I turned to see Simon. He wore his chef’s jacket and black pants as he walked along the path down the middle of the green. I spun about, facing my players.
“He’s handsome,” Harvey said.
“Are you blushing?” I glared at Abraham.
“We’ve got you covered,” Walter said. “Operation Wingman is underway.”
I shook my head. They meant well, but there was no way this wouldn’t get awkward. I debated running away, but I was pretty sure Abraham would break a hip to tackle me. Deep breath. How bad could this be? I grit my teeth, scared to discover the answer.
“Oh, Jason, you’re hilarious.” Harvey slapped the table.
The men laughed. Horrible. Fake. It was going to be bad.
Simon approached. I didn’t dare look up and let him see how red I had gotten. “Sorry to interrupt your…”
“Monsters and Mayhem,” I said.
“You missed it. I just got proposed to by a dead wizard. You know, ‘cause I’m handsome.” I could feel Abraham kick Harvey. “But not nearly as handsome as our young buck here.”
Dear… God… kill me.
Did Simon pick up on the vibe? Had he figured out that three men were plotting to sacrifice me for the sake of a date? I wanted to whisper, “Run for your life.” He still had a chance. I, on the other hand, was ready to roll up and die.
“You’re the new guy at the Bistro,” Harvey said.
“Oh,” Abraham said. “You own a business? How successful of you.” He bumped my knee under the table. “Jason has a business, too. Maybe you guys could trade notes over a drink?”
Subtle, Abraham.
I wanted to apologize for my ambitious wingmen. This explained why Harvey was on his fourth marriage. Looking up, I gave Simon a sheepish smile. I wondered what he was doing out here at this hour of the morning.
“I wanted to say thanks for showing me around.”
“You could buy him a drink to say thanks.” Walter had come back from his heart attack. “Just an innocent and very casual suggestion.”
“After last night…” Simon shook his head. “No more beer for either of us.”
My entourage all leaned forward, suddenly interested inwhat Simon meant. There’d be questions. Lots of them. To avoid rumors, I’d have to explain the entire night. Though, how did I mention Simon at a gay bar without the whispers starting?
“My place tonight? I found a babysitter for Lucas. Maybe you can show me around town some more?”
My voice deserted me. Instead, I nodded.
“I assume you already know where I live.”
“75 Pembroke Lane,” Walter said. When Simon’s head cocked to the side, Walter added, “Welcome to Firefly.”
“I should have guessed. I’ll see you later. Say seven?”
“Sounds greasome.” I stifled a growl. “Awesome. Great. I’ll see you then.”
Simon laughed to himself as he gave a slight bow and left us to our game. It was time to endure the firing squad as they picked apart every word of our exchange. I already concocted a story to explain his presence at Spectrum.
“Looks like somebody doesn’t need wingmen,” Abraham said. He fanned himself with his character sheet.
“It’s not like that,” I said. “He’s just being nice.”
Abraham rolled his eyes back. It was Harvey, watching Simon trudging toward the Bistro. “If I was thirty years younger and a man like that asked me to dinner…”
