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Ten
DELILAH
They’d told me not to overdress, and they certainly weren’t kidding. The ‘restaurant’ wasn’t a restaurant at all, but the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company. The tables were nothing but long, lacquered wood planks, and the chairs were stained with the spillage of a thousand beers, much like the flight of multi-colored lagers and pilsners set out before us.
But damn, if this place wasn’t right up my alley.
“You want a burger?”
They’d hugged me tightly upon greeting me at the door, each of them squeezing me just a little bit more than the last. It was like a competition to them. I had a feeling a lot of things were.
“What are my other options?”
“Well, you can have a kickass burger or one of those amazing-smelling pretzels,” said Liam, pointing to a dish at another table. “They’ve also got some sort of salad here, but it has raisins in it and it looks like ass.”
“A raisin-ass salad, huh?” I smirked.
“That’s right.”
“I think I’ll take a burger, then.”
“Good choice,” Duncan chuckled, pushing the flight of beers my way. “Because that’s what we ordered you.”
The invitation had come about a week after our last meeting, starting with a cryptic text-message from out of nowhere:
HI AGAIN DELILAH! WE HAVE A PROPOSITION FOR YOU.
That was it; no other explanation. When I called them back, they gave me little in the way of details. I was told “they” were taking me on a date to discuss things, which I assumed meant all three of them.
To tell the truth, I was excited as much as I was disappointed. I hadn’t been on an actual date in almost forever, but this wasn’t a date so much as it was, well, a proposition apparently.
“So where are the little angels?” I asked, taking my first sip of the center-most beer.
“Mrs. Whitney has them,” answered Liam. He went on to explain a little about the nice old lady from two houses down who’d been known to watch the twins in a pinch.
“Wow, so… dads’ night out for you guys,” I quipped. “You must be psyched.”
“More than you know,” sighed Duncan, grabbing one of the darker brews. He drained half the glass in one quick pull. In his defense though, they were only half-pint sample glasses.
“Thanks so much for driving out here,” said Liam.
“Again,” I added slyly.
“Yeah,” he laughed. “Again.”
“It’s okay,” I told them. “After all, I still haven’t given back your jacket.”
Across the table, Julius still hadn’t said anything. He eyed me skeptically, his piercing blue eyes looking almost designed to cut through bullshit.
“Did you bring it this time?” he asked.
“No,” I admitted. “I left it home.”
“Saving it so you get a third date,” Duncan raised his glass. “Smart.”
“So is that what this is?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “A date?”
I’d worn a casual red dress that set off the fire-opal pendant I’d chosen to dangle around my neck. It showed cleavage but nottoomuch cleavage, although the pendant did wonders for drawing eyes to my chest.
