“Blake is your driver, right?” At his nod, she continued, “So what have you guys been doing?”
Alex wove through the neighborhoods, avoiding any major streets and congestion, while Fin told her of his explorations of the city of Houston. He was quite the storyteller and had her giggling at his observations.
As they drove, Alex pointed out interesting houses or sights and he commented on the varying architectural styles of the houses they passed. Eventually, they came to a major street that merged onto one of the major freeways.
“Okay, hold on. We have to travel on 290 for a while, but we’re almost there,” Alex told him as she shifted gears and punched the gas.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed, and grasped the handle above the door. He held on as she jockeyed for position among the other vehicles on the freeway. “Watch out for—never mind,” he trailed off as she sped up and moved into the left lane, dodging a pickup truck whose driver veered into their lane without bothering to see if anyone was there.
“Only another ten minutes, then we’re away from these crazies,” she informed him. She noticed his tight grip on the handle. “We call that the ‘oh, shit’ handle.”
Fin emitted a nervous laugh. “I understand why.”
She snickered and made her way toward the upcoming exit, where she eased over to the right lane, waving at the guy who made room for her to change lanes.
After a few more turns, she pulled into a parking lot adjacent to what looked like a large tin barn and a fenced-in field containing large sandboxes. Alex parked the car and shut off the engine, but didn’t move.
“Are you ready?” she asked Fin. “Because I’m a bit nervous.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why? Because of me?”
“Yes. Two reasons. First, I’ve never brought anyone with me, so I would get loads of ribbing and speculation about this, anyway. Second—and this is the primary reason—you’re famous. So that makes this whole scenario even more weird. Why would you want to hang out with a bunch of average Joes, anyway?”
He peered at her for a moment before responding, “I am sorry if I put you on the spot. I didnae think of it from your point of view.” He looked away and rubbed the side of his face. “I guess I wanted to escape from my life for a bit and be that average Joe, as you say. Should I call Blake to come get me?”
“What? Oh, no… I’m just telling you to be prepared for a shit-ton of crap. They will not be cool like Eddie and Gabe.” She paused. “I mean, they might be cool like that, but there will probably be someone who issonot cool.” With that, she laughed and exited the car.
Here we go,Fin thought. He grabbed his gym bag from the backseat and followed Alex into the building, looking around to see if anyone recognized him. He was taking a risk by going out in public, but Sunday’s dinner with Alex and her friends had emboldened him. Hopefully, this group of friends would be as low-key as Eddie and Gabe.
Alex showed him to the men’s locker room where he could change, and left to do the same. While he put on his workout gear, he considered what she’d had told him about being the first man she’s brought to meet her friends here. Fin wasn’t sure if he felt humbled that she’d let him in her inner circle or concerned that he’d bullied her into something she didn’t want to do. He shoved his street clothes into his bag and wandered out into the main eating area. When he didn’t see Alex anywhere, he sat at a table nearby and looked around.
The concrete floor flowed throughout the metal building. A large wooden bar worthy of an old western saloon ran along the wall closest to the parking lot. Stools lined the bar where you could sit comfortably and peruse the enormous collection of bottles filled with various alcohols on the shelves behind it. Numerous neon signs decorated the walls, and tables of all sizes spread throughout the interior. To the far side of the room was a billiard table and an area set up for throwing darts. And the last wall across from the bar had several industrial-sized garage doors that were open. These doors led to a covered wooden deck and beyond that, Fin could see the volleyball courts.
“What do you think?” Alex startled him.
“Nice. Not very crowded.”
“Yeah, that changes with the weather. October’s a fairly mild month for us, weather-wise. Right now, everyone’s probably outside on the deck. Shall we join them?” she asked.
“After you, m’lady.” He bowed and waved his arm forward.
Alex snickered and walked out the closest garage door while Fin followed. She was wearing athletic shorts and a tank top with a sports bra underneath, which gave him an excellent view of her toned arms and well-defined legs.
Once outside, Alex aimed for a loud group of people who were scattered across two long picnic tables and laughing at the story one guy was telling. The group was a diverse mix of men and women whose ages ranged from early twenties to mid-forties. And the style of clothing varied from bikini swimsuits to t-shirts and leggings. It appeared to be quite an eclectic group of people.
As Alex drew near, the curly-headed man finished his story and shouted her name, then ran over and swooped her up in a hug. The group followed with a variety of greetings and a few more hugs.
“When did you get back? Your team’s been sucking without you,” the curly-haired dude said as he popped a French fry into his mouth.
“Hey, asshole!” exclaimed a male voice on the other side of the table.
Alex laughed and replied, “Got home late Friday, Andy, and I doubt the boys have sucked without me, thank you very much. Also, guys, this is Fin. He’s hanging out with us tonight.”
A chorus of “Hey, Fin” rang out while someone found a couple of chairs and made room for them at a table. As he was sitting, Fin noticed the curly-haired man—Andy—was staring at him, and braced himself for what was coming.
“Dude, you look just like that actor dude, what’s-his-face.”
Alex replied before he could, “Hey, Andy, pass me a fry, will ya? And, yes, he is that actor dude. I met him coming home from London. He’s got some time on his hands, so I told him how cool my peeps are and here we are. Where’s Daisy? I’m starving. Fin, are you hungry?”
