Page 24

Damn.

I crossed toward the sliding glass door. Through the glass, I could see the two of them out on the deck; Adam and Drake, each with a beer in hand, standing over my grill like a couple of generals studying a map. Drake was gesturing at the grates with his bottle, making some kind of point, and Adam was nodding in the slow, thoughtful way he had, actually listening rather than just waiting to talk.

Wasn’t that an attractive trait?

Down girl.

Whatever they were discussing, it wasn't sports. The body language was too deliberate for that, too back-and-forth. Drake leaned against the deck railing and said something. Adam tilted his head, considered, and answered. Drake laughed, a real one, short and surprised, the kind that got out before he could help it.

I put my hand on the door handle and slid it open.

“Zoe! Look at you. You look great today. I was worried, yesterday you looked like crap. You have to be feeling better.” Drake pulled me into a gentle hug. Despite the fact he was twice my size, his hug was light as a feather. I hugged him back tight, even though he’d just told me the truth.

I pulled back so I could look at him. “I thought you were on kid duty today. Where are they?”

“One of Karen’s brothers came down from Alaska for a visit. He’s sucking up all of the oxygen in the house, so I bailed.”

“Which brother?”

“How should I know, they all look alike.”

“Is it the lumberjack, the fisherman, or the sheriff?”

“Aw, hell, Zoe. Don’t hit me with twenty questions, that’s just not fair. And what’s more, None of them are fishermen or lumberjacks anymore.”

I loved seeing Drake pout, but I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Adam who was clearly enjoying our banter.

“They’re your brothers-in-law, you should know their names.”

“Tom, Dick, and Harry.”

I pushed at his chest. Hard. He stepped back, only to humor me. I went over to Adam and smiled. “Making yourself at home, huh, Beckett?”

“That was your offer.” He smiled and I took note of the laugh lines around his eyes.

“I’m amazed that Angelica and Drake didn’t manage to scare you off.”

“Are you kidding me? Angelica told me she was planted here for the next two months between projects. I already got her telephone number.”

Something sour twisted in my stomach. Of course he got my beautiful friend’s phone number. Adam must have caught some kind of hurt in my expression, even though I could swear I was hiding it.

“She offered to babysit James for me.”

“Oh.” With one little sentence, my world righted.

“After all, when we finally get to go out somewhere, wouldn’t it be nice if it were just the two of us?”

Just the two… Holy hell.

He’d met the movie star. Meanwhile, he’d seen me at my absolute worst. And he wanted to go out with me!

“The burgers are going to burn,” Drake interrupted.

“The burgers are fine,” Adam contradicted. “Find out if Angelica wants cheese on hers.”

Drake chuckled. “Will do.” He went inside.

“So, what about it? Are you up for going out on a date? We never really had much of a chance to talk.”