Chapter 4
Rowan
“Cavanaugh, are youon the prowl tonight?”
I glance at Max, one of my co-workers. “You make me sound like a predator.”
“The ladies are always your willing prey,” Kevin murmurs.
I give him a raised-eyebrows stare. “You’re not jealous, are you? Because you’re married to my sister, and if you so much as glance at another woman, I’ll pluck your eyes out.”
He rolls the very eyes I threatened to damage while Max cackles. “Please, Row. You know I only have eyes for Mel. I’d be at home with her now if she didn’t beg me to go out tonight. She was afraid you wouldn’t have anyone to hang out with. You know, because you’re an ass and you have no friends.”
Max roars again.
My lips twitch. I like that Kevin has the balls to roast the hell out of me. I don’t want my sister married to a coward. The others at our table join Max in laughter. It’s just five of us hanging out at the Fire Pit tonight. The name of the place is fitting. It’s a bar and grill owned by a retired firefighter, and as I look around, there are plenty of firefighters here.
The bar is in the center of the city, so there are also police officers, other civil servants, and business people from the surrounding office buildings. It’s our favorite place to hang out when we’re off duty. Sometimes I come here alone, and other times, like tonight, I hang out with colleagues. Despite what most people—like my sister—think, I’m not antisocial.
“Row doesn’t need friends,” Gary says. “He gets plenty of pus—”
“Why do I hang out with all of you?” Claudette grimaces.
“Because you’re one of the guys,” Max says, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
With a sugary smile, she throws his arm off. “I have a vagina.”
“What? No way!” Max feigns surprise.
Laughter surrounds the table. Even I smile. Claudette fits right in. I really do see her as one of the guys. Max and Claudette banter while Gary tells Kevin about his new motorcycle. The topic of my sexual prowess is thankfully forgotten. I don’t know what the fascination is with my sex life—as if most of the guys in here aren’t absolute whores, too.
I didn’t get to answer Max’s question. I’m definitely not on the prowl. I came out tonight to distract myself from thinking about Grace. She’s avoided me for days, and I let her. I stopped trying to reach out because it seems she doesn’t plan on answering her phone any time soon. I’ve never chased anyone, and I don’t intend to start.
Yet, here I am, tempted to go to her place and force her to talk to me. I’m a little worried that she hasn’t reached out. I want to set her straight about my relationship with Devlin. It bothers me that Grace thinks I’m a cheater. It’s beyond me why I care so much about her opinion of me when typically, I couldn’t care less what others think of my character.
Sighing heavily, I look down at the beer I’ve been nursing since I got here. I’m not even in the mood to drink.
“Are you alright, Row?” Claudette asks. She studies me with her head tilted to one side.
“Fine.”
She’s the only one to have picked up on my mood. As soon as she brings attention to it, everyone else’s eyes open.
“What’s wrong with you tonight?” Max asks me. “Shouldn’t you be scoping out candidates for your fling this week?”
I scowl. “Don’t you do the same thing?”
“Sure, but you’re on another level. You’re legendary around here, man.”
Sitting back, I shrug. Why bother to defend myself? I’m exactly what Max implies I am. Usually, I would scope out a hot bar pick-up for the night, but I’m stuck on a certain brunette with the most fascinating eyes and the sweetest smile. I sigh inwardly. The one who’s maybe too young for me and has set my emotions into a frenzy.
“I’m on hiatus,” I tell Max and he laughs.
Claudette grins and leans forward, a teasing glint in her dark brown eyes. “I just found out about your... rep. I was in the ladies’ room last week and I overheard a couple of the regulars talking. You came up.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Did I?”
She smirks. “I heard some very interesting nicknames they have for you that speak of your skills in the bedroom.”
Oh, God. Claudette has only been working with us for a few weeks, so she doesn’t know us well yet.
Kevin, Gary and Max laugh uproariously.