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“I think he likes her.”
The smirk he’d been trying so hard to contain erupted at Chloe’s sing-songed proclamation of Kyan’s feelings for her best friend, and his cousin’s unmasked irritation with her for saying so. Chloe was genuine and bold. Free of artifice, she was open and honest—sometimes to a fault. She always told it exactly how she saw it. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, or her heart. It was one of the things he loved about her.
Chloe turned her attention to him. She playfully batted the voluminous black lashes that framed her stunning hazel eyes. They were predominantly green with flecks of copper and gold and blue—exquisite and rare. Like her.
“What does a girl have to do to get a Diet Coke around here, huh?”
Jesse leaned over the bar, pressed his lips up to her ear, and breathed, “I can think of a lot of things you could do.” Chloe raised her shoulder and leaned into him like his breath on her ear tickled. She smiled.
Kyan snickered, “I heard that, man.”
No snoozing, Nolan.
He ignored his cousin and handed Chloe her drink. “What you up to tonight, Chlo?”
He saw his cousins exchange an amused glance.
“I’m hanging out at Linn’s. We’re going to fire up the grill and drink a lot of wine.” She paused for a second to smirk at Kyan. “And talk about boys.”
Would she talk about him to her friend? Jesse wondered what she really thought about, what she really wanted, when it came to him. To the possibility of them.
Her attention was back on him. Chloe looked right into his eyes and exuberantly exclaimed, “You should come!” She nodded at his cousins. “And you should come too!” Then smugly added, “I think you know the address, Ky.”
Jesse grinned. This was an unexpected gift. He had planned to ask her to go with him to see a local band that was playing tonight at a small corner bar a few blocks away. An intimate gathering at Linnea’s would be a much more conducive setting. Kyan looked to his brother and then to him. Jesse gave him a subtle nod and Kyan answered for the three of them.
“Yeah, I do. We’ll see you tonight.”
A promising grin lit up her eyes as she looked into his. “See you tonight then.”
Linn is gonna kill me…or kiss me!
Chloe giggled to herself. So much for girls’ night, but wasn’t it better to actually talk to the boys in question than it was to paint your nails and talk about them? She just wanted Linnea to be happy. She just needed to open her eyes and see the possibilities that were right there in front of her. Jesse needed…well, what Jesse needed was yet to be determined. She saw an opportunity to get them all together in the same room away from work and she took it. Linnea would thank her for it one day, she was certain.
Still, this was going to take some doing on her part to successfully pull off. Chloe wanted them to make a good impression on the cousins. She and Linnea were pretty talented in the kitchen, and they often prepared delicious dinners together, but then her friend wasn’t expecting to feed three big, strapping, hungry men. She’d have to intervene. Chloe slipped into the break room, and knowing Linnea as well as she did, found the grocery list tucked inside the pocket of her tote.
Steak topped with crabmeat and béarnaise sauce. Grilled asparagus. Fucking perfect!
She was hoping burgers weren’t on the menu for tonight. Chloe pulled her cell from her apron pocket and opened up the grocery delivery service app. She ordered everything on Linnea’s list in the new larger quantity required, as well as some things that weren’t on the list, and arranged to have it delivered later at her row house. She smiled to herself because they wouldn’t have to stop, shop, and lug groceries for eight blocks. Bonus, they’d have plenty of time to get ready before the brood of Irish Vikings arrived too!
Chloe and Linnea finished their shift. Jesse winked at them as they passed through the bar to head out the door. Chloe blew him a kiss.
He replied with a sexy smirk, “Later, babes.”
She began to quietly giggle. When they got outside Linnea was giggling with her and by the time they got to the corner they were cracking up. It was so damn good to see Linnea laugh like that—it didn’t happen often enough. Thankfully, Linnea didn’t think to ask her what was so funny.
They walked the eight blocks to Linnea’s place as the kaleidoscope of colors in the sky changed from blue to shades of pink and orange and red. While Linnea unlocked her front door, Chloe bent over the flowerpots to look for any signs of the return of fuckboy. Nothing. Good! They didn’t need that distraction.
Chloe dropped her bags by the stairs and checked the time. They had about two hours before her surprise guests arrived and she had a lot to accomplish before then. She turned to Linnea. “Why don’t you go change while I wait on the groceries? Then I can freshen up while you start dinner.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I have them sometimes, you know.” She walked across the living room and opened the French doors to Linnea’s brick-paved courtyard patio. Sweet summer air spilled into the room. Chloe hoped she could get everything done in the time it would take her friend to shower.
“Okay, I won’t be long.”
Please, take your time.
“Help yourself to some white sangria. I mixed up a batch of it this morning.”
