this? The guys could be twins. Same dark hair, same brown eyes, same muscular build. They even laughed the same.
“Anyone want to split a bottle of wine?”
That was Cal’s voice, not Tony’s, though Kayla might not have known it if she’d been blindfolded. The similarities between the two men didn’t end there.
“I’d be up for wine.” Kayla glanced from Tony to Cal and back again. Seriously, it was uncanny.
She turned her attention to Jessi, who was snuggled up to her husband like they were newlyweds. “How long have the two of you been together?” Kayla asked.
Jessi stroked Cal’s arm. “Let’s see… We started dating right after Cal finished his forestry degree,” Jessi said. “Got married two years ago.”
Kayla did her best to mask her surprise as her attention swung back to Cal. “You studied forestry also?”
Cal laughed, revealing a left-cheek dimple identical to Tony’s. “Yeah, Tony and I actually met in a soil science class. And we worked the same fire crew that summer.”
“That’s a neat coincidence.” Clearly, Jessi had a type. Kayla gave the other woman a conspiratorial smile. “Guess you’re a fan of the woodsy outdoorsman, huh?”
Jessi gave an adorable shrug and took a sip of her water. “I never really thought about it.”
Cal looked up from the menu and smiled at his wife. “Want to split the Cajun tots?”
Jessi laughed. “This is where I say ‘sure, honey,’ even though you know I’ll only have two or three and you’ll inhale the rest.”
Kayla glanced at Tony, who had to be catching this. Cajun tots were his personal catnip or kryptonite or whatever the hell guys called their obsessions.
But Tony was glancing at his phone, wearing the same grim look he’d worn each time the damn thing had buzzed all day. Which was a lot, come to think of it.
She touched his hand. “Everything okay?” she murmured.
“Huh?” He met her eyes, and the darkness in his expression had Kayla stifling a shudder.
“Are you okay?”
He cleared his throat, shoving the phone back in his pocket. “Tots sound good. Yeah, let’s split an order.”
Which was not the question, but she let it slide. “How about wine?”
“None for me, thanks. Just water.”
“I’ll do the same.” Jessi sipped her water and exchanged a look with Cal that Kayla couldn’t quite read.
A server hustled over and took their beverage order. A glass of chardonnay for Kayla, and red wine for Cal. Just water for Tony and Jessi, plus two baskets of tots to split for the table.
As soon as the menus were gathered and the waitress hustled away, Jessi picked up her water glass. “I know we’re still waiting for drinks, but let’s do a toast anyway.” She hoisted her water into the air. “To old friends and new beginnings.”
Cal grinned and tapped his wife’s glass with his own. “Damn good to see my old buddy happy.” He nodded at Kayla as she clinked her water glass with his. “Glad it finally happened for you two.”
Wait, what? Tony said Jessi might believe they were dating, but he hadn’t mentioned they thought it was serious. She glanced at him, looking for clarity, but couldn’t catch his eye. He had his phone out again, frowning down at the screen with a focus that made it clear he’d missed the whole damn exchange.
He must have felt eyes on him, because he looked up and grimaced. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be that guy. Just—sort of a family emergency, you know?”
“Ah.” Cal nodded and sipped his water. “Say no more.”
Kayla resisted the urge to kick the guy. She wanted to hear more. What family emergency?
But Jessi was already touching her water glass to Kayla’s, so the moment was lost. Tony set the phone on the edge of the table and joined the toast. As Kayla grazed his knee with hers, she felt him relax just a little.
“It’s sure great to see you guys again,” he said. “It’s been too long.”
Jessi smiled and flipped her hair. “I think it’s so smart of you to reach out,” she said. “To get some closure before the two of you tie the knot.”
Tie the knot? Okay, so they were really serious. Kayla glanced at Tony, whose phone buzzed on the table. This time, he powered it off, shaking his head as he rejoined the conversation. “Sorry. Won’t happen again.”
“No problem, man.” Cal accepted a wineglass from the waitress and took a sip while the waitress handed Kayla her drink. “You need to make a call or something?”
“Nah, it’s handled.” He shoved the