Page 27 of Hooking the Captain
“Just having lunch and hoping to take this guy’s money.” I hooked my thumb toward Ford. “JP, this is my buddy, Ford. Ford, this is JP and Chrissy.” I hugged Chrissy as Ford waved a hello.
“We’re here for a quick lunch to plan our Fourth of July party while I’m on break,” JP explained. “Will you still be in town? It’s going to be epic. Food, drinks, illegal fireworks—the whole shebang!”
Chrissy slapped JP on the arm. “Not illegal fireworks. Just sparklers.”
“We’ll see.” JP grinned. “But will you be in town?”
“Should be,” I replied.
“Then come.”
I exchanged a glance with Ford, the unspoken agreement hanging between us. “Of course.”
“And you too, Ford. More the merrier.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll be in town,” Ford replied. I blinked, not sure if he was telling JP a lie or if he was really not going to be in town. “Might be headed back to Boston.”
JP looked at me. “You two teammates?”
I shook my head, my heart racing as I worried if I could keep up the ruse. “No. Just friends itching for Harvey’s wings.”
JP moaned. “Man, they’re the best.”
“Speaking of,” Chrissy cut in. “I’m going to go order. It was good seeing you, Coop, and nice to meet you, Ford.”
“See ya later.” I waved goodbye to her and Ford did the same.
JP watched his wife go to a table and then turned back to us. “Well, I should follow, or she’ll have my head for lunch, but hey, the offer stands about the fourth.”
“Thanks,” I replied and gave him another hug.
Once he left to sit at the table with Chrissy, I slid back into the booth across from Ford. “Well, that was nerve-racking.”
“Yeah.” Ford took a sip of his beer. “Glad he didn’t ask more about why I was in town when we’re both from Boston.”
“I know, but are you really going back?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. All depends on if I get a job.”
“Oh, right.” Ford had mentioned to me he had a phone interview with a company and then also a video call. Things were looking good for him, but he wasn’t sure how long it would be before or if they offered him a position at the marketing firm.
The waitress came over and slid our plates of wings in front of us. She put the basket of fries between us and then left.
“Well, if you’re still here, maybe you can come to the party. I’m sure there’ll be a shit ton of people there and we can just play cornhole and drink beer. It should be fun,” I stated.
“If I don’t get a job offer, I’ll go with you.”
7
FORD
Standing by the window,I peered through the bedroom curtains at the road below while I waited for Coop to pull up. We were headed to his friend’s Fourth of July party, and I was looking forward to an evening of fun with him, even though it meant we had to pretend to be only friends. As long as I was with him, I was happy.
My phone buzzed with a text, and I eagerly checked it:
On my way, be there in 5
A smile played on my lips as I typed a quick reply:
