Only One Love (Only One 7)

"I’m going straight home," I say, pulling my boxers and pants on.

"Fuck, no," Cooper says. "If we have to suffer through it, so do you."

I look at him, my eyebrows pinching together. "Or," I say, putting up my finger. "We all fuck off?"

They both laugh at me, and neither of them leaves. "You guys are assholes," I huff as I slide my jacket on and walk out with them.

The phone in my pocket is getting heavier and heavier, Cooper pulls open the door to the bar, and we can hear the laughing and dishes clashing as soon as we walk in. Nico is standing at the door, and he smiles when he sees us. "There is the best part of the line," he says, standing next to Manning.

"What took you so long?" Manning questions, looking around.

"This one," Michael says, pointing at me. "Was trying to bow out, so we had to make sure he suffered with all of us."

"Teamwork," I mumble, looking around.

"There they are," Cooper says. I look where he is pointing, and my eyes find her right away. She is sitting next to another woman, and she throws her head back and laughs. With all the noise around me, all I can hear is her laughter. "Come on, tough guy."

"I’m going to go to the bar," I say, trying to get out of it.

"Not a chance in hell," Michael says. "You’ll bow out." He pushes me with his shoulder, and we walk over to the U-shaped table. She is sitting at the end of the table.

"There they are," the girl next to her says, and her eyes fly up and meet mine. Erika looks up and gets up to come over to Cooper. Leaving the chair next to Fran open, Michael walks over and takes the seat next to Jillian, then leans over to kiss her.

"There are empty seats over here," Ralph says, holding up his hand, and I walk over, sitting right across the room from her at the other end of the table.

"Thanks," I say, sitting down, and a waitress comes over and hands me a menu. The chair in front of me is pulled out, and Cooper sits down with Erika beside him.

"Is that the menu?" Cooper asks, and I hand him the menu at the same time as my phone vibrates on the inside of my jacket pocket.

I take it out and look down, seeing it’s from her. I smile, and my eyes fly up to where she sits and she looks at me smirking and then turns her head.

Fran: So we meet again?

Chapter 17

Frances

I send him the text and then wait for him to check it. He reaches into his suit pocket, and I can’t look away even if I wanted to. When Julia called me this afternoon and told me she was coming to get me and taking me out, I hesitated. But then she said the whole team would be meeting up later and that Jillian was forcing her, so she was forcing me. To be honest, as soon as she said the whole team was going to be there, she didn’t have to twist my arm that much.

He looks down at the phone in his hand and smiles, looking up at me, and the minute our eyes meet, Julia calls my name. "Do you want something to eat?" She hands me the menu, and my heart is going a million miles a minute when the phone vibrates in my lap.

"Just a burger is good," I say, handing the waitress back the menu.

Wilson: So we meet again. How are you?

I smile and answer him.

Me: I’m great. You?

I press send, then put the phone down on my lap and look over at him. He is saying something to Cooper when he grabs his phone. I lean back in my chair, watching him as he smiles and types. He puts his phone down at the same time as it buzzes in my lap.

Wilson: Better now that I can see you.

I look up and see him staring at me, and he just winks and then turns his attention to the guy beside him. My palms are getting all sweaty, and my stomach is fluttering. I grab the glass of wine that the waitress puts down in front of me. After taking a gulp, I answer him.

Me: Do you come here often?

I laugh, putting the phone down and turning to Julia, who is having a conversation with Jillian. "Is it hot in here?" I say when my cheeks get hot after finishing my glass of wine.

"Lay off the wine, and then your temperature will go down," Michael says from beside me, and I punch his arm. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"It’s my first glass." I point at the glass.

"It’s her first glass here," Jillian says, laughing. "And it’s not for you to tell her when or how much to drink," she tells Michael, who just puts his arm around her shoulder and shrugs. "She’s single and ready to mingle."