AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Betray is a bit of a heavy word,’ Dax huffs. ‘You’re not possibly emotional over some Tinder girl standing you up?’
‘I’m not emotional; I just think standing someone up is pathetic and was hoping my best friend could remind me I’m not some loser no woman wants.’
Dax chuckles into the phone, which I expected, but he could have stifled it better than he did. ‘Don’t worry, Riv. You’re a beautiful man with hair to die for. Your lady is out there somewhere. Perhaps you’re meant to be one of those old rich guys with a twenty-two-year-old trophy wife. If that’s the case, relax, she’s not been born yet.’
Funny. Not. ‘You annoy me, Hartley.’
‘Back at ya.’ Dax has been my best friend since I was four. We’re like brothers really, so our teasing is also out of love. Mostly.
‘What can I getcha?’ the woman working the order window asks as the man before me steps away.
‘I gotta go. Thanks for the pick-me-up; you’re terrible at it.’
‘Get me this girl’s number, and I’ll have Hollyn call and pretend to be your pissed-off girlfriend. No woman treats my best friend this way! She will rue the day she crossed our paths!’ he bellows angrily, putting on a real show.
I laugh, disgust intertwined. ‘Hollyn as my girlfriend – ew – bite your tongue, Daxy-boy. I’ll lose my appetite with that kind of talk. Now seriously, I gotta go. I’ve got a last-minute solo date with a hot dog I will whisper sweet nothings to since no one else is interested. Later.’ With that, I hang up, shove my phone into my pocket and glance back at the menu. ‘One overloaded foot-long dog, please.’
I’m getting ready to devour this hot dog, when someone clears their throat as they approach. I glance up, seeing Brooks, along with his work partner, Andrews, an old guy who only ever thinks about food from what I’m told, and currently is standing in line to order, clutching his wallet to his chest like a kid with five bucks at an ice-cream truck.
Brooks is an inch taller than my six-one, built to the hilt, loaded with tattoos, always wears a different ball cap, works for the Portland Police drug and organized crime unit, and is infatuated with Mercy – in a good way. They’re madly in love. Since they started dating, he’s fallen in as a member of our friend group as though he’s been here the entire time.
‘I saw your car, and Andrews was starving, as usual, so I thought I’d join you. I kind of expected to see Dax with you.’
‘He’s working,’ I say, wiping my mouth. ‘I was supposed to be joined by a gorgeous woman named Marissa, but it seems she couldn’t make it.’
‘Did she forget to call?’
I roll my eyes. ‘I hate that you read between the lines in every conversation.’
‘I’m a detective, Riv. Reading between the lines is my job. You seem annoyed by this woman not showing. Why? I thought you were over dating and now waiting for miss right to find you.’
I glare as I chew, never letting my gaze leave his.
He plays along but finally cracks. ‘It’s just pillow talk,’ he says guiltily.
‘Also known as hearsay, detective. What else did she tell you?’
I knew Mercy would blab anything I told her. That seems to be the couple rule. My once treasured bro code no longer exists, and couple code has taken over. It’s annoying as fuck. Apparently, they’re allowed to tell one another everything, even if they’ve been instructed not to. Couple code trumps bro code. Sigh. I didn’t exactly ask her to keep her mouth shut, but considering we’re all so close, and we’re up in one another’s business at all times, I’m not surprised he knows.
‘She said you’re supposed to be keeping an eye on some other guy’s fiancée? Which, I’m not going to lie, is a weird request. But you said yes? Wouldn’t dating distract you from that?’
‘Jade is a grown woman. When I see her next, I’ll make sure she’s alright. Until then, I’m not about to start following her around. Stalker laws and all that.’
‘It’s Jade? From Black Tide?’
I nod, taking another bite from my hot dog. We all know this woman; that’s how often we visit Black Tide.
‘Since when is she engaged?’
‘It’s recent.’
Brooks fidgets with his hat. ‘Wild.’
‘Why’s that wild?’
He sits across from me, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Honestly, with how you two flirt, I thought she was single and interested.’
‘Interested in what exactly?’
