My pulse races hearing her voice. I love her voice. Soft and low. Sexy, yet sweet.
"I'm glad you called." I turn away from Pete. "I was getting worried when I didn't hear from you. I wanted to make sure you made it home safe."
"Sorry. I should've got back to you, but I wasn't sure if I should call."
"Why not?"
"Because I..." I hear her take a breath. "I didn't think it'd be right. I didn't want to upset your girlfriend."
"I told her about you. She knows we're just friends. So that's the reason you haven't returned my messages?"
"That, and I've been busy. Work has been crazy."
"Same here. It's been nonstop since I got back. So how have you been?"
"Okay. Like I said, I've been working a lot. I could really use a break. That's kind of why I'm calling."
I wait for her to explain.
"When's the next time you're meeting up with your friends?"
"We're all getting together tonight. Why?"
"Were you serious when you said you might be able to set me up with one of them?"
"Um, yeah, I guess." I turn back to Pete. "That's why you're calling? To have me set you up with someone?"
"You don't have to. I just really need a break from work and I thought maybe I should get back out there and try dating again. You said you're meeting up with your friends tonight?"
"I'm at the bar right now. My friend, Pete, is here and the other guys are joining us later."
"Would you mind if I stopped by? You can totally say no if this is a guys only thing. I don't want to mess up your guys' night."
"It's not a guys' night. A few of the guys have girlfriends. Sometimes they show up. Sometimes they don't. You're totally welcome to come if you want."
"I do. I really need to get out of my apartment. What's the name of the bar?"
I give her the name and address.
"I'll be there in about an hour."
"See you soon." I end the call, looking at Pete. "She's coming here."
"Sophie? Did she say why?"
"She wants to go on a date."
"With who?"
"With one of our friends. I told her I'd set her up." I rub my hand over my jaw. "Shit. Why did I tell her that?"
"Because they're single and you're not."
I blow out a breath. "What am I going to do? She's going to want to go out with one of them. Or maybe she'll want to go out with you."
He shrugs. "I don't know what to tell you. You got yourself into this. You have to find a way out."
"Hey." Tanner appears behind us. "Let's get a table."
Tanner's a lawyer at a nonprofit that works to keep garbage out of the ocean. I could totally see him dating someone like Sophie. He's decent looking, laid-back, and originally from a small town in Ohio. He broke it off with his girlfriend last summer when she tried to get him to take a job that pays more. He hasn't dated anyone since.
We move to a long table and three other guys show up: John, a high school history teacher; Will, an orthodontist; and Griffen, an investment banker. I have an odd assortment of friends. Some are struggling to pay rent and others have more money than they can spend. I'm in the middle. I make more than enough to pay my bills but not enough that I can throw money away like Griffen does. He buys us all at least a few rounds of drinks every time we go out.
"What's everyone doing this weekend?" Tanner asks.
We all groan, knowing what he's about to ask. Every weekend Tanner has a new clean-up event going on. Cleaning up trash on the road or in the park or along the river. We don't mind pitching in, and we've done it many times, but every weekend is too much.
"I can't this weekend," I tell him. "I need to catch up on work."
"I'm going to see my parents," Griffen says. "It's my dad's birthday."