Zack faltered for a second and then said, “There’s this guy at my work that I kind of like.”

“Okay,” Lee said, alternating between watching the road and watching him in the rearview mirror. “So?”

“Do you mean John?” Kira asked.

Alexa’s eyes widened. It occurred to Zack that he’d only told Kira he was interested in John, back at his apartment. Alexa just thought he was a good client. “Yeah, that one.” He steeled himself and then said, “I sort of ran into him.”

Alexa and Kira gasped. Lee shot him a puzzled look.

“So?” Lee asked again.

“What?” Alexa yelped.

“You mean that guy you introduced me to in the beer garden?” Kira asked.

“So nothing, my sentiments exactly, and no, not that guy,” Zack replied. “Beer Garden John introduced me to his friends, and one of them was the guy I have a thing for. Whose name is also John.”

“You . . . just got introduced to someone from your work that you like?” Lee asked.

“As I said, it’s a long story.”

Lee shook his head. “I don’t understand, but I’m guessing I’m missing something. We’re almost to Main Street. Am I taking all of you home or what?”

“Take Alexa and me to Zack’s place,” Kira ordered. “He’s got some explaining to do.”

Chapter 8

Zack chugged the rest of his beer and then climbed to his feet. “Anyone else want one?”

“Yes, please,” Alexa and Kira said in unison, holding their bottles up for him to collect.

“You guys are such moochers,” Zack teased.

“Says the guy who bought me a bottle of vodka for my twenty-first birthday and wound up drinking half of it,” retorted Kira.

Zack grinned. “Hey, you drank the other half. And if I remember correctly, you ended up in the fountain outside of the mall right along with me.”

Kira sniffed. “I don’t recall that at all.”

Zack disposed of the three empty bottles and grabbed three more out of his fridge. He trotted back into the living room and doled them out. “That’s the truest testament of a good twenty-first birthday, my love. You don’t remember shit.”

“You are so stalling,” Alexa said. She was sitting on Zack’s couch with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her bare toes wiggled as she spoke. Zack plopped down on the opposite end of the sofa. Kira was sitting on the ground by Alexa’s feet with her long legs stretched out in front of her. They looked casual enough, but Zack knew they’d sat together on purpose. The better to form a united front against him. He didn’t really mind. He needed their help to get his head on straight.

“Tell us what happened again,” Kira said. Her large, dark eyes looked as deep as inkwells in the dim light.