“You guys go,” Emily said. “I got the kids.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course.” She smiled. “Have fun.”
Philip and I said goodbye to the kids and made our way into town. I hadn’t had a chance to check out the bar scene in Telluride so we walked through town until we found something appealing. It was a small, hole in the wall place that looked to be about a thousand years old. When we walked through the door, the light from outside immediately disappeared. The bar was covered in a layer of grime, and there was dust on the liquor bottles.
“This is nice,” Philip said sarcastically. “I can see why you moved here.”
“The bar scene wasn’t really a deciding factor,” I laughed. “Besides, this place has character.”
“Hey,” Philip said. “If they serve booze, I’m good.”
We each ordered a doubt shot of whiskey and sipped it slowly. Philip told me about his work back home and the women he’d been dating. In fifteen years, I’d never once seen Philip come close to settling down, but it never seemed to bother him. He was free. Independent.
“So,” he finally said when we exhausted all the subjects involving him and his life. “Are you going to tell me what happened last night?”
“Nothing,” I said too quickly. Philip snorted and waited for me to tell the truth. “Fine, you got me, but I’m not giving you details.”
“I don’t want details,” he said. “We aren’t chicks, man. I just want to know if you closed the deal.”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Whoa,” Philip said with an approving nod. “Taking it slow. I like it.”
“You do?” I laughed. “You don’t take anything slow.”
“I’m not a widower with two kids,” he said, pointing his glass at me. “You need slow right now, my friend. I’m just glad you finally got the balls to go for it. Even though she made the first move.”
“How do you know?” I asked suspiciously.
“I eavesdropped.” He shrugged.
“That’s disgusting,” I said.
“Not on that part,” he said. “Just on your little talk in the living room. She seemed pretty determined.”
“Yeah.” I grinned. “I guess she got tired of waiting.”
“Good for her,” Philip said with another approving nod. “I knew I liked that girl.”
“Off limits,” I said firmly.
“Like I would ever,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She’s sweet and all but definitely too young and innocent for me.”
“True, I would never say young and innocent was your type.”
Philip laughed and raised his glass. “To aged whores,” he said.
I laughed and clinked my glass to his. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
He nodded and sipped before looking at me thoughtfully.
“What?” I asked when his eyes settled on mine.
“Try not to fuck this up.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - EMILY