he warned her.
She nodded quickly. “I understand. I’ll put some things together for you just in case.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, smiling genuinely as he led the way out of the pantry.
“If I don’t feed you, who will?”
Your son. Lukas was an amazing cook, even though he always downplayed it and pretended he just threw things together. Which was maybe true sometimes, but John knew for a fact that Lukas also planned out certain meals in advance or made something special if John had a rough day.
Walking out onto the patio, John did his best to hold his temper in check. He’d already been stressed out over the dinner for days, and for the meal to be usurped by Dave not being able to mind his own goddamn business?
Infuriating.
“There he is!” Dave said, smiling widely and waving John over to where he and Singer were hovering near the charcoal grill, with beers in their hands. “And he brought the meat. Good man.”
He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he handed over the tray, then took the hand Singer offered and shook it.
“John, it’s good to see you. Sorry for crashing you guys’ dinner. When Dave found out I was nearby on business, he couldn’t resist saving me from takeout.” Singer’s grin was open and sincere, but John could barely return it.
“Well, it is Dave’s house, so I suppose he’s allowed to invite anyone he wants.” John stepped back from the pair and crossed his arms, waiting to see if they’d come right out and say whatever it was they wanted to say so he could decline and leave.
Dave concentrated on the grill, lining the steaks up just so and then carefully closing the lid, and Singer sipped his beer, gaze zigzagging between them with a question lingering in his slightly raised brows.
Finally, Singer said, “I take it that Dave didn’t actually talk to you about why I was in the area before inviting me over.”
John shook his head but didn’t bother saying anything.
Dave grimaced at them both and held up a hand at John like he was arguing with them. “I didn’t, but only because I’ve barely seen you lately. Singer and I are thinking about partnering up for this housing development outside of town that we were both going to bid on anyway.”
“Okay?” He waited for them to continue and get to the part that concerned him.
“And,” Singer said, throwing a look at Dave, “we want to bring you in on it. You have experience in construction, landscaping, and plumbing. This development could be huge and make us a shit ton of money. We think we have a real shot at winning the bid if we pool resources.”
Okay, that hadn’t been exactly what he’d expected. Arms dropping, he shoved his hands into his back pockets and eyed them both. “I’d need to see some hard numbers and the proposed partnership agreement before I agreed to anything.”
“Of course! Listen, John, I know we got off on the wrong foot with the other project, but I want to put that behind us.” Singer stepped a little closer, and John noticed for the first time how attractive the guy was. Nearly as tall as John, he had the sturdy physique of a builder but the casual elegance of a man used to schmoozing bigwigs and politicians. His dark hair had a smidge of gray, adding a touch of maturity, and the faint lines on his face let you know he knew how to smile and laugh.
Damn, he really was bisexual.
“What do you say? Fresh start?” Singer held his hand out again, but John hesitated this time, studying his piercing blue eyes and trying to really take his measure. Lowballing labor was a common practice for wealthy land developers, but did that make it okay?
He decided to reserve judgment until he got to know the man a little better. Taking his hand, he gave it a firm shake, then froze when Singer kept hanging on a few moments too long, smile turning flirtatious.
Caught off guard, he stumbled through what to say. “Uh, yeah. Alright.”
“Great!” Dave was suddenly next to them, slapping them both on the shoulders and grinning like John had agreed to something more than he had. “No more shop talk tonight though—just good food and even better friends.”
That time John did roll his eyes as he stepped away, extracting himself from Dave and Singer. He had a feeling he’d just made a mistake, but only time