Out on the Serve (Out in College 7)

I gestured at the hot chocolate in the cupholder. “That’s for you.”

“You bought me a drink?”

“Yeah, you eat like a kid, so I’m assuming you like hot chocolate. Am I right?”

“Hell, yes, you are. Thank you.” He flashed a megawatt grin before lifting the cup in a toast and taking a sip. “You’re the best. I owe you one.”

“No, you don’t.” I traversed the half-empty parking lot carefully. The sun was putting on a brilliant show, lighting the summer sky in ribbons of purple and magenta as it neared the horizon. It looked like there were still plenty of beachgoers on the sand, settling in to watch the show.

“Sure, I do. I’m going to repay you in food. What do you want for dinner? Please say pizza.” When I hesitated, he shifted to face me. “Or do you have plans?”

“No plans. Pizza sounds good.”

“Cool. I’ll order it when we get home. How was your day? Wait. Tell me all about it after I bitch about mine.”

I checked my rearview mirror, then glanced at my passenger. “Bad day, dear?”

Elliot chuckled. “It’s a typical meh Monday.”

“How so?”

“Not terrible, but not great. It pains me to say this, but I don’t think Gus and I are compatible.”

I frowned. “Why’s that?”

“He’s a trip. One minute he’s my new best buddy and the next, he’s bringing in his old partner to quote, unquote, ‘run through some drills.’ And he’s got some weird new ideas to get noticed. One of them involved my mom adopting him so we could call ourselves ‘The Beach Brothers.’ ”

“Odd, but clever.”

“More like lame. Gus wouldn’t know what hit him if Karma swooped in to become his fairy godmother. It could actually be kinda funny.”

“Your mom sounds interesting.”

“That’s one way to put it. I’m sure you’ll meet her sometime. I apologize in advance.”

I chuckled lightly. In spite of his exasperated sigh, his tone was affectionate.

“I look forward to it.”

He picked up the hot chocolate from the cupholder. “Enough about me. How was your day, honey?”

I snorted as I turned left onto Park Street. “It was okay, but it got very interesting at the end.”

I filled him in on Sophie’s online date proposition. He went very quiet. Strange, because Elliot was never quiet. I couldn’t navigate traffic and study him for clues at the same time, but before I had a chance to ask him what he thought, he spoke up.

“Wow.”

“That’s all you have to say? Don’t you think it’s an odd request?”

“Hey, dating is a strange game these days. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Sophie’s not desperate. She’s bored. I told her not to go,” I replied primly.

“Is that because you don’t want to go?”

I thought I heard something almost wistful in his tone, but that didn’t seem like Elliot either. I snuck a sideways peek at him. He caught my eye and made a funny face.

“That’s not it. I don’t like surprises, but it’s probably Anna or one of her sorority sisters. Geez, I guess it could be a guy.”

“A guy?” He twisted slightly, then reached for his hot chocolate. “Did you want to go out with some random guy?”

Again, his tone seemed off. It made me feel a little defensive for no good reason. “Maybe. I don’t know. But it’s not about me. It’s about Sophie. She wants a buffer for her own date. Setting me up is secondary character sidebar drama.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” he huffed with a laugh.

“Just what it sounds like. She’s the main event. She’s using me to get her man. If I hit it off with the girl…or guy she sets me up with, that’s just icing on the cake.”

“Theater people are strange.” Elliot sighed. “So you really think it might be a guy, huh?”

“I don’t know. Like I said, I’m not the point.”

“So you’re going?”

I shrugged. “Probably. Her date sounds like he has serious baggage. Ex-wife, a kid, mom…”

“Don’t we all?”

I gave him a sideways once-over. “Are you telling me you’re divorced with kids?”

Elliot shivered theatrically. “God, no. I’m never getting married.”

“Why not?”

“Too much pressure. Marriage certificates jinx relationships.”

“I had no idea you were so cynical.”

“I’m not. I just don’t want to fail at something important,” he said softly. “I don’t mind losing the occasional game. That’s life. But I don’t think I’d do well if I lost someone special.”

Silence settled between us and took on a life of its own. It was funny to have conversations like this with him. The longer I knew him, the easier it was to talk like old friends and share things that should have seemed…revealing.

“I know what you mean,” I replied. “That would suck. My parents have been married for twenty-eight years, though. I think I’d be willing to take a chance with the right person.”

“Do you think it’ll be a girl?”

“I don’t know. What about you?”