“Hey, Sean.” I giggled. “Where is your partner in crime?”
“On his way. He said something about picking up his tux for Friday.”
He reached to grab another fry. I swatted at his hand. Bridget came by and set a Sam Adam’s in front of him. He looked up at her with a thousand-watt smile. She rolled her eyes and hurried past him. I covered my mouth to stifle the laugh. Poor Sean. He’s been trying to get Bridget to go out with him for years with absolutely no success. You had to admire his blind determination.
Don’t get me wrong, Sean is a good-looking guy. Tall, with a lean but muscular build and short blond hair styled into a faux hawk. He wore thick rimmed, black hipster glasses, and his smile was completely infectious. You couldn’t help but have fun when he was around.
Drew came in a little while later, followed closely by his brother, David. “Hey, Pops,” Drew said, throwing his hand up to Papa Jack.
Papa Jack nodded at him and turned to David. “Where’s my beautiful daughter-in-law?”
“She’s at the store. She wanted to take care of inventory before the baby comes.” David sighed and made his way back to our table.
“You don’t deserve that girl,” Papa Jack called back to him.
“I know, Dad.” David grinned. “I know.”
David kissed my cheek and said a quick hello before moving to the other side of the table, slipping off his suit jacket, and taking his seat next to Sean. Drew slid into the chair next to me with his back to the wall. He leaned over and plucked a fry from my basket.
“Hey, get your own.” I smacked the back of his hand. Completely un-phased, he just smiled and plucked another fry.
Bridget came back with her tray and set two pints of Guinness down for Drew and David and a basket of fish and chips for each of the boys. She set an extra basket of fries in front of me with a wink. I made a mental note to add a little extra to her tip tonight.
I picked up the malt vinegar and handed it to David. We’ve all been friends for such a long time that we had each other’s likes and dislikes down to a science. When I met Drew back in college, this motley group of misfits came along with him. They accepted me immediately and made me feel like a member of the family, something I will be eternally grateful for.
“Should Millie still be working this hard? The baby is coming really soon,” I said, starting to worry about Millie.
David twisted the lid off the vinegar, dumping a generous amount on his food. “You try telling her to take it easy.” He grumbled. “I’ve been trying to get her to slow down for weeks. She is determined to work right up until the delivery.”
“Pfft. Women,” Sean said.
I chucked a fry at him. He just grinned, his mouth full of fried fish.
The door opened and I saw Wiley searching the crowd. I stood up and waved to get her attention. She moved quickly though the bar toward us.
“Lexie!” She called, using that dreaded nickname. Drew lifted an eyebrow at me and mouthed, “Lexie?”
“Shut it,” I told him.
I loathed the name Lexie. I am so not a Lexie. Wiley knows it bugs me, but she uses it with such affection, I let it go. Sean stood when she reached the table and offered her his seat. He went to grab a spare chair from the hallway leading to the restrooms.
My boys are such gentlemen. He set the chair at the end of the table, straddling it and folding his arms on the back of the chair. His eyes roamed up and down Wiley as he thoroughly checked her out, and he wasn’t being at all subtle. I just shook my head. I guess I should have had the no-screwing-my-work-friends talk with Sean too.
“This is Sean, David, and Drew.” I pointed to each guy as I said his name. “Papa Jack is behind the bar.” I gestured toward him and he nodded a response.
“Guys, this is Wiley,” I said as she gave an enthusiastic wave.
“As in Wile E. Coyote?” Sean piped up.
Drew almost choked on his beer. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh. I didn’t want to embarrass Wiley. I elbowed Sean in the ribs, causing him to wince at the contact.
“Not exactly.” Wiley giggled. “I had the misfortune of my parents naming me Willimina. I shortened it to something more me.” She shrugged her shoulders, not seeming bothered at all.
Bridget stopped by our table, standing silently next to Wiley, waiting not so patiently for her order. Bridget was a strange bird. She didn’t say much, but we regulars didn’t notice much anymore. Bridget knows what we like and makes sure our beers are never empty, so no one complains.
Wiley looked up at her with a bright smile and Bridget raised an eyebrow. David leaned toward Wiley, offering her a quick lesson in reading Bridget’s facial expressions. “What do you want to drink?”
“Oh!” she said. “Black and Tan, please.”
Bridget moved on, and Wiley turned her attention to us. She looked around the table, appraising the guys. She glanced at David, then back at me. “He’s hot,” she mouthed. I sipped my beer and wiggled my ring finger at her. Her smile faltered and she nodded her head when she got my point.
I never really thought of David as hot. He’s good-looking, of course. Clean-cut and polished, whereas Drew is usually a little rougher around the edges. David just always felt more grown up, like we were all pretending to be adults but he really was one.
“So, this is the trivia group,” Wiley said to no one in particular.
Drew set down his beer. “Pretty much. We’re missing David’s wife, Millie. Unlike the rest of us slackers, she actually has a work ethic.”
We all nodded. There was no denying that one. Millie works herself like a dog. She’s going to go crazy on maternity leave.
“Everyone has their specialty,” Drew continued. “David handles sports and European history. I handle geography and music.”
“He thinks he does,” I interrupted.
“Smart ass over here handles literature and pop culture,” he said, hooking a thumb in my direction with a smirk. “Sean is here for the beer.”
Sean put a hand on his chest, pretending to be wounded. “I’m hurt. I have a plethora of useless knowledge in my pretty little head.”
I leaned across the table to Wiley. “Useless is the keyword.”
Sean looked at me, feigning shock. “I expect this crap from him,” he said, gesturing toward Drew, “but Alex, for shame. Besides, what I lack in actual knowledge, I make up for in enthusiasm.”
“Yeah, Mr. Enthusiasm here is why we always lose. He likes to yell out the wrong answer.” I took a long drink of my beer as Sean pouted in his seat.
“Since Millie isn’t here, think you can handle fashion and movies?” David said to Wiley.
She smiled. “I will give it my best shot.”
As the night went on, Wiley turned out to be a major asset to the team. She picked up the slack by answering questions from all of our categories, including one about what animal the Canary Islands were named after. We would have had that one if Sean hadn’t jumped up and yelled, “Canaries!” FYI, it was dogs. Who knew? Well, Wiley knew, but seriously, dogs?
Between questions, I noticed Wiley watching Drew and me. I could feel her eyes on me as he pinched the skin on my hip when I wasn’t looking and again when I laid my head on his shoulder while laughing at something Sean did. At one point Drew pushed a piece of hair away from my face and smiled. To me, this gesture felt natural, something he had done a hundred times, but when I glanced at Wiley, her eyebrows looked like they were trying to escape into her hairline. I took a long swig of my beer, feeling a little self-conscious.
At the end of the night, we humbly accepted our fourth place appetizer coupon, even though there were only four teams playing. We all said goodbye to Papa Jack and filed out of the bar. I said goodbye to David as he headed to his car. Sean wrapped me in a hug and dipped me back ballroom style, kissing my cheek. I laughed, my body tightening, afraid he was going to drop me. Drew shook his head and laughed as Sean gave Wiley a goodbye hug.
Sean and Drew started talking about work, and Wiley pulled me a little away from the guys and gave me a hug.
“I was wrong,” she whispered. I pulled back, completely confused. “You don’t want him.” She smiled. I started to tell her I told you so, but she held up a finger to stop me. “You don’t just want him. You’re in love with him.”