Page 35 of Flirting with Forever

“Sure thing.”

“On second thought,” Mary said as she cocked her head to one side. “Do you have any lemonade back there?”

“Yeah.”

“Could I have three-quarters of this draft and one-quarter lemonade?”

“Oh.” Marissa blinked. “Sure. Totally.”

Mary handed John’s beer to him.

“Beer mixed with lemonade?” he mused.

She nodded. “It’s the perfect summer drink. You’ll see.”

Marissa came back with Mary’s drink, and John caught Marissa’s eye. He pointed at himself and Marissa’s eyes widened. John never, ever paid for other people’s drinks. Except on Richie’s birthday. John held back his sigh, knowing that he was in for a full interrogation from Marissa the next time he was in here.

“Here. Try.” Mary held out the neon-yellow concoction.

John felt a bead of sweat trace down his spine. He was positive that every person in the bar was watching him turn the back of his shirt transparent while he drank out of this beautiful woman’s glass.

The flavor burst over his tongue, and he was surprised that he actually liked it. “Wow. That’s pretty good.”

“I know. Not too sweet.” She offered a sip to Richie, who smiled and shook his head.

“Not a fan of shandies,” he told her with a wink.

John had never even heard that word before. He made a note to look it up at home.

“So,” John said in a gruff voice. “You two made plans to hang out tonight?”

Richie studiously avoided John’s eye contact. “Yup. I figured after a few weeks of getting my ass handed to me online, I should see if this girl can dish it out in person as well.”

She blushed and laughed. “I don’t make a practice of talking smack in real life. Just on that one app.” She paused. “And sometimes in the bathroom mirror if I need to pump myself up before a big date.”

John burst out laughing. He couldn’t help himself. Just picturing Mary rude-talking some confidence into herself,8 Mile–style, was too much for him. She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes on his mouth, almost as if his laughter had startled her.

“Who’s your friend, Richie?” a low, familiar voice asked from behind John, and for a moment, he considered not moving to one side and just boxing Hogan Trencher out until he got the picture and left.

“Hulk,” Richie said, a blush on his cheeks and a miserable look in his eye. “Meet Mary Trace. Mary, meet Detective Hogan Trencher.”

John stepped aside, wanting to stand with one shoulder behind Mary, but going to stand beside Richie instead. Hogan slid into place effortlessly, one hand wrapped around Mary’s and already saying something that made her chuckle.

John and Richie made eye contact again. This time it was John’s eyes that said,Sorry, dude.

“Serves me right for inviting her without telling you,” Richie muttered so only John could hear. “Karma is a bitch.”

Richie and John both tried not to watch their crushes flirt with each other. Five minutes passed and Hogan and Mary were still chatting. John and Richie started up a conversation with Beth Herari, the one cop John actually considered a friend. Beth was Marissa’s sister-in-law and occasionally found her way into Fellow’s. Currently, she and Hogan were the only two cops with the stones to spend the evening in a lawyers’ bar. She was just showing him pictures of her new puppy when John felt a sharp kick to his shin.

He jolted and looked up at Richie, who he’d assumed had been the one to kick him, but Richie was busy texting someone. He felt another sharp kick and John’s eyes slid over to Mary, who he could see was smiling rather hollowly at Hogan. She caught his eye for half a second, and he could easily read the help-me signal.

Ignoring the balloon of pride in his chest at being the one she’d asked for help, he tapped Beth on the elbow and steered her toward Mary.

“Hey, Mary,” John interrupted whatever cocky asshole thing that Hogan was saying. “Have you met Beth Herari? She’s actually a beat cop in your neighborhood.”

Hogan scowled at John, and John had to resist the urge to smirk at him.

Mary jumped on the chance. She slid off the barstool and took a few steps toward Beth, leaving Hogan behind and jumping into conversation with the other woman. John slid back onto the barstool, leaving Hogan nowhere to go but back to his original seat. He figured it wasn’t a coincidence that the second Hogan’s overbearing presence receded, Richie dragged his nose out of his phone and took a deep breath.

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