Page 47 of Flare Up
It was almost two weeks before all four schedules aligned and they could finally go on a double date. A nasty stomach bug seemed to being going around the fire department and, though Gavin and Grant avoided getting it, there were a lot of shifts that needed covering.
The guys had floated the idea of just hanging out at Kincaid’s Pub for the evening, but Cait had checked the sports schedule and told them there was no chance in hell that was happening.
We’re not going to sit and watch you two stare at a hockey game on the screen all night, she’d sent in a group text message. There had been multiple exclamation points and a red frowning face after that.
Kincaid’s was definitely out.
Cait ended up making them reservations at some trendy new spot, which meant clothes that had to be ironed. Khakis. A shirt with buttons and a collar. Grant grumbled about it for hours, but it was all worth it when he walked into Patty’s house to pick up Wren.
She looked gorgeous. A soft blue sweater over slim black pants and black boots that made her legs look incredible. Her hair was gathered up in a bun and she was wearing sparkly blue earrings that matched the sweater.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as she moved into his arms for a hello kiss.
“Thank you. You’re looking pretty good yourself.”
The kiss hello turned into a kiss he never wanted to end and if she didn’t live with Cait’s mom, there was a chance they wouldn’t have made it out the door. But Patty’s car was in the driveway, and Gavin and Cait would be waiting for them, so he reluctantly let her go.
“I’m just going to say goodnight to Patty and then I’ll be ready,” she said. Then she handed him the bag she’d had slung over her shoulder. “Can you hold this?”
“It weighs a ton.” And now that he thought about it, it wasn’t the kind of purse that went with her outfit. It was more like a tote bag.
“It’s my overnight bag.” She arched her eyebrow. “Okay?”
“Definitely okay.” It was so okay, he almost wished they could pile into one vehicle, do a fast-food drive-thru and call it good.
By the time they drove to the address Cait had sent and found a parking space, Gavin and Cait were waiting on the sidewalk out front. They couldn’t have been there long, since they weren’t shivering yet.
“Wow,” Grant said, looking over the fancy front facade. “This looks expensive. What the hell is a gastropub, anyway?”
Gavin snorted. “It just means the food costs double and the beer has hints of citrus and bergamot or some shit.”
“What is bergamot?”
“It makes the beer cost more.”
“Stop it, you two,” Cait snapped. “New rule. For every four nights we hang out at Kincaid’s, we get one night out at the place of our choosing.”
Grant winced. “That could add up to a lot of bergamot.”
“Every six times,” Gavin countered. “And any times just Grant and/or I are at Kincaid’s don’t count. Every six times we’re there as couples.”
“Oh, you’re good at this,” Grant muttered.
“She’s smart. Keeps me on my toes.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Wren said.
Cait narrowed her eyes. “Fine, but it’s dependent on your attitude tonight. If all you guys do is bitch and moan about being here all night, it goes back to four. Or maybe two.”
“Done,” Gavin and Grant said at the same time.
“And neither of you says bergamot again.”
It turned out to be not as bad as Gavin had feared. The beer was good and so was the food. Or maybe it was the company. There was something about the four of them sitting around a table together that felt right. He hadn’t gone out with Gavin and Cait as often during the months without Wren because he’d felt her absence so strongly. And he’d never gotten to the point of looking for a woman he might like enough to bring instead.
“So we’ve got everybody out of the car, but the mom’s a hysterical mess and the older kids are trying to calm her down,” Gavin was saying.
Grant groaned and grabbed another herbed potato croquette, which he’d been thrilled to discover were simply expensive tater tots. “You’re going to tell this story forever, aren’t you?”
