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“Well, bring ’em by. I’ll spoil them all.” His gaze strayed behind me. “You’re on, bro.”
I stood like I had been raised by a mother who cared about manners. Emery was at the door, scanning the place for me. I stole a second to soak her in. This woman was here for me, and that was a thought I hadn’t experienced for a long time.
I ditched the guys and went to her. When she saw me, relief filled her features and she started toward me. I’d seen her in yoga pants and leggings, then there were her scrubs, but tonight she was in jeans that hugged her curves and ankle boots. She wore the same fleece jacket from the other night with a simple striped top underneath. Tonight was the first night I’d seen her hair down in smooth waves just below her shoulders. She was casual, but classy.
I liked it.
What the hell was wrong with her ex? I had disliked him for what he was putting her through, and I couldn’t understand how a guy could ditch four kids, but tonight I could see he was just plain an idiot.
“You look good.” I almost—almost—pressed a kiss to her cheek. I wanted to, but neither of us was ready for that. Tonight was going to get the town talking as it was.
“Thanks. Uh, you too.”
“Oh, this old thang?” I said with a twang.
She laughed. I was dressed the same as I was the night we first met. In fact, I was wearing the same damn clothes. Not that I was superstitious. But it couldn’t hurt.
I led her through the restaurant, my hand hovering over the small of her back, and nodded at Archer and Laney, not missing the way they exchanged glances that saidI knew it.
I even pulled out her seat. It was something I hadn’t done in forever, a throwback from the one real relationship I’d been in. The outcome of it had put a damper on my mood. I pushed it out of my mind. Tonight wasn’t about the past for either of us. “You know Stetson. Remington is one of the owners of Rattler’s and also the chef.”
“Right. The chicken parm you brought to the clinic was amazing.”
Remington’s grin was full of confidence. He knew he was a good chef, but he never acted tired of the compliments. “Thanks.”
“Ready for the game tomorrow?” she asked Stetson as soon as she sat.
We talked about the upcoming game and how practices were going. Remington excused himself so he could help in the kitchen. I was enjoying the night. This was meant to be an easing into whatever was between me and Emery. It was a way to get me to slow down and take a hard look at what I was doing.
I liked her. I’d already fucked her. Usually, that would be the end of it, unless both me and the woman wanted nothing but another release later. Not quite friends with benefits, but not exactly fuck buddies. Neither felt appropriate when it came to Emery.
I had built a good life after the devastation I’d been through years ago. Was I willing to get more serious, and would it be with a woman with kids?
A shadow towered over us. “Ya eat yet?” Colt grunted. He yanked a chair out and dropped into it.
Emery’s eyes flared. Colt usually got that reaction. Rough around the edges was an understatement. Colt didn’t waste words, and he didn’t waste energy on speaking. Combine that with being tall and built like he could throw round bales instead of the small square ones, and he either terrified the ladies or intrigued them so much their clothes fell off as soon as he was alone with them.
He always kept a beard of some sort. He’d worked for Mom long enough that I knew his beard care routine. Shorter and trimmed in the summer. Longer, with an unkempt fuck-it look, in the winter. He was a little older than Stetson, old enough that when I moved home and met him, I thought he’d be just another boyfriend that would stomp out of my life after Mom pissed him off. But I’d never gotten the vibe there was anything more between the two other than mutual respect, which kept my life cringe-free.
“Are you hungry?” I asked Emery. She’d had one Bud Light and that was it. This wasn’t supposed to be a date, but I didn’t want her to leave hungry.
“Mind if I look at the menu?”
I slid it over. “Anything Alfredo is amazing. One of the owners, Shawn, makes the best you’ll ever taste.”
“Sounds like I need to try it and find out. It’ll be nice to have something I didn’t make or that doesn’t come out of a drive-through. Chicken or steak?” Her eyes twinkled when she looked at me. “I probably don’t need to ask the beef farmer that.”
I chuckled. “As long as it’s meat, I’m not picky, but the steak here is second to none. If I couldn’t grill, I’d be here every night to have it.”
Her smile was pleased. “I don’t grill, so steak it is.”
Colt arched a dark brow as he looked between us. My body was angled toward Emery and I was helping her decide what to eat. He’d been with me plenty of times, here, at the other bar in town, and in Crocus Valley. This wasn’t how I picked up women. Usually, I didn’t pick them up, and if they asked me what they should order, I made some comments. I wasn’t bent over the menu, helping them fucking decide.
Colt exchanged a look with Stetson as if they couldn’t believe what they saw. I straightened in my chair and scowled at my beer.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d be chasing this divorced mother of four who didn’t want a relationship and it’d end in my heartbreak. It’d end with me wondering how the hell else I thought this would turn out. It’d just plain end, and that had devastated me before, had ended so badly that I had written relationships off.
This was moving too fast, and it was my fault.
