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“Been longer than that, I would guess,” Everett said. When I didn’t respond, he nodded. “Yup. Just like I thought.”
“Why don’t you just ask her out?” Deacon asked. “After that display at dinner, I thought you were as good as hooked up.”
“Yeah,” Everett said, “me too. What’s up, man? Seriously. No bullshit. What’s the holdup?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Just, I like to take my time with certain things. Feel them out.”
“Uh-huh,” Deacon said with a grin.
“Not like that,” I said. “I mean, I like her a lot. A lot. As a friend, you know? I don’t want to ruin that by asking her out and her not being into it or something.”
“Not being into it?” Everett repeated. “Are you serious? She is in la-la land over you. We both can see it. The two of you make eyes at each other all the time. If you asked her, she’d say yes in a heartbeat.”
“C’mon, Carter,” Deacon said. “You’ve got balls of steel. We both know that. What’s holding you back now? She’s into you, dude. Go for it.”
“I will,” I said. “I already have plans to. I just need to go at my own pace. It isn’t like everything else. Not this.”
“Alright, if you say so,” Deacon said. “But you need to do it before him or I do it for you.”
“If you do, then you’re dead men, both of you,” I said.
“Then man the fuck up,” Everett responded. “You aren’t getting any younger, hombre.”
“Hombre?”
“Trying something new,” he said, disregarding me completely. “Shit, you got what, ten years on her? Ask her out before you hit forty and she finds some other dude who won’t need a hip replacement within the decade.”
“The hip replacement won’t be because I’m old,” I said. “It’s because I bothered to save your useless ass.”
“Ooh,” Deacon said, laughing. “Going for the jugular.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Everett said. “Keep on holding on to the glory days when you had cajones. Meanwhile, you’re terrified to ask a girl out who is practically wearing a sign on her forehead with her phone number every day.”
“You really think she’s into me?” I asked.
“Yes,” they both said in unison. Emphatically.
“Alright, back to work,” I said. “I’ll ask her out. Okay?”
“Today,” Deacon said. “Do it today.”
“Maybe,” I said.
We went back to work, thankfully avoiding the topic again. Not that it ever left my mind.
They were right. I needed to man up and ask her out before she got bored and found someone who would. I also didn’t put it past them to ask her out for me.
Grabbing her hand at the restaurant was a test. It was a chance to see how she would react She gripped it tight and seemed to fall right into the act of pretending to be a couple. How much of that was because her ex was there, I didn’t know, but it certainly felt genuine. There was only one way to find out for sure.
When I made it back to the office, Lauren was still there, finishing up some stuff on the computer and casually watching a show on the television. She apparently didn’t expect to see me so early, but she didn’t look upset about it. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and I came in with a plan. One that would finally get the boys off my back and see where all this was going.
“Wanted to beat the rush home, huh?” she asked as I sat down my tool belt and went into the kitchen area to grab a water.
“Something like that,” I said. “Actually, the reason I left early was because I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Uh-oh. I’m not getting fired already, am I?”
She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes to show me that she wasn’t serious. It was adorable, and I shook my head as I laughed and then drank about half the water bottle in one go. I was extremely thirsty all of a sudden, like I had a mouth full of cotton.
“No, nothing like that,” I said. “I was actually wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner.”
“Oh, again? Do I need to get us all reservations?”
“No,” I said. “Not all of us. Just you and me. A date.”
“A date?” she asked, a grin stretching her lips.
“A date. As long as that’s okay with you.”
“I would love that,” she said, her voice softer, like she was having trouble getting her breath in. I could relate.
“Good. How about tomorrow night?”
“Sounds great.” She was still grinning, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Perfect. I’ll text you tomorrow with the time I’ll pick you up.”
“I look forward to it,” she said, packing her things. “See you tomorrow, then.”
“See you tomorrow. I’ll lock up.”
She waved, still smiling, and walked out of the door as I headed back to my office. I needed to get my things together and get out of there too. The last thing I wanted was the boys to come back to the office and catch me there. I didn’t feel like answering their questions just yet.
