoyed the breakfast as much as he had. He thought she had, but there was a chance she’d see it merely as what she’d said it was—apology bacon. And because of that possibility, he hadn’t come up with a smooth way to get her number. There were other ways he could get it, he was sure. They had some contacts in common. But that would make people ask questions, and it wouldn’t be cool. If she wanted him to have her info, she’d give it to him herself.
In the meantime, he was left thinking about how badly he’d screwed up his shot.
“What makes you think anything’s up?” he asked, since Grant was still waiting for an answer.
“I saw the way you two looked at each other the other day, when she was on standby.” Grant snorted. “I was waiting for the flashover.”
Gavin definitely didn’t know what to say to that. He could barely admit to himself that the lingering eye contact with Cait had felt like imminent flashover—when a room got so hot everything burst into flames—so he didn’t like knowing others could actually see the simmering chemistry between them.
“Just ask her out already,” Grant pushed. “If there’s something there, go with it. If not, as least I won’t feel like I need to carry a fire extinguisher with me if I’m going to be around the two of you.”
“I tried,” he finally confessed. “I blew it.”
“What?You?You never blow it.”
“Bullshit. But I told her she should stop by the pub and text me so I could meet her there.”
“Good plan. Kind of a date, but not so obvious it’s awkward if she’s not interested. Ball’s in her court.”
“Yeah. But what I actually said was I could meet her thereif I’m free.”
