Page 43 of Hot Response
“It was a good day.”
“Gav, I’m not asking for locker-room shit here. You’re my friend and I don’t know what’s up with this woman. I mean, you guys didn’t get along and now you’re having post-doughnut pizza, of all things. Are you friends now? Hooking up? Dating? Am I getting a save-the-date card?”
Gavin laughed and chucked the balled-up rag at his head. “You’re such an asshole.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“Let’s just say she would have spent the night—with me actually there—if she hadn’t gotten a text from home and had to leave.”
“Okay. One more question.”
“Don’t make me hit you, Cutter.”
“Not that kind of question,” he said, holding up both hands. “Was she going to spend the night because you couldn’t find a smooth way to send her on her way, or because you wanted her to?”
“After she got the text from her mom, I tried to talk her into staying.”
Grant gave a long, low whistle and Gavin shrugged. “So it’s like that, huh?”
“I don’t know yet, but it’s notnotlike that.”
Scott, who’d been walking by with a compressor, stopped. “Do I want to know what you two are talking about?”
“Nothing,” Gavin said, at the same time Grant said, “His EMT.”
“I swear I’m going to hit you,” Gavin warned.
“Don’t,” Scott warned. “Trust me, Cobb hates that shit.”
Gavin remembered when Scott and Aidan had been called onto Chief’s carpet for throwing punches at each other at the ice rink. Scott found out Aidan had been seeing his sister behind his back and—since they were not only on the same crew, but had been best friends for years—he didn’t take it well.
Cobb definitely hated that shit.
“The rain’s starting to freeze on contact,” Scott told them, “so we’re about to get busy.”
“Knew it was coming,” Grant said. “We’re ready to roll.”
“Waiting sucks.” Scott shook his head. “I don’t mind a little down time, though. I’m still trying to figure out how to do the whole Valentine’s Day thing when my wife will be on the job for the entire twenty-four hours.”
“Oh, shit,” Grant said, mirroring Gavin’s thoughts. “When is that?”
“Next Wednesday, dumbass.” Scott shook his head. “The date never changes. And obviously this is why I have an awesome, gorgeous wife and you two idiots don’t.”
“You’re right,” Gavin said. “Women totally think it’s hot when guys panic and try to throw together romantic gestures at the last minute.”
“Next Tuesday would be last-minute, shithead.” Scott leaned against the truck and crossed his arms. “So what do you have planned with your EMT?”
“Her name’s Cait,” Grant muttered.
Gavin hadn’t even given it a thought. In the past, if he happened to be seeing somebody when the day rolled around, dinner and a box of chocolates generally sufficed. Generic Valentine’s Day stuff. But he didn’t want to give Cait generic anything. “I don’t know yet.”
“Neither do I. Maybe a gift certificate to a spa or a nail place or something?”
Imagining Cait’s reaction to him giving her a manicure for Valentine’s Day made Gavin laugh, and the other guys looked at him, clearly waiting for an explanation. “Sorry. I was thinking about something else. Does Wren like having her nails done?”
“I... Maybe? Her nails always look nice and when she paints them red? Dude.”
“Not to rain on the parade of brilliance happening here,” Scott interrupted, “but gift cards are boring and not romantic. Especially when they’re for something she’ll do alone, later, when you’re not with her.”
