AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When he arrived at their condo, Ralph barked, crying happiness to see him, and it moved Devon, his soft spot for dogs evident at times like this. “Buddy, you just saw the man last Saturday,” Mike said, patting Ralph on the head. “Note that he isn’t jumping on you. We’re making headway.”
“Good old dog,” Devon whispered, scratching Ralph’s cheeks.
“Come in!” Aisling said, walking out to greet him. He handed her the roses and she stood on tippy-toes to kiss his cheek while Mike looked on approvingly. “We can have cocktails on the terrace while the garlic bread bakes.”
“Yum, it smells wonderful in here,” Devon said. “What’s for dinner?”
“Chicken parm with spaghetti,” Mike said. “My woman knows the way to her man’s heart is through his stomach.”
“Oh, yuck, Mike, no offense,” Aisling said, laughing.
“I know, it is gross,” he answered. “She’d have my heart even if she never cooked.”
“Don’t say that too loud,” Aisling replied. “Anyway, what will you have? Beer?”
“A beer is great,” Devon said.
“I have beer outside,” Mike said. “Follow me.”
The development was on a green space, and the patio overlooked the trails where Aisling and Ralph had hiked that morning. For being a center unit, their outdoor area was fairly private as long as they kept their voices down. A small outdoor kitchen, including a beverage refrigerator that Mike had installed after he moved in, was to the left, and a firepit was to the right, surrounded by comfortable seating.
“You need a firepit,” Mike said. “You’ve got the pool and the view. A firepit would round out the deal.”
“I’m afraid of fire up there,” Devon said. “I mean real fire.”
“Right, I forgot about that. It would be difficult to get out with just the one road. Forget the firepit.”
He popped the top on a bottle of beer, handing it to Devon. Aisling walked out at the same time with a tray of cheese and pepperoni. “I overestimated the time for the bread. We can eat as soon as you’re done with your beer.”
“I’m ready,” Mike said. “Beer is perfect with your chicken parm. It will be like we took a trip to Italy tonight.”
“Well, Little Italy anyway,” Aisling said, laughing and picking the tray up again. “But thank you, honey.”
They leaned in to kiss while Devon smiled at their affection for each other. His friends were just cute.
“So Lila came over this afternoon,” Devon told them on the way to the dining room. “She asked again if we had anyone to fix her up with.”
“Lila’s too old for anyone we know at the station,” Mike said. “Why doesn’t she go on a dating site?”
“I’ll suggest that,” Devon said, pulling Aisling’s chair out.
She’d dished food up on plates in the kitchen and brought them out along with a basket of hot garlic bread.
“Online dating is too scary,” she said. “I don’t blame her. They say the best way to meet someone is through friends, and I agree. Where would I be if friends hadn’t introduced us?”
“That’s true,” Mike said, taking a plate from her. “I’ll always be grateful to you, Devon. I wouldn’t have gone to that party if you hadn’t insisted.”
“I didn’t want to go alone,” he answered. “You were always my date in high school.”
“You saved my life, bro,” Mike said. “Aisling, let me tell you the story.”
“You two are too funny,” Aisling said.
She’d heard the story a million times.
Chapter 2
“Hey, Saint, get your ass back on the track and give me a mile before everyone has to run eight more laps!”
