Page 20 of Getting the Grinder
“Of course.” He sets his notebook on the table next to his chair. “Do you want to stick with the new dosage and give it more time? We can try a different medication if you want to.”
I stand up. “I’ll stay with what I have. See you next time, Doc.”
A little over an hour later, I walk into the Italian restaurant where our team dinner is being held, seeing the long table filled with my teammates from the hostess stand.
“Hey, man.” Carter smiles as he stands up to give me a one-armed hug. “I heard Darling gave you some trouble.”
“Nah, it’s all good.” I take the open chair next to him and scan the table. “Is there bread coming? I’m starving.”
“Yeah, I ordered bread and a bunch of apps.”
“You managed to get a tan in four days?” I ask.
“The girls wanted to be in the water all day, every day.”
“It was a good trip, though?”
He nods. “Yeah, it was great. Didn’t realize how much I needed it until we were there.”
Bash is sitting across from me, talking to Andrei. The chair next to me is open, and I force myself not to react when Anson takes it.
“Hey, man. How’s the new dog?”
“I named her Birdie. She’s good.”
He gives me a knowing look. “You were never gonna be able to find her a good home. I could tell by the way she wanted to be next to you all the time.”
“Yeah, she’s a sweet dog.”
I inhale the scent of garlic bread and glance over my shoulder, hoping there’s some arriving at our table soon.
“Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve?” Anson asks.
“Uh ... I’ll probably be doing something with Carter and Bash.”
He grins, looking excited. “Addison’s coming to town. Can we all do something together?”
Fuck. I just gape at him, unsure how to handle it. Then I clear my throat and recover.
“Hey, cool. I’d definitely like to meet her. But I am seeing someone, just so you know.”
His smile drops away. “What? Bullshit. You weren’t seeing anyone a week ago.”
“It’s brand new.”
“What, like one date? That’s not a serious relationship. Do you just not want to date my sister?”
I’m knee deep in shit. Anything involving me and Anson’s sister is a minefield I’m not walking. Good thing I have a perfect excuse.
“It’s not like that. Mara and I have known each other for a long time. She stayed over at Carter’s with me while he was gone, and we decided to make things official. We’ve been sneaking around for a while now.”
Bash’s chin is practically on the table. “No fucking way, man. Mara?”
It would be fantastic if he would shut the fuck up, but that’s unlikely. I shoot him a look.
He doesn’t pick up on it. “How did I miss that? You guys are so convincing with the hating each other act.”
“We did hate each other until ... we didn’t.”
