Trading with the Boys

I blinked in surprise at the scene: Tate sat at the table, gripping a white porcelain mug of steaming black coffee. But directly across from him…

“Didn’t expect to see us, did you?”

Jacob smiled, sipping coffee from a matching mug. He was already in his beat-up jeans and workboots. Tate was in the jumpsuit I dutifully washed for him. The two of them looked like old friends just sitting there chatting casually. Which of course they actually were.

“W—What are you both doing here?” I stammered.

“Well it’s my day off,” said Tate, “so I figured I’d make up time on the GTO. And since I brought the engine hoist today, I called Jacob to see if he could help me drop that sucker in.”

Jacob stood, made his way to the counter, and poured me a cup of coffee. A flop of blond hair fell across one blue eye as he turned his head toward me and smiled. “Milk and sugar?”

I couldn’t believe they were both here! Bunching my robe up at my chest, I nodded numbly. “Please.”

“Sorry to spring this on you,” Tate apologized. “The old man let me off last minute. Jacob was cool enough to come straight here.”

“It—It’s okay,” I smiled. “No biggie.”

“Good, because setting the engine is a two-man job.” He handed his mug to Jacob, who topped it off while he was still holding the coffee pot. Then he jerked his head at his friend. “Jacob and I were just catching up on stuff.”

I tried to swallow, but there was something of a lump in my throat. “What kind of stuff?”

“You know,” Tate said, teasingly. “Guy stuff.”

I accepted the coffee that was prepped for me with a grateful nod, then finally took a sip. It was better than average. Smooth and relaxing. At all once it occurred to me I was still in my bathrobe.

“Umm… let me just change, and—”

“Bah,” Tate scoffed, pulling out another chair. “Sit down, you’re dressed well enough. It’s not like either of us can see anything, anyway.”

I looked to Jacob, whose mouth was curled into a suggestive smile. He slid back into his own chair, then pointed to mine.

“Besides, we have a proposal for you.”

Intrigued, I sat down between them. It happened mechanically. Like my legs had already made the decision for me.

“We’ve all been working ourselves pretty ragged,” Tate said. “That includes all three of us. So we were thinking of doing something fun. Something other than work, for once.”

I felt warm all of a sudden, like I was still back in the shower. My mind started racing with a thousand open-ended possibilities.

“We were thinking of taking you out tomorrow night,” said Jacob. “Something simple. Dinner and a movie.”

“Taking me out…” I repeated.

“Yes.”

“The both of you?”

The two men exchanged amused looks, then shrugged. “Why not?”

“No reason why not,” I shook my head quickly. “That… that actually sounds like fun.”

“So you’re in?”

“I wish I was,” I lamented. “But I’ve got a wedding to do tomorrow night.”

Tate’s dark brows knitted together. “Do?”

“I’m the official photographer,” I smiled proudly. “Well, unofficial official photographer.”