Page 70 of Stolen Kisses
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Noah said.
“Last minute drinks at Castaways. Jack and I are on our way there right now. Grace wanted to spend the evening with her mom and I’m always free at night these days,” Sam said. “We were wondering if you wanted to join us or if you were otherwise occupied,” he said.
Noah knew exactly what Sam was asking. Was he spending the night with Krista? Again. “I’m free and bored as hell, actually. Count me in.” Noah grabbed his wallet and keys and headed for the door, still thinking about making a change of residence.
Ten minutes later, he walked into Castaways and found Sam and Jack already working on their first beers.
“There he is!” Jack said boisterously. He’d obviously already knocked a couple back. “My best man.”
Noah sat, his gaze sliding to Sam. “That doesn’t rub you wrong just a little bit? You’re the older brother.”
Sam waved a hand. “I’m actually relieved it’s not me. I’m not sure I’d have had as much fun spending the weekend with Krista at the Sawyer cabin.”
Jack and Sam shared a wide grin.
Noah nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Well, if youhadhad that much fun with Krista, I might’ve had to kick your butt.”
“I love it when our little brother threatens to kick our butts,” Jack said reminiscently.
Tina, the waitress, sat a beer in front of Noah. “Here you go!”
“I’ll be tipping you big-time tonight,” he said with a wink at her. Then he was plagued with guilt because, even if he wasn’t exactly flirting, winking at another woman felt like a small betrayal of Krista. When had that happened? They’d only gotten together at the cabin last weekend. Now, suddenly, everything had changed.
“No, seriously. We all know that I’m thebestman,” Sam continued to tease. “I’m just glad Jack decided to throw you a bone.”
Noah sipped his beer, ignoring the big brother–little brother banter that he’d endured from birth.
“So everything’s ready for the big day?” Noah asked Jack when the teasing had finally settled.
Jack leaned back in his chair. “I think so. I’d marry her tonight and skip the whole shindig if it was up to me.”
“No second thoughts?” Sam asked.
“Not even one.” Jack smiled.
“Well, I’ve always thought of Grace as a sister,” Noah said, talking about when Grace had very briefly been their stepsister growing up. “You hurt her, you answer to me.”
“Aww.” Sam glanced over at Jack. “It’s cute that Noah thinks he can kick your butt.”
Noah’s back teeth ground together. “I can kick yours, too. In case you’ve missed it, I’ve been about two inches taller and twenty pounds heavier than you since our early twenties.”
Another drink was placed in front of Noah.
Noah looked over his shoulder at Tina. “What’s this?”
She shrugged. “One of the women at that table sent it over to you,” she told him.
Noah looked at the ring of women, all young, early twenties, and attractive. All exactly the type of woman he’d usually walk right over to and start chatting with. Before he could say anything more to Tina, she was off and heading to go serve someone else.
“You’re staring at the drink as if it’s poison,” Jack noted with amusement.
“Well, I don’t know exactly what to do with it.”
“I think drinks are made for drinking,” Sam said, lifting his own drink off the table and demonstrating.
“Ha-ha.” Noah frowned. “I can’t drink it. That’d be accepting it and that’d be wrong, right?”
“Because of Krista?” Jack asked.
