Hardwood - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,80
a fight with Ollie about something. Ren’s swinging by here in ten, so be ready to go.” I chuckle and shake my head. “Oh, and by the way, Ren and I want to have everyone over for dinner next weekend,” he adds.
“Cool.” I nod, chewing on my bottom lip as I screw up my nerve. Next weekend, that’s far enough away that I could come out to Val by then. It’s time, it’s so far past time that I need to do it. Maybe this can be the incentive I desperately need. “Mind if I bring a date?” I blurt, and his eyes go wide.
“A date? Since when?”
I shrug. “A little while now.” I can only imagine the look on everyone’s face when I show up with Watson and come out to them. The thought makes me feel almost giddy. Next weekend, that’s plenty of time to be ready.
Cole narrows his eyes at me suspiciously. “Is this for real, or are you fucking with me right now?”
“It’s real, I swear,” I assure him with a chuckle.
“Damn, well okay. Yeah, bring a date.”
“Great.”
He saunters out of my office, and I have no doubt heads straight to Ollie, Stone, and West to gossip and speculate about my date. I know Ollie won’t say anything, so I turn my attention back to getting my shit wrapped up for the day.
Twenty minutes later, we’re piled into Ren’s brand new SUV because he insisted on all of us experiencing the glory of his first brand new car, as he put it.
“Aren’t we going to Wooley’s?” I ask when we miss the turn.
“We thought we’d mix it up and go to Jack’s instead,” Cole explains.
“But we never go to Jack’s.” Panic starts to claw at my chest. I try to remember if Watson said what his plans were tonight. He’s usually at Jack’s on the weekend, not on a Thursday night, right?
“That’s why he said mixing it up,” Stone teases. “We figured a change of scenery would be good.”
“That and one of Ollie’s exs got a job as a bartender at Wooley’s,” West offers, clearly already more in the know about the daily gossip than I am.
“I told you it was fine,” Ollie grumbles.
“Yeah, there aren’t enough gay bars in the world to avoid every one of Ollie’s exs,” Stone teases, and Ren reaches back and punches his shoulder.
“Be nice to Ollie.”
“Damn, sorry.” He rubs his arm and scowls.
I pull out my phone and shoot a quick text to Watson warning him that I’ll be at Jack’s with the guys tonight. But, fuck, even if he isn’t there, what if Van mentions having seen me there before? What if Mia or Jordy are there without Watson?
Fuck, fuck, fuck. If I’d have sucked it up and come out to everyone already, I wouldn’t be in this shitty situation.
“You okay? You look like you’re going to be sick,” Stone says, looking at me with concern.
“Car sick,” I lie.
“Fuck, don’t puke on me.”
“Don’t puke in my new car,” Ren adds. “I mean, um…why don’t we roll down the windows.”
“Fuck, that’s cold,” Stone complains.
“I’m fine, you can roll the windows up,” I say.
When we pull into the parking lot, I do a quick scan for Watson’s car and don’t spot it. Some relief slips in and I force myself to take a deep breath. Everything will be fine, and I am going to come out to Val god damn tomorrow because enough is enough already. Watson deserves it, Val deserves it, and I fucking deserve it.
It’s decently busy for a Thursday night, busier than Wooley’s usually is. Apparently, Stone told his boyfriend to meet us, because Dare is waiting at the bar with a drink in front of him already.
“I mean, the bartender here is cute, but he’s no Sawyer,” West complains, eyeing Van with disappointment.
“How many times does that man have to shut you down before you get the hint?” Stone asks, slinging his arm around his apprentice’s neck and gives him a noogie while West playfully fights back.
I lean over the bar when we reach it, flagging down Van to order a drink.
“A sexy man like you shouldn’t be buying his own drinks,” a flirty voice says behind me, causing my heart to lodge itself in my throat. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I turn my head to see Watson standing just behind me with a flirty grin on that perfect, sexy mouth of his. My brain scrambles for a response. I can either be up front and just admit the