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ChapterSix
Micky's Barand Grill was packed when Chloe arrived for karaoke night. Her friends had grabbed a large table by the stage, and it looked like the beers were already flowing. Hannah and Jake were sitting next to Gianna and Zach and across the table were Lizzie and Justin, Adam and Molly. There were four empty chairs, so she slid into the one at the head of the table next to Hannah.
"You're alone?" Hannah asked, disappointment in her eyes. "I thought Joel and Decker were coming."
"They should be here soon." She'd heard from Joel an hour earlier, whose dinner had apparently been moved up, so he would be able to make it, and he'd invited Decker as well. It would be nice to have them here. While she adored her friends, she was getting tired of always being the single one at the table. "No Chelsea and Brodie?" she asked.
"They were going to come, but Chelsea got nervous when Layla got a cold, so they passed. New mother jitters," Hannah said with a smile.
"I remember those. And Layla is only two months old, so I can see why they'd want to stay in." Chloe looked over at Lizzie, who was Chelsea's sister, and had recently announced that she was three months pregnant. "How are you feeling, Lizzie? Or should I ask? You're practically glowing." Lizzie always had a smile on her face. She was an innkeeper and a naturally happy and welcoming person, but she looked even more radiant today.
"I'm great," Lizzie said. "The morning sickness seems to have finally passed. I didn't have it as bad as Chelsea."
"Thank God," her husband Justin said.
Chloe smiled. "That's great. I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Just in time for Easter. You're coming to brunch at the inn, right?" Lizzie asked. "And Joel, too."
"I'm definitely coming. Joel has a friend in town, so I'm not sure if they want to hang together. You'll meet him tonight. Decker is coming with Joel."
"Well, Decker can come to brunch, too. I'm not cooking, so the more the merrier," Lizzie added with a laugh. "And you know we have plenty of space in the dining room. I have a couple of guests this weekend with kids, so we're setting up some videos for the children. The adults will play trivia after brunch. I even have prizes."
She smiled. "You're always up to something, Lizzie. It sounds great."
"I'm looking forward to getting to know Joel better. It seems like things are going well with you two."
"It's good, but you all need to relax. It's early. We'll see where it goes."
"It's just good to see you're enjoying yourself," Lizzie said.
"I am." She paused, her heart skipping a beat as Decker approached the table in dark jeans and a button-down shirt. "Hi," she said, getting to her feet. "You made it."
"I did, but…" He gave her a somewhat apologetic look. "I'm afraid it's just me for the moment. Joel got hung up at his dinner meeting. He said he'd be here as soon as he could."
Disappointment ran through her, but she pushed it away, telling herself that Joel was not like Kevin. He wasn’t choosing to be gone for weeks at a time; he just had a meeting that had run late. "Well, I'm glad you came now." As they took their seats, she introduced Decker to the rest of the group.
Over pitchers of beer and a dinner featuring Micky's famous ribs and sides, the conversation flowed fast and easily. Decker got along with everyone. He had quick comebacks to Hannah's sarcastic wit, could trade adventurous outdoor experiences with Jake and Zach, and had plenty of travel experiences to talk about with Justin. Decker also found common ground with Gianna, who had lived in LA, and asked Lizzie questions about her inn, a subject Lizzie was always happy to discuss.
Chloe spent most of the time listening, happy to learn more about him through her friends. But as Decker became the life of the party, she couldn't help thinking that it hadn't been this easy when she'd introduced Joel to everyone. They'd been welcoming and Joel had had no trouble talking, either, but it hadn't felt quite so easy. Maybe that's because her friends weren't deciding if Decker was worthy of dating her. They were just being themselves, and so was he.
As their plates were being cleared, Decker turned to her. "Are you pissed off that Joel is so late?"
"It's fine. He's busy. I just want him to get to know my friends. They're very important to me."
"They're great. You're lucky."
"I am," she agreed. "They love you."
"What's not to love?" he asked with a laugh.
She couldn't help smiling. "I'm sure there's something I'll discover if you stick around for a while."
"That's my secret. I never stick around too long."
"I don't think that's a secret," she said lightly. "You mentioned you don't like to stay anywhere for too long. Is that to lower expectations? You don't want anyone to get too close?"
"I just like to put my cards on the table."
