Confused, I follow his gaze to the door just as Staci and Brooks file in, bickering and flustered. Staci’s neck is blotchy, and Brooks walks behind her, waving his hands around. She plops into the seat across from us and reluctantly scoots to the edge to let Brooks sit.
Staci glares at Dax and huffs. “You knew about this?”
“That depends. What’re you talking about?”
“That Kelly moved out? And this asshole has continued staying with me, anyway.”
“Oh, that.” Dax raises his eyebrows, a sly grin crossing his features.
“You ass!” She grabs packets of Sweet-N-Low and tosses them at Dax.
He holds his hands up in surrender. “I only found out today, and I’m the one who told him to come clean. You should be thanking me.”
“Well, he’s not the one who told me.” She shifts her murderous glare to Brooks, who’s shaking his head. “I ran into Kelly at the gas station on the way here.”
“Damn small towns,” Brooks mumbles, waving to a server, who comes by to take their orders.
“I had a date last week—first one in months. Just when I think I’ll finally clean out the cobwebs down below, this asshole”—she shoves her pointer finger into Brooks’s shoulder—“comes out of the bathroom in only his boxers and offers my date a threesome.”
“I guess he wasn’t into that?” Dax covers his mouth with his large hand.
“It would have been more appealing had said asshole not been wearing a choker around his neck.”
Dax and I both burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer.
“What the fuck, man?” Dax asks through his chuckles as he scoops packets of Sweet-N-Low back into their place.
“What?” Brooks shrugs innocently and thanks the server for their drinks, which she sets on the table between us. “I found that choker in your closet, by the way.” He smirks at Staci, then sips his beer.
She snatches her beer up like we were going to steal it and scoffs. “You’re paying for my drinks tonight.”
“What? No comment? You give up too easily.” Brooks shakes his head, a devious smile spreading.
“And you’re leaving here early to get your shit out of my house.” She studies her beer. Her neck is still blotchy, but I notice the color creep upward.
Brooks goes to the bathroom, and she watches him as she sips her beer.
When he disappears, she tears her focus away and apologizes to us. “If I hadn’t run into Kelly tonight, and if Brooks wasn’t so infuriating, this would’ve been a pleasant evening.”
“Oh, I’m having fun.” I turn to Dax, who’s nodding. He’s relaxed now, and it’s a good look on him. Also a good look is his untucked, pale blue button-up and dark jeans. They bring out the color of his eyes.
Once Brooks returns, Staci rolls her eyes, her voice softer than before. “I could just claw your tiny nose off.”
“It is not tiny. Plenty of women think it’s the perfect size, especially when I get down between their legs and—”
“Please, for the love of God, do not finish that sentence.” Staci looks at us. “See what I’m dealing with?”
I snort, which makes me laugh harder.
Dax watches me in his periphery, his thin lips in a smirk, his eyes dancing.
“Let’s change the subject.” Staci claps her hands. “Clara, you’re settled in? Or do you still have stuff to unpack?”
I swallow my sip of wine and answer, “We’re moved in, for the most part. There are just small things here and there to arrange. The movers did most of the heavy lifting. Plus, my parents and stepparents pitched in. It was all hands on deck. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to get it done so quickly.”
“Excuse me.” Dax taps my shoulder and scoffs. “You forgot about the huge help I was with hanging the pictures and putting Jacob’s bookshelves together and the fine paint job.”
“How could I forget?” Our gazes lock. “You were the biggest help.”
“And you never even baked me anything as a thank you.” He shakes his head, his focus solely on me.
I place my hand on my chest. “Mercy me, I owe you some sugar cookies, I do declare,” I say with an exaggerated Southern accent like I heard many times in Georgia.
“Okay, but they better be the finest cookies of the South, or I cannot accept.”
I grab Dax’s bicep as a fit of giggles overtakes me. It’s the kind of laugh that bubbles deep inside my stomach. The kind I can’t control.
It’s exactly what I needed—a fun time with good company.
“That was… cute,” Brooks says.
I blink at him like I just remembered he and Staci are on the other side. Brooks watches us with pursed lips, which makes his jaw seem even more narrow than usual. Staci, on the other hand, has an amused gleam in her eye.
I let my hand slide down Dax’s arm, then reach for my glass.
He checks his phone in his lap, likely to make sure no one from the hospital has called. He then sips his beer as Staci changes the subject again to funny commercials.
“What is with you and commercials? Seriously, I don’t know anyone else who even watches them, let alone enjoys them.” Brooks signals our server for another beer.
“Some are funny. You don’t watch them because all you watch is porn, and they don’t have commercials.” Staci clenches her jaw.
“Damn right.” Brooks smirks.
He’s attractive, but when he smiles, even arrogantly, it gives him an extra charming quality that I’m sure makes women actually swoon.
The hearts he must break.
Our server returns with a new drink for Brooks and asks if we need another round.
I shake my head. “No, thank you. I won’t be able to drive home if I drink another. Can I get a water instead?”
“Make that two, please,” Dax adds.
“I guess I’ll switch to water too since someone needs to drive your ass home.” Staci frowns at Brooks, who’s taking several drinks of his beer. He watches her out of the corner of his eye the whole time and ends
