“What?” Riley asked.
“It’s ten to four. Luke’s gonna be at my house at four. We gotta move,” I’d jumped off my barstool and was hopping around on my flip-flops freaked the hell out.
“Who’s Luke?” Riley was watching me closely.
“An old friend.”
His eyes narrowed. “You got a lot of them.”
“Let’s go!” I nearly shouted.
“All right, all right. Keep your pants on.’
We paid, we left, we got home too late.
I knew because the clock on the dash of Riley’s Pathfinder said it was quarter after four. I also knew because, as we rolled up to my house, Luke’s Porsche was parked there, Luke leaning against it arms crossed on his chest. He didn’t look happy and this unhappiness increased exponentially when his head turned and he saw Riley and me pulling up.
“Crap,” I whispered.
“That Luke?” Riley asked, checking him out.
“Yeah.”
“You owe him money?” Riley asked, maybe trying to be funny but his question was too close to the bone.
“Thanks for lunch, for going with me, for the tequila, everything,” I said, turning to him as I saw Luke push away from the Porsche.
“I’ll just make sure everything’s okay. He doesn’t look –”
“No!” I cried, again in a near shout.
Riley’s eyes cut to me. “I’ll just make sure everything’s okay,” Riley repeated in a tone I’d never heard him use before. He was usually laid-back. He looked not at all laid-back anymore.
Crapity, crap, crap, crap.
Riley got out. I got out. Luke met us on the sidewalk by Riley’s car, right in front of my house. Luke and Riley sized each other up. Riley was a personal trainer and Luke still looked like he could wipe the floor with him.
“You Luke?” Riley asked, even though he knew the answer.
“Yeah, you Riley?” Luke asked, even though he, likely, knew the answer too.
“Yeah.”
They stared at each other and I had visions of them wrestling to the ground in a tough guy death match and this made me ultra uncomfortable.
“I need cookies,” I blurted and both men looked at me.
Luke’s mouth twitched. Riley’s brows drew together.
“You gonna be okay with this guy?” Riley asked what I thought was a question that proved he was a lunatic.
Luckily Luke showed no reaction to this in your face question.
“Of course,” I said.
Riley looked like he didn’t believe me. Then he did the wrap his hand around my head kiss my forehead thing again but left his hand where it was and looked me in the eyes.
“See you tomorrow?” he asked softly.