Page 17 of Forever Endeavor

Gurdeep jumped in. “It’s open mike night, and Janus Lake’s favorite mechanical minstrel is going to pack the house like he always does.”

Billie’s eyes widened. “You…? You sing?”

“He singsandhe plays guitar,” Gurdeep said. “Pretty darn good too. In fact, you know what Billie? If Sonny won’t bring you, I insist that you come with me tonight.”

Sonny shrugged. “Geez, all right, fine. We can have dinner before the show.”

Billie and Gurdeep slapped a high five. “Boss man, I’m taking a fifteen-minute break and then I’ve got a hot date with a pneumatic drill. Nice to meet you, Billie, and thanks for the coffee and pastries. I’ll see you tonight.”

Once Gurdeep was out of sight, Billie turned to Sonny. “Oh, I really like him.”

“Lucky for Gurdeep, he’s a hell of a mechanic.” He eyed up the remaining coffee in her tray. “That one for me?”

She wiggled the cup free and handed it to him. “You didn’t tell me you were a musician.”

“Guess it’ll take you more than a couple of beers to have me all figured out.”

She frowned. “You really don’t have to be such a shit, you know. I’m trying to be nice. I thought after last night we might even be friends.”

“Friends?”

“Doesn’t seem far-fetched after you risked your neck for me. Besides, I’ve already seen you naked as a jaybird.”

“That was totally by accident.”

“Sigmund Freud said there’s no such thing as accidents.”

“Yeah, well, he probably never worried about walking around naked with his pecker swinging free.”

They both laughed. “Say, how’s your hand today?”

He flexed his right paw, the knuckles a bit swollen and bruised but nothing preventing him from doing manual labor. “Fine. How’s your head today?”

“Better, despite waking up with a marching band thumping my frontal lobe like a bass drum. Cal’s Jesus diet is a miracle cure for hangovers.”

Sonny smirked as he peeled off the coffee lid. “His Jesus diet?”

“Fish and wine…or beer in my case,” she replied. “So, we’re on for dinner tonight?”

He nodded. “Be ready to go by seven.”

“I’ll be ready at ten to seven. You know the address?” she teased.

“Yeah, the room across the hall from mine. Pretty sure I’ll find it.”

Billie sashayed away before doing an about face. Sonny lifted his gaze from her curvaceous ass just before she caught him. “Oh, and this is only dinner. It’s not a date.”

He scoffed. “Of course not. I don’t date my friends.”

“Good,” she said with a sly smile, “neither do I.”

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