Emmy & Oliver - Robin Benway Page 0,56
we sort of just met in the middle.” I brought my hands together. “Like this. But, you know, better.”
“And he’s a good kisser?”
I nodded, blushing again. “He’s no mackerel.”
Drew gave my shoulder a gentle shake. “You’re so cute!” he said. “You and your childhood love, back together. Someone needs to call Oprah. Or Ellen. Whoever has a daytime talk show that will get you a movie deal.”
“He’s not my ‘childhood love,’” I told him, making air quotes around the last two words. “He’s Oliver. He’s just a dude—”
“—that you made out with last night. You’re welcome, by the way, for throwing that party.”
“Thank you, Drew,” I intoned. “Best friend ever. You’re the best.”
He nodded approvingly. “I think you and I should stick together more often,” he said. “We can make out with half of California if we play our cards right.”
I just laughed and moved my hair again so it would stop blowing in my face. Drew’s car was amazing, but it had no air-conditioning, and all the windows were down. “He still hasn’t texted me,” I said.
“Did you text him?”
“No. That’s why I wanted to hang out with you. Because I wasn’t sure what to do.”
Drew patted my hand. “You’ve come to the right place.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
As happy as I was to see Drew happy with Kevin, canoodling at the register over the chocolate bars and day-old bananas, it wasn’t exactly my ideal Saturday afternoon. Still, Drew made good on his promise to get me some sort of frosty mocha whipped-cream thing that was delicious. It eased the pain of hanging out at a table mostly by myself, checking my phone for a text that never came.
“You should text him,” Drew told me when there were customers, and Kevin had to take their order. “Just do it.”
“Well, what do I say?” I ran my thumb over my phone’s screen. “Like, ‘Good making out with your face last night? Let’s do it again.’?”
“Text Caro and ask her. You need all the help you can get.”
I made a face at Drew but texted Caro, anyway. Her response came through a minute later:
Just say what’s up or whatever.
I told Drew when he wandered back to me.
Drew sounded annoyed. “‘What’s up?’ That’s her answer? God, she bugs the hell out of me sometimes. I love her but I want to kill her, you know?”
“I know,” I said, because I did. “That’s friendship, dude. Kevin’s free again, by the way.”
Drew glanced over his shoulder. “Be right back. You better have texted him by the time I return.” He pointed his finger at me, then tapped me on the nose and went back to Kevin, who hadn’t stopped blushing in the hour that we had been there.
I rolled my eyes in their general direction, then texted Oliver before I could stop myself. It took a few minutes to figure out what to say, but in the end, I went with something safe, just in case Maureen was checking Oliver’s phone. “Hey,” a voice said, and I looked up to see Kevin holding a duplicate of the drink Drew had bought me earlier. “Thought you might want another. On the house.”
“The service here is amazing,” I said, then smiled and took it. “Thanks.”
Kevin sat down next to me. “Drew went to use the bathroom but he said I had to check and make sure that you texted Oliver.”
“So you’re up to speed?”
“You made out with him last night but now you’re too scared to text him and he hasn’t texted you yet?”
“Impressive. You are up to speed. And I did text him. I said”—I held up the phone so Kevin could read it—“‘Had a great time last night.’ What do you think?”
Kevin shrugged. “A little boring, but it’ll do. Better than Caro’s response, that’s for sure.” He grinned at me and I could see why Drew was starry-eyed over him. “Thanks for hanging out here, by the way. I know it’s not exactly exciting just watching us talk to each other.”
“No worries, dude. I like when Drew’s happy and he seems happy with you.”
Kevin blushed even deeper and tried to hide his smile by playing with his apron strings. “Is this the part where you tell me you’ll break my legs if I break his heart or something?”
“No. I thought that was already implied. Besides, I figured Caro might have already covered that.”
He nodded. “Last night. She mentioned something about a crowbar . . . ?”
“That’s my girl.”
“Did you text him?” Drew came hurrying over. “Did he