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“Honestly, I could eat this place out of business. I’m going for the Hungry Surfer’s breakfast.”
“Same here, buddy,” he says, sliding the menu to the middle of the table before leaning back against the seat and resting his head against his folded hands.
Almost on cue Nadine sashays back to our table. “You boys ready to order?”
Collin devours her from head to toe before answering. “That we are. My friend and I both worked up quite the appetite—if you know what I mean—and only the Hungry Surfer’s plate will do.”
“Mmmm,” she purrs. “Tall and strapping men like you need to replenish for sure.”
This girl is so obvious it’s not even funny anymore.
Once again I jump in to make sure we keep this to food and nothing more. “What’s your freshly squeezed juice of the day?”
Collin gives me an unimpressed look. I ignore him.
Nadine turns around to look at the blackboard and I follow her gaze. “They’re all really good, but personally I’d go for the guanabana. It’s my favorite. Oh, look, one of my colleagues just prepared a fresh batch,” she says, pointing her finger.
I take in the tall glass of cloudy liquid, already excited. “Perfect. I’ll have that and can I also get an extra-hot, tall latte with a double shot of espresso to start?”
I barely have time to place my order before the eager blonde turns her attention to my friend. “Are you also going to have the same beverages?”
“I’ll skip the juice and go for an extra-tall latte with a single shot of espresso,” Collin says. “If I have two shots, I’ll be way too wired up. Then I’ll have no choice but to find something to calm me down. You know, take away the edge.”
“I’m sure I could help with that.”
Here we go again.“Nadine, it’s been a long night and I’m in desperate need of caffeine. I’m sure I must come across like an asshole, but if I don’t put coffee into my system in the next few minutes I might bite someone’s head off,” I huff.
I guess my annoyance comes through loud and clear. Our waitress straightens her shoulders like a cadet and looks at me apologetically. “Sorry about that. I’m on it.” She heads to the coffee bar to place our order.
Jeez.Why do I detect a sexual innuendo to everything she says?
I follow Nadine as she weaves her way through the tables, still amazed by her boldness. She’s exactly Collin’s type—uncomplicated and unlikely to expect more than one night. Then again, in many ways she’s also my type since I’ve been back in LA. That said, I much prefer women who don’t have to hide behind inches of makeup... especially this early in the morning. Don’t hold last night against me. I was wasted.
I’m still lost in my thoughts when Collin’s comment snaps me back to the moment. “We got really lucky with those women and we’re paying the price today. I’m hoping a shot of dark goodness will bring some life back into me.”
Last night we hit a bar where the ratio was ridiculously in our favor. Maybe it’s because it was a rare rainy Thursday night, but there were plenty of single women and few men. Collin couldn’t decide amongst the three friends vying for his attention, so he proposed to do all three at the same time and none of the women objected.
“Sounds like you’re tired,” I say in my best Scottish accent, pulling my lips down in a sad frown. “I doubt very much one cup will do.” I grin, digging deeper.
“You’re fucking hilarious in the morning, you know that, Evans?”
I met Collin and his older brother Shane my first week of school out here. He and his brother are only a year apart, but you’d swear they were twins because they share such a tight bond.
When I turned sixteen, I moved from Phoenix to LA to live with my father and my new stepmother. I had a major attitude problem and since I already towered over my mother at six feet tall, she decided to send me to live with someone she knew I’d respect and who was much taller than I was. My mom is barely five-one while Dad stands six feet six inches tall.
The big chip I was carrying on my shoulder at the time is how I ended up being friends with the Dennison brothers. Collin and Shane’s parents left Scotland and moved to Washington, DC when the patriarch, a college physics professor, decided to leave his cold and dreary country. After a few years in the nation’s capital, the Dennison boys ended up in Cali when their dad got a job at the University of California. Interesting coincidence since my dad was also a professor at UCLA.
During their first year in high school Collin and Shane got teased a lot for their accent. My best friend Jake and I were always there to fight off the bullies. The experience stayed with Collin since Jake and I weren’t always able to intervene before he got hit. He was determined to become as American as possible. Several years of voice coaching and a former career as a teen actor have considerably softened his accent, but when he’s tired, like he is now, you can hear the Sean Connery in him coming out loud and clear.
“Jake and I decided I’d come to Los Angeles to expand our business in Cali and you’ve been a really bad influence on me.” I try damn hard, but it’s impossible for me to keep a straight face.
“No, I haven’t. You’re the one who’s always complaining there’s little action on that godforsaken ranch of yours in small town Summerville. I’m just helping you get some. Your best friend and business partner needs to chill. We’re not all in love like he is.” Collin grimaces. I think the guy would rather get eaten by sharks than consider being monogamous. “Thank God, right?” He flashes me a devilish smile.
As much as I try to convince myself to be good and stay home once in a while, there are too many temptations in the City of Angels. Not to mention hanging out with Collin Dennison doesn’t help. If anything, this guy pushes me to explore every single one of my feral urges. No wonder the song Bad to the Bone is his anthem. Fucker.
“Thanks for being such a good Samaritan.” I snicker.
“You’re only here for a short while, you might as well enjoy every bit of it. When you get back to small town Summerville, Texas, it’s not as if you’re going to go out and party your head off with Jake since he’s now made things official with his sister’s assistant.”
