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“Don’t you send Delaney flowers?”
“Sure. On special occasions, like Valentine’s Day and her birthday. Not a random Monday for no damn reason.”
“Try it sometime. I’ve heard women really love it.” I winked at him and he just shook his head at me.
“Like I said, ruining it for the rest of us.” He cracked a smile, though, and I knew he was joking. “You want to grab a drink tonight? I’m off, but Delaney rarely goes out on a school night. Neither does Ryder.”
“Umm...” I said. I supposed it’d be fine if Quinn went to the Rowdy with me, although I wasn’t crazy about him hawking my every move. Macy already seemed skittish; having Quinn as my sidekick might scare her off altogether.
“C’mon. We never get to hang.”
“Yeah, I’d like to hang out. I already told Macy I’d be going to the Rowdy.”
“Perfect. We could play some pool. And I think Monday’s karaoke night, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You sing?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Naw, man. But it’s always a good time, listening to the otherAmerican Idolwannabes.”
I chuckled, wondering how many drinks Quinn would need to have before he got up on stage and belted one out. Probably several stiff ones. Not gonna lie, I’d kinda like to see that.
“Alright, I’ll meet you at the apartment tonight. Let’s say eight-ish?”
“Sounds good.”
Quinn chucked me on the shoulder, then headed out, satisfied with his investigative skills and the current plan. I went back to accounting and my daydreams about Macy, counting down the hours until I could see her again.
* * *
You’d thinkMonday would be an off night at a bar, but not at the Rowdy. Since it was right next to the fire station, you could always count on at least a half-dozen off-duty firefighters hanging out, regardless of the night of the week.
Quinn and I worked our way through the crowd, heading straight back to the bar. It took a minute, since several guys asked after Pops, clapping Quinn on the shoulder and offering their health advice and their wives’ casseroles. Finally, we sidled up to the bar, settling down into adjacent stools near the center. Macy stood at the other end of the bar, taking drink orders. When she glanced over, I caught her eye and a shy smile spread over her face, her cheeks rosy. I smiled back, my heartbeat racing double-time even as I attempted to appear calm. She had an effect on me I’d never experienced before, similar to what I thought it must feel like right before you get struck by lightning: a low simmer, tingling through my body, my hair standing on end. Fight or flight in freaking overdrive.
“Hey.” Macy’s soft voice shook me out of my electric revelry, stirring up the heat in my pants as her eyes slid onto mine.
“Hey, Mace,” Quinn said, leaning casually on the bar. Totally unaffected by her, which was honestly mind-fucking blowing. How could you be that close to her and feel nothing?
“Hey. What brings you boys out on a Monday?” Macy swiped at the metal countertop, plunking cocktail napkins down in front of us, readying for our drink order.
“It’s my day off and it’s past eight p.m. Where else would I go?” Quinn joked.
Macy laughed, the sweet sound floating high above the noise of the bar. Even her laugh gave me a hard-on.
“What’re you having?” she asked, looking first to Quinn, then to me.
“I’ll take a beer,” Quinn said. “The special.”
“Same,” I answered, my throat thick and dry with nerves. Which was crazy, considering we’d already slept together. Maybe it was Quinn’s presence. Or maybe it was the fact that something between us shifted last night and now the Earth felt...different. Better, if not less stable.
“Coming right up,” Macy said, reaching back for the glasses.
I enjoyed the view, eyeing her extremely fine ass and wondering when I’d get to see it again. In my bed,sansjeans.
“How’s your dad, Quinn?” Macy asked, turning back around with the glasses, filling them up.
Quinn shrugged. “He’s doing okay. Gigi’s driving him bonkers. He’s already talking about going back to work.”
“Seems soon,” Macy said, her tone even and non-committal.
