Page 40 of Pitcher Perfect

“Welcome, Caleb. Good to see you.” Dom walked into the front room.

I followed and took in what must’ve been the parlor at one point. It was decorated like a war room with four oversized chairs and a small table next to each, a giant whiteboard, a yearly wall calendar that took up a significant part of one of the walls, and some stylized beer posters.

“Great place you have.”

Dom rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks. It needs a lot of work. I try to fit in projects when I can, and the guys help out, but I haven’t had the time to really dig in yet. It’s a long-term project, but I need to get cracking on some of it.” He let out a weary sigh. “It’s a historic home, and I’m sure the city is going to come chomping at my ankles soon about the out-of-period curtains or some bullshit.”

I laughed. That was the most I’d heard Dom say. “If you need help with anything, I’m happy to pitch in. Except for curtain selection. Interior design isn’t really my forte.”

“Thanks, man.”

As I started to follow Austin out of the room, I spotted something on one of the small tables. “Is that a dildo?” I strode over to study the double-ended, hot-pink, glittery silicone beast. It wasn’t shiny with lube or anything, so hopefully, it was clean.

“It’s our meeting dildo.”

“Your…” My mind flooded with a thousand images, some intriguing, some horrifying, some kind of hot. I didn’t think any of the guys fucked around together—obviously not Austin and Ty—but the others?“Pray tell, what’s a meeting dildo?”

“When someone gets mouthy, they’ve gotta suck on it.” Tyler winked then squeezed in close to Austin, making kissy-faces next to his ear.

Austin’s cheeks were bright red. “It’s not agag. It’s like a talking stick. When a conversation gets heated and we talk over each other, only the person with the dildo has the floor.”

“A talking dick?” I offered.

“Exactly!” Tyler shouted. “I knew I liked you.”

I preened. “I like it. The hot-pink dildo really adds something to the vibe.”

They all laughed.They like me.I barely resisted the urge to do a jig.

“Let’s have a beer, and you guys can tell us where you’re at with the competition stuff,” Ethan said before walking out of the room.

I followed Austin to a warm and inviting dining room with a large table. Paint peeled in spots, and the molding needed work. The home was an odd mix of bachelor pad and cozy family space, which seemed fitting for the motley crew. It seemed used, not for show, which was nice. I could almost imagine cooking dinners for them to eat in there, listening to them bicker and tease each other, soaking up every second of it while Austin and I shared smiles amidst the chaos.

Dom sat at the head of the table. Ethan and Ty scrambled to grab seats, which left me sitting next to Austin.Such a hardship.

“Was your field trip full of inspiration?” Tyler asked. He waggled his eyebrows when he looked at Austin.

“Ow!” Dom growled.

“Sorry. Leg spasm.” Austin glared at Tyler.

Ethan snorted.

“We’ve got lots of ideas but are having a hard time narrowing it down.” I ran through a few of our favorite beers and food items from our time in Portland and taste testing at my place.

Thinking of the taste testing reminded me of where that night had gone. My skin heated at the memory of Austin’s lips on mine. I took a drink of the beer to distract myself. It smelled of a perfectly spiced cup of coffee. Bold flavor and the right amount of bitter. Something in it reminded me of the holidays and my favorite Middle Eastern dishes.Nutmeg? Or cardamom?

“This beer is incredible,” I said in the middle of their conversation. My mind raced with food ideas to go with it.

“Austin’s great at what he does,” Dom said proudly.

“You made this?” I looked at the label and snorted. It had a photo of a clearly trashed younger Tyler passed out on a couch with a dick drawn in black marker on his forehead.

Before Austin could reply, Tyler cut in. “Ignore the photo.” He flipped Dom off. “It’s one of the home brews he makes for us.”

“Why don’t we enter this in the competition?” I asked Austin.

He immediately shook his head. “This is just something I make for us. It’s not competition worthy.”

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