Page 85 of A Hero for Hailey (Love will OUT 1)

Suzie rubs her eyes. “Is that Phoebe? Or is this annual alien abduction day?”

“There’s an annual abduction day?” Barney asks. “Why didn’t I know about this? What do we do? Call to schedule an abduction?”

Lenny smacks him over the head. “She was joking. You know there’s no such thing as aliens.”

Barney raises an eyebrow. “Are you serious? After everything we’ve seen, aliens is where you draw the line of impossible?”

My attention returns to the uncles who are suddenly looking anywhere but at me. Figures. Whenever they start talking about something intriguing from their ‘glory’ days and I get interested, they become mutes.

I stand. “Come on, Suze. Let’s leave the men to reminisce about their ‘glory’ days that are way, way behind them.”

“Hey! My best days are not behind me,” Sid argues. “I’ve got years of better days ahead of me.”

“And several wives left to find,” Barney points out.

I motion Phoebe to join us at a table on the other side of the room. We’ve barely settled in before Pops arrives with two Short But Stout beers and a vodka martini. “Good to see you, Phoebe,” he says and kisses her hair.

“Someone’s been officially adopted into the McGraw family,” Suzie points out.

Phoebe looks around as if we’re talking about someone else. “She means you.”

She points to herself. “Me? But I’m nobody.”

Suzie laughs. “Are you serious? Have you not looked in the mirror for the past thirty-some years?”

“Pops likes you is all,” I explain to Phoebe. “Considering you’re working for us, it’s a good thing.”

“Do I call him Pops now? This is very confusing.”

Suzie tilts her head and studies Phoebe. “Haven’t you ever spent time with a best friend’s family?” Phoebe stares at the table as she shakes her head.

“Anyway.” I clear my throat. “Let’s do a toast to Phoebe starting her internship at You Cheat, We Eat.” I raise my bottle.

“To Phoebe,” Suzie cheers.

We each take sips of our drinks and then the waitress arrives with a platter of nachos and a plate of vegetables. She places the vegetables in front of Phoebe while I grab the nachos from her.

“Um. Can I try one of those?” Phoebe asks as she studies the cheese-covered sensation known the world over as nachos.

I push the plate toward her. “No need to ask.”

Phoebe takes one chip and nibbles on it. Her eyes widen. “Wow. This is delicious.” She shoves the rest of the tortilla into her mouth, grabs a plate, and piles it high with nachos.

“Pops! We’re going to need another plate of nachos,” I shout across the bar.

“I think you were wrong about Pops being possessed by an alien. I think it’s Phoebe who’s been possessed. Ghostbusters is only a call away.”

I shoulder-check her. “Stop it. Phoebe’s trying new things. It’s awesome.”

While we eat, we discuss Phoebe’s position and how we’re going to fulfill it. Suzie and I have never hired anyone before and are feeling our way as we go.

As soon as the nachos are eaten, the vegetables remained untouched today, Suzie zeroes in on me. “I think I’ve been patient enough.”

I raise my eyebrow. Really? This woman may be my best friend, but she’d rather put sugar in her beer than be patient. “What do you think, Phoebe? Has our Suzie been patient?”

She holds up her hands and moves back in her seat as far away from us as possible while sitting in the same booth. “Oh no. Don’t put me in the middle of the two of you.”

“Come on,” Suzie whines. “You haven’t told us about your date with Aiden. I want all the deets.”

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