Page 21 of Pitcher Perfect

Caleb tilted his head back and laughed at something Tyler said. I couldn’t take my eyes away from his long, kissable neck. When Ethan caught me staring, I looked away.

“I don’t think I can sit in this thing, so I’m gonna change real quick.” I jerked my thumb toward the office.

“You’re keeping the lederhosen though, right?” Caleb gave me another quick once-over.

I swallowed. It was the only thing I could do, as all words, coherent thoughts, and reason escaped me. Ignoring Dom’s grin, Ty fanning himself, and Ethan’s happy smile, I turned and hightailed it to the office.

As I quickly changed, I was torn between giving myself a few more minutes to calm down after Caleb’s flirty remark and hurrying back out there to limit the time the guys had alone with him.Who knows what they might do?Tell embarrassing stories or,oh god, try to talk me up as amateur matchmakers. I pulled my jeans up as fast as I could and hustled back out there.

Caleb smiled when he saw me. It was warm and knowing, and I liked it. “Should we grab a seat?” His voice was softer than usual, more intimate.

“Yeah. Let me get a tasting tray going to take with us.”

While I poured, Caleb continued leaning against the bar and chatting easily with the guys about a bar they all liked in Portland. I listened closely for any flirting but heard none from any of them. I knew the guys wouldn’t because, for better or worse, they had mentally assigned Caleb to the “Austin” column of the prospects spreadsheet. But Caleb didn’t flirt with any of them either, just friendly conversation.

It was unusual because, of the four of us, I was the quietest and least likely to get hit on. The other guys were all irresistible in their own ways. Tyler oozed charm with the whole charismatic hot jock thing he had going. When he focused that charm on someone, they were putty in his hands. I’d been an idiot for betting against him.

Ethan was pure sunshine. Chatty, friendly, and outgoing. Being in his presence was like a plant starved for water getting a good rain. While Tyler thrived with his identity as a no-strings-attached guy, Ethan wanted all the strings. He loved love. Ethan fell into relationship after relationship or, more often than not, things that he thought were relationships but ended up situationships. I hoped he would meet someone worthy of him who understood what a gift he was.

Dom was completely different. He wasn’t overtly flirty. He didn’t have to be, because it was clear to anyone who met the stern grump—a secret teddy bear—that getting his attention was like winning the lottery. Dom was picky to a degree we all teased him about. I’d never seen him in a relationship in the nearly fifteen years I’d known him, but I knew he always had a regular fuck buddy or two. Where Tyler loved to brag about his exploits and Ethan always waxed on about how his current fling might be “the one,” Dom never talked about who warmed his bed or car or wherever he got off. It certainly wasn’t at the house—unless he had a secret entrance and sound-proofed walls. All three of them had no problems getting what they wanted.

“I can finish this up if you want to give Caleb a tour,” Ethan offered.

“I’d love to see where the magic happens,” Caleb said.

I chuckled. “Follow me.” Too bad I wasn’t showing him to my bedroom. Though, the only magic that happened there was my ability to sleep through anything.

I took him past the customer bathrooms and through a door marked Matt Bomer and Staff Only.

He snorted as he followed me through the door. “Matt Bomer?”

I shrugged. “He’s a guy we all agree on. If he showed up at your truck, would you deny him entry?”

“Hell no.”

“Exactly.”

I pointed out the office, which was primarily Dom’s domain and sometimes Tyler’s, the tiny kitchen where we made offerings for our light snack menu, and an extra room we used for storage. Then I held open the door to the brewing area. My domain.

“Wow. This is bigger than I thought. It’s deceptive from the front of the building. I expected it to be the size of the office or something.” Caleb took a couple of steps toward the tanks.

“It’s a lot smaller than many places, but it works for us. We’re a microbrewery, so our output isn’t huge. This space gives us a bit of room to grow later.” Once we had the money to buy more equipment.

Caleb handed me the paper bag in his hand. I hadn’t noticed he’d grabbed it off the counter.

An inviting sweet and savory scent wafted from the bag when I unfolded the top. “What’s this?”

“Real food. I heard about your tuna problem.”

I laughed. “Thanks. It definitely didn’t hit the spot earlier.”

While I happily ate the blueberry and brie sandwich, I gave him a tour of our production area and a quick explanation of the brewing process. He asked thoughtful questions.

“What’s this about?” Caleb pointed at the big whiteboard near the door to the taproom.

I groaned. People rarely understood or appreciated the odd sense of humor the guys and I shared. Enough of Ethan’s exes and mine had accused us of being overgrown kids. Caleb had handled the costume well enough, though. I should give him a chance.

I scratched my cheek. “It’s a silly thing we do to tease each other.”

---