Page 6 of Spark
"She was atCalidus?" He sounded incredulous, and no wonder.
Uncle Dan's restaurant had just earned its second Michelin star, and it wasn't the kind of place where anyone who wasn't a rich out-of-towner usually went.
"Her mom and Mitya were treating her to a belated birthday dinner," Chris explained.
Both Damaris Markidis and Dimitri Medved were pretty high up in the ranks at the gaming company that Matt's Uncle Ash owned. They were among the few people in Bearpaw Ridge who wouldn't blink at the cost of dinner at Calidus.
Chris couldn't help poking the bear, so he added, "Sophie got really hot while she was gone."
"She wasalwaysreally hot," Matt shot back immediately.
Good old Matt. He'd always had it bad for Sophie, but for some weird reason, he'd never made a move on her. Chris had always wondered why. Matt might be a quiet and serious guy, but he'd never come across as lacking in confidence.
Matt opened the fridge door and stood frowning as he surveyed the contents, which consisted of a few staples, lots of beer, and a stack of the takeout boxes with entrees from Calidus that Chris brought home with him after every shift.
"You want me to cook up some eggs or something?" Chris offered.
Matt shook his head, and selected one of the flat white cardboard boxes from the stack. "Nah, that's okay. This is the same as steak and eggs, right? I'll just heat this up."
"Let me guess—that's Uncle Dan's 'Applewood Roasted Filet of Beef with asparagus, black trumpet mushrooms, poached egg, and black truffle béarnaise sauce?'"
Matt nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, like I said—steak and eggs."
Chris groaned dramatically and rolled his eyes.
Ever since Chris started working at Calidus, describing the leftovers that Chris brought home had become a running gag between Matt and him.
"So, you haven't seen Sophie around this morning?" Chris asked, doing his best to sound totally casual.
Matt shook his head as he carried the box over to the microwave. "Nope. Why?"
"I'm going to ask her out for coffee. You know, to catch up." Chris smirked and waited for Matt's reaction.
Matt didn't disappoint him. "You want to ask her out for adate?" He scowled and shook his head. "No way."
"Why not?" Sophie had been one of his best friends since Chris was ten years old, but that's not why Chris was bristling now. He added, truthfully but mostly to rile Matt up a bit more: "Like I said, she's hot. And she hasn't been around since two Christmases ago…that's like a year and a half, dude."
Matt crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Chris.
"Because you're not interested in her that way," he declared flatly. His hazel eyes narrowed. "You're not serious about dating her, right?"
Chris hadn't been…until Matt asked that question, his jaw set in a stubborn Swanson line.
At that moment, he totally looked like a younger version of his dad, Dane, who was the Swanson clan enforcer.
"It's just coffee. Chill," Chris advised.
Matt sighed. "Look, you know how I feel about her. I've been waiting for her to come back home. My bear…well, it's interested in courting her."
Chris had suspected something like that was going on, especially considering how depressed Matt had been in the weeks after Sophie's departure for Todos Santos.
"Look, seriously, Matt. I just want to catch up with her," Chris assured his best friend and housemate. "I mean, yeah, she's totally hot, but I've friend-zoned her. Okay?"
Matt nodded slowly. "Thanks."
The microwave beeped, and Matt turned away to retrieve his breakfast and pour himself a mug of coffee from the pot Chris had brewed earlier.
Chris turned his attention back to his own breakfast, which consisted of pan-roasted duck with green curry noodles and fresh vegetables, and debated with himself.
