“Does this story have a point?” asked Lindsay, but she didn’t sound angry or impatient.
“I’m getting there. I’m trying to set the scene. See, we’re talking, and it popped into my head that Paige had mentioned he was single again, so I said something dorky about how my boyfriend and I had broken up a few weeks ago and I was filling the void with streaming movies and books about queer people— you know, laying it on pretty thick—and Pablo goes, ‘Yeah, I went through a breakup recently, too. It sucks.’”
Brad had a sense of where this story was going, but Evan was sure taking his sweet time getting there.
As if she felt the same, Lauren said, “If this story doesn’t end with you asking him out, I’m going to be really disappointed.”
“Well, if you must know, our eyes met, we had a moment where the whole world stopped, and then I said, ‘We should go out sometime.’ I can’t believe I finally said that.”
“It only took two years,” said Lindsay.
“Well, it felt weird asking him out when he worked at the coffee shop because I was a customer and I couldn’t tell if he was being nice to me because he was nice to everyone or if he genuinely liked me. And then he went to work for the bookstore, and I bought so many books from him that hemusthave known I either really liked him or really hate trees. Andthenhe was dating that beardy guy.”
“Wait, you finally asked him out?” said Paige. “What did he say?”
Evan grinned. “He said yes! We’re going to dinner Tuesday night.”
There were enthusiastic congratulations from everyone at the table. Feeling like part of the family, Brad patted Evan’s shoulder and said, “Good job, man.”
“Guys, what should I wear?” Evan asked.
Brad started to laugh but then realized Evan was serious. The women at the table picked apart what they knew of Evan’s closet and helped him decide on an outfit for his big date.
Brad ordered another drink and folded himself into the conversation, which turned next to pop culture stuff. Lindsay and Evan were apparently both streaming some show about British teenagers and were both obsessed with one of the characters, and Brad enjoyed watching them dork out about the show.
“He is so cute,” said Lindsay. “I’m rooting for him to hook up with Timothy.”
“Nah,” said Evan. “Timothy is not even gay. But Cooper is totally going to hook up with Dan.”
“WithDan? But he’s the bully!”
Evan tapped his nose.
This went on at length, during which Josh and Caleb had a conversation about some scandal with the Brooklyn Borough president and other conversations floated and started around Brad.
Paige asked Brad’s opinion about food at the wedding venue. They’d settled on entrées but needed to make final decisions about what appetizers would circulate during the cocktail hour. He suggested things that could be eaten in one bite, because once utensils got involved, it got more complicated. Paige nodded, but then said, “I don’t know if there’s going to be enough food.” Given Paige’s stress level about her wedding, Brad made a mental note to keep his own hypothetical wedding small.
Would that wedding be to Lindsay? Brad glanced at her, and she smiled back. So he decided, yeah, maybe it would be. Or, who knew, maybe they’d develop some kind of romantic and professional partnership where they cooked together and lived together and that was really what he wanted more than a wedding.
Brad chatted with Evan about books they’d read—although Brad hadn’t had a lot of time for reading lately—and with Josh about a court case that was getting a lot of headlines. Caleb told a funny story about a dog who had come into the vet clinic that day. Lauren said that her cat Molly had still not warmed to Hannah but did like to nap in the crib whenever Hannah was not in it.
And Brad sat back and smiled, grateful for this group of people who were loving and friendly and like family to each other. And when he kissed Lindsay’s cheek, she nudged him with her elbow.
This was something that had been missing from his life. This was casual and easy. Brad wanted it. He wanted Lindsay, he wanted them to be together, but he wanted the whole package. He wanted her friends and the cats and after-work cocktails. He wanted to make love at night and kiss each other in the morning and work together to build something professionally. He wanted that smile of hers aimed at him, he wanted to make jokes with her friends, and he wantedherand everything that came with her, for the rest of his life.
Brad was tired but having too much fun to let that bother him, so he ordered another cocktail.
Chapter 23
Lindsay woke up aware that she wasn’t alone.
The snorer beside her was clearly Brad—well, and Fred Astaire the cat, who was also snoring softly near Lindsay’s head—but she was trying to remember how they’d gotten here.
Well, he’d come by Pop the night before. The whole gang and their significant others had all been there. Brad had just shown up, but it was probably Lauren or Paige who had invited him. He’d been stuck working late at the café because most of the baristas were out sick, but he hadn’t seemed resentful at all.
They’d had a lot of cocktails, though. Lindsay knew that much. She had, anyway. She’d taken advantage of Pop’s two-for-one martini happy hour. Not for any real reason besides that she was in a good mood and everyone else was in a good mood and they’d laughed and chatted and the waitress kept the refills coming.
And then around the time Lauren and Caleb left to relieve their babysitter, Brad had complained of being tired on account of being up since four in the morning, and Lindsay had said something provocative, and now here they were, in her apartment, in her bed.
