Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Xander slipped his phone into his back pocket.
“Hey, is Ari working at the pub tonight?” I asked.
He nodded. “I think she starts at five. By the way, you didn’t tell me you had her car fixed.”
“Because it wasn’t a big deal.”
The sun was in his eyes, and he squinted at me, crossing his thick, tattooed forearms over his chest.
“You can quit with the bodyguard routine,” I told him. “Ari doesn’t need you to protect her from me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her.”
“Relax, brother. I’m just curious about the situation.” He shrugged. “I get bored when Kelly is gone.”
“Where is she this week?” I asked.
“Texas. Then Phoenix and Salt Lake City. And the following week, she has a bunch of California shows.”
“If she wants to stay at my house while she’s there, she’s welcome. I can give you the codes for the gate and the front door. Might be more comfortable than a hotel.”
“You sure that’s okay? I think she’d like that.”
“Of course. Extend the offer.”
“Thanks.” He took his phone out again and started typing. “I wish I could fly out and surprise her.”
“Do it.”
“I can’t. I’m taking time off for Devlin’s wedding, and I shouldn’t be away from the bar that much. I just won’t see her for a couple more weeks, and it sucks.”
“Is she coming to the wedding?”
He shook his head. “She can’t. She doesn’t have a public show that night, but she’s got some kind of private appearance in L.A. the record label said she had to do.”
“That sucks. The long-distance thing must be hard.”
A shrug of his shoulders. “It isn’t ideal, but music is her dream. And anything I can do to make her dreams come true, I’m going to do it—even if that’s just making her feel okay about the separations.”
“And it’s worth it?”
He gave me a funny look as he put his phone away again. “Fuck yeah, it’s worth it. I can’t imagine my life without her. I don’t want to.”
His words made me think of what Devlin had said about Lexi being the best thing that ever happened to him. I wondered if maybe some kind of relationship gene had skipped over me. I’d never had those feelings for anybody. Not even close.
“Buckley? Party of two?”
We turned toward the door, where the hostess, a high school girl, had stuck her head out and called our name. “That’s us,” Xander said.
Inside, she led us to a booth toward the back, and we slid in on opposite sides. Again, I looked around for Ari and didn’t see her. After placing menus on our table, the hostess said our server would be over in a minute to tell us about the specials. Then she turned beet red and smiled at me. Her name tag said Kinsey. “Sorry to bother you, but I love Malibu Splash. Would it be okay to take a selfie?”
“Sure.”
Kinsey pulled out her phone, aimed it at us from just the right angle, and snapped a couple shots. “Thanks,” she said, still blushing furiously as she hurried back up front.
Our server, whose name tag said Gerilyn, came over a few minutes later and told us about the lunch specials—I recognized the chicken pot pie and the grilled cheese, but there was also a BLT on house-made sourdough served with truffle aioli.
“Braised short ribs grilled cheese, please,” said Xander with obvious excitement.
“I’ll try the BLT,” I said. “Is Ari here by any chance?”
“She is,” Gerilyn said, “but she’s giving someone a tour of the diner right now and then they’re doing an interview.”
“Who is it?” I asked, sitting up straighter in the booth.
“I forget his name, but apparently, he’s a pretty big-deal food writer. Evidently, he came in here one day earlier this week incognito and tried one of her specials.” She grinned. “He said he couldn’t stop thinking about it and showed up again this morning asking if he could interview her!”
“That’s awesome.” My chest filled with pride for Ari. “Was she excited?”
Gerilyn laughed. “She was freaking out.”
“I can’t wait to hear about it.”
“I’ll send her over when she’s done. Now what can I get you guys to drink?”
While we waited for our sandwiches, I decided to get my brother’s take on the friends with benefits situation. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Hang on.” Xander was looking at his phone. “Kelly just texted back. She said she’d love to stay at your house and she’s asking for your number so she can call you and get all the information.”
“Great. Send her my contact info.”
“Thanks.” He tapped his screen a couple times and set his phone down again. “Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?”
I tried to sound casual, even though Xander would know in less than half a second why I was asking. “Have you ever had, like, a friends-with-benefits kind of arrangement with someone?”