Page 21 of Keeping Zita

He hoped she got along with his friends. It would be extremely difficult to date anyone who didn’t mesh with the people he spent the majority of his time with, both in and out of work. He couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t click with them though. Everything he knew about her told him tonight would go just fine. He hoped.

Anchor Point was fairly crowded for this early in the evening, but looking around, Obi-Wan saw his teammates had taken over one corner of the bar. They’d pushed two tables together so they’d all fit, something they hadn’t had to worry about before Laryn and Mandy joined their crew.

“Hey!”

“Glad you could make it.”

“Hi, Zita! Cool name.”

The greetings came fast and furious, and Obi-Wan quickly made introductions. Since he’d already told Zita about his friends, she didn’t seem confused or overwhelmed, which was a relief.

“Hi!” she said with an open and friendly smile. “It’s good to meet you all.”

There were two seats open next to Casper and Laryn, and Obi-Wan quickly saw that whatever was bothering their team leader and his girlfriend apparently still wasn’t resolved. They both looked stressed, although they were holding hands, so he hoped that meant whatever was going on, it wasn’t an imminent break-up. He hated to think of them not being together…especially after it took years for Casper to get his head out of his butt and realize what was right in front of him.

There were two pitchers of beer on the table, and the women both had glasses of what looked like iced tea in front of them.

“Beer?” Chaos asked both him and Zita, with a raised brow.

“Definitely,” Obi-Wan told him. It was early, so he knew he could have a glass and still be okay to drive Zita home in a couple of hours.

“Zita?”

“Um…I’m not much of a beer drinker. I can go to the bar and order something,” she said, sounding uncomfortable for the first time.

“Just tell me what you want, and I’ll go get it.”

“Oh, I can do it.”

“Of course you can,” he said with a small smile. “But I’d be happy to do it for you. Unless you aren’t ready to be alone with these weirdos.” Obi-Wan smiled, letting her know he was kidding.

“Oh, no, it’s not that. I’m more than happy to sit on my butt and let you wait on me. I just don’t want to be one of those women. You know, who assumes the guy should do everything while she sits on her fancy throne and lords over him.”

Everyone around the tables laughed.

“It’s good for him to be lorded over,” Buck said.

“Please, sit on your butt,” Casper added. “Boy’s gotten soft hanging out on that fancy movie set every morning.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” Then he looked back at Zita. “What can I get you?”

“Is that tea-tea, or loaded tea?” she asked Laryn and Mandy.

“Just regular tea,” Laryn told her.

Zita’s brow furrowed slightly for a moment before she smoothed out her expression. “Tea’s fine for me too,” she told Obi-Wan.

He leaned toward her, holding her gaze as he said, “If you want something with alcohol, get it. Just because the others aren’t drinking doesn’t mean you have to abstain.”

“Yeah, I’m fully planning on getting a lemon drop next, but the kids at school were extra energetic today, and I didn’t drink nearly as much water as I usually do, so I thought it was in my best interest to have some tea before any alcohol to make sure I don’t get dehydrated.”

“Oh, that’s smart. Too many people dismiss how a lack of water in their system can really play havoc on their body,” Zita said with a nod.

“Always good to have a paramedic around,” Edge said with a grin.

“Is it okay with you if I have a drink?” Zita asked Laryn. “I know sometimes people feel awkward when they aren’t drinking and others are.”

She looked surprised. “It’s none of my business if you drink,” Laryn told her.