I groaned low in my throat.
I needed to stop thinking about sex.
I blamed it on my lack of caffeine and the fact that I’d just woken up.
I pushed off my comforter and got out of bed, hoping my T-shirt was low enough to cover my hard-on.
“Do you want coffee?” I asked her.
Madeline bit her bottom lip and wiggled her eyebrows. “Are you happy to see me, or is that a gun in your boxers?”
“You are such a dork,” I said as I walked past her and headed for the kitchen. “I take back my coffee offer.”
She laughed as she followed me. “But I’m your dork, Griff.” She plopped her butt down on the stool at my counter. “Now, bring me coffee, Ol’ Hard One.”
I busted out laughing as I shook my head. Madeline could always make me smile. She really was a dork sometimes and didn’t care if others thought so too. It was one of the things I loved about her.
I grabbed the coffee grounds from my cupboard. “How are you feeling this morning?” I asked seriously. “Besides your mom and her revelation, are you regretting the breakup?” I grabbed the pot and started filling it with water.
“Not at all.” She pointed to her phone on the counter. “Do you know he didn’t text me once after I left?”
I winced.
“Don’t feel bad. It only shows me how he really felt about me. Also, it shows me how I really felt about him because I’m relieved. I do not want another Elliot.”
“I agree.”
Madeline had dated Elliot for only four months, and the guy wouldn’t stop texting her for months afterward. I finally tracked him down and had a few words with him. Nothing threatening. I simply explained to him, guy-to-guy, how his constant messaging looked to a woman and how it was never going to convince her to give him a second chance. I didn’t know if he’d quite gotten it, but he’d stopped bothering Madeline after that.
I pushed the On button and opened the fridge to get the coffee creamer she refused to go without. I noticed a couple of boxes of Chinese food in the fridge, so I pulled one out to inspect it.
It was Madeline’s leftovers.
I opened the other box.
It was Hunan chicken. My favorite. And it was filled to the brim.
I looked over the top of the fridge. “Did you get me Chinese food?”
“Of course. I figured you could have it for lunch or something.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to take it to work?”
She smiled. “I’m sure. I’ll take my leftovers though.”
I pulled her box out and set it on the counter. “So you don’t forget it.”
“Thanks.”
“So, now that you’re single, are you changing the plans for Friday? Are we going to go downtown and hit up a club?”
“Eh.” She shook her head. “I think I’d rather stay around here. Plenty of bars to choose from. My only request is, we go somewhere with a patio. It’s supposed to be nice this weekend, and it might be the last few warm nights until spring.”
The suburb where my place was located was on a two-block radius with several other bars. Some had thought it was crazy to start a business with so much other competition, but it actually worked in our favor. People could go from bar to bar by walking, and they didn’t need to worry about drinking and driving.
I liked it because I was close enough to my own place in case something came up. I had good staff who had earned my trust, but one never knew when they would need me to step in.
Madeline narrowed her eyes. “Scratch that. I have two requests. You have to drink and have fun. Your baby can last without you one night.”
“My baby?”
“Yeah, your bar. It’s practically your baby.”
I laughed.
“That’s not an answer.” The coffeemaker beeped as she put her hand over mine. “Promise me, we’re going to have fun.”
I used my free hand to make an X on my chest. “I cross my heart. We’ll have fun.”
She sat back with a satisfied smile. “Good. I have a feeling this might be my best birthday yet.”
Five
Madeline
I walked into My Favorite Place as the sun was starting to set. This time of year, it wouldn’t take long for it to be dark outside.
“Hey, Madeline,” Mitch greeted me from behind the bar. “Happy birthday.”
I grinned. “Thanks, Mitch.” I scanned the room. “Where’s Griffin?” I narrowed my eyes back toward his office. “Please tell me he’s not working still. I told him I’d be here at seven.”
“Nah. He’s upstairs, getting ready. While you wait, do you want your free birthday drink?”
I laughed. All my drinks at Griff’s place were free. “Sounds great.”
“You want your usual beer?”
“Nah. It’s my birthday. Surprise me.”
When Mitch smiled, there was an extra glint in his eye.
“It’d better taste good, or I’m telling on you to the boss.”
“You got me,” he said as he pulled out a glass.
“Got you how?” Casey, the other bartender on duty tonight, asked.
Fridays were much busier than weekdays, so there were usually at least two bartenders and two servers working. And Griffin filled in wherever he was needed when he was there. I hoped they had enough people scheduled tonight because I was going to be upset if they called my best friend away from my birthday celebration.
“She figured out I was going to give her something nasty to drink,” Mitch told her.
“Never trust a man,” Casey told me.
“Noted,” I said. I leaned forward. “Listen, Griffin promised me that he was going to drink and have fun tonight. Do you think you two can handle the bar and not pull him away? I know he’s usually here to help on the weekends, but tonight’s special.”
Casey smiled. “Don’t worry. The boss scheduled us an extra bartender and server tonight.”
My heart warmed. “He did?”
“He did,” Mitch said and slid over my drink. “And he told us not to call him unless we also had to call 911 at the same time.”
“Thanks. I was really worried he’d be called away.” It had happened more than once when we tried to go somewhere that wasn’t Griffin’s bar, including on his own thirtieth birthday. “And he’s always worried about all of you.”
Casey and Mitch frowned.
“In a good way,” I quickly added. “He feels guilty when he’s not here, helping out.”
The two seemed to accept my answer, and I swiftly picked up my drink before they said something that put me on the spot.
I took a big sip. “Woo. That is strong.” I shook my head to clear it.
Mitch smiled. “It’s good, isn’t it? I made it up myself.”
I took another drink and nodded my head. It wasn’t that good, but he seemed so proud that I didn’t want to say anything to hurt his feelings.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to come up with any lies about how great his concoction was because Casey put two fingers between her lips and whistled.
I turned to see Griffin walking toward us from the back of the bar. He had on a long-sleeved black henley and dark jeans. His beard was freshly trimmed—just the right length, if you asked me—and his hair was fixed. He was smiling, and his blue eyes lit up when he saw me.