Page 32 of Every Rose

Chapter Eleven

Rose’s eyes flew open as a shrill noise pulled her out of sleep. The phone. Right. Her heart banged against her ribs, her first thought being that her father had become ill again.

She grabbed up her phone and the panic increased when she saw it was Matt calling.

“Matt? What is it?” Please, please let her father be okay.

“I was just thinking about you. Wanted to thank you for the minibus. And your brother. Thanks for your brother. He’s a good guy.”

In the few seconds it took her to realize that Matt was calling her from a bar and was not sober, her heartbeat went back to normal as relief flooded her. Her dad was fine. Matt she wasn’t so sure about.

“You’re welcome for my brother. And yes, he is a good guy.”

“I’m sitting here thinking about love at first sight.”

“Oh, you really are drunk.” Of course. The stag was tonight.

“In vino veritas,” he said grandly. She wondered if that was accurate. Was a drunk more likely to tell the truth?

“What is this truth you want to tell me?” She could hear the noises of a rocking bar in the background.

“Do you believe in it? Love at first sight?”

She pulled her knees up to her chest and settled back against her pillows. “No. I don’t. Do you?”

“See? That’s another thing we have in common.” She had no idea what the first one was. “We’re both scientists. Don’t believe in that hocus pocus.”

“Where are you?”

“The Hedgeman. This is where Harvey fell in love at first sight. I’m sitting at the table where it happened.”

“Is the stag still going on?”

“Nope. They all left. But I told them to go on. I needed to call you.”

She was amused but also filled with dread that his drunk dialing was going to put their budding friendship back into awkward territory.

“I think you should call me tomorrow when your head is clearer.”

“Come down and have a drink with me.”

“That’s why you called me?” She didn’t bother telling him how late it was. He wasn’t going to take in details in his condition.

“Minibus is gone. Guys are all gone home. No one will ever know.”

Even though he’d woken her, he was kind of cute when he was drunk. “You want to have a secret drink with me?”

“Didn’t put that well. Come on, I need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

“I told you. Love.”

She could hang up and let him find his own way home, but he had saved her dad’s life. He’d gone back on shift because she’d asked him to. The least she could do was to drive him home and make sure he got inside safely.

“Okay. Wait there. I’m coming.”

“Excellent. What do you want to drink? I’ll order it.”

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