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“Did you really?”
“Yes, and I loved it. My parents used to always take me when I was little.”
“You’re a kid at heart.”
I smiled. “In some ways.”
“Buchanan is a kid at heart too and takes his little boy to the zoo all the time. It would’ve been something if you ran into them while there.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you would’ve seen Malcolm and then you’d understand what I was talking about, about him being so adorable.”
“I’m sure he is.”
Brooke looked over my face and then nodded. “I’ll see you at Mystic Bar in a little while.”
“Looking forward to it.”
After she left, I got up from my desk and closed my office door. Then I took a deep breath. What Brooke had said about my weekend, the zoo, and Zac and Malcolm gave me the impression that she already knew what I’d done after my dad left for Austin. There was no way that she could have, though. I was just being paranoid. I was still grappling with my guilt about everything that happened between Zac and me, too. I was also still thinking about what he’d asked of me this morning at the courthouse.
I walked over to the window and looked down at the busy city below, letting my mind wander. I replayed every interaction between Zac and me, beginning with the first time I saw him on the running trail. I thought about all the different things that we had talked about since officially meeting at Mystic Bar, as well as all the lingering looks and secret touches that we’d shared. I could hear Zac’s deep, raspy voice inside my head now whenever I thought about him. I could also see his beautiful blue eyes and could clearly remember the way his hands felt on my skin. And I’d never forget the feeling of his soft lips on mine or the taste of his tongue.
I closed my eyes and sighed, then walked back to my desk and sat down. Five o’clock would be here in less than an hour, and I wondered what Zac’s plans were after work. More than likely, he’d be picking up Malcolm from his parents, or he might take a run before doing that. Actually, no. He’d had only four hours of sleep last night due to my calling off our affair, so I knew a trip to the running trail wouldn’t be part of his evening plan. Undoubtedly, Zac was even more exhausted by now and had probably needed more than one energy drink to get through this day.
Since we were still close friends, I thought about sending him a quick text to check on him. Then I did.
Me: Hey, you. How have you held up today? I’ve been worried about you.
There was no response from Zac. Not even by the time five o’clock arrived. I didn’t know what to think or how to feel about it, either. I tried rationalizing that maybe he was still working on a case…or something. I just wished he’d text me back so these knots in my stomach would go away.
I’d just gotten my car keys out of my purse and stood up from my desk when someone knocked on my office door, then opened it. It was Brooke again.
“Hey, Stevie. Why don’t you ride with me over to Mystic Bar instead of meeting me there? That way, we don’t both have to fight the Dallas traffic.”
“Um, okay.”
“I’ll bring you back here to pick up your car after we call it an evening.”
“That’s fine. Are the others gonna meet us there?”
“As soon as they can. They all have some errands to run first.”
“Then let’s go!”
I grabbed my cellphone off my desk and glanced at the screen to see if Zac had gotten around to texting me back. He hadn’t, so I turned off my phone and threw it into my purse along with my car keys.
As Brooke was pulling into Mystic Bar’s parking lot, I spotted a white Chevy Blazer ahead of us on the right and then saw Zac getting out of it. Instantly, the knots in my stomach unwound.
“There’s your gin buddy,” Brooke said, nodding in his direction.
“It sure is. He must’ve had a really long day too, showing up here on a Monday like this.
“Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s obvious that he got the invite that I texted him earlier. I never heard back from Zac, but he’s a really busy man so it didn’t surprise me. I figured if he could make it here, then he would.”
Finding out from Brooke that Zac hadn’t replied to her text either was a relief, but I still wondered what he was doing this late in the day that had kept him from replying to us. I hoped everything was okay with Malcolm. I also hoped Avery was still in west Texas.
Brooke pulled towards the empty parking space on the other side of Zac’s car. He was standing next to it with the driver’s side door open, in the process of rolling up the sleeves of his white-collared shirt. He’d already taken off his suit jacket—and damn, he looked sexy. There was something about a professional man with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows that I really liked—but I especially liked it on the man that I was staring at now.
