“Please, you can really just call me Stone. No need to be so formal.” You know, since once upon a time, my dick saw the inside of your ass.

“How can I help ya, Stone?”

“I, uh, I just wanted to stop by and—” And what? Where the fuck was I going with this? Jesus. “And say hi. We haven’t seen each other much since Fort Worth, so I wanted to check in.”

That sounded fucking stupid.

His eyebrows scrunch together as a rare grin splits on his face. “Because we talked so much beforehand?”

A laugh bubbles out of me, and I hate how awkward it sounds. “Okay, no. But… I don’t know. Want to go grab drinks tonight?” That has his eyebrows shooting to the sky. “As friends… or as coworkers, if being friends is still off the table.”

“You want to grab drinks… with me… as coworkers?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t have to be weird. We got along before.”

“Yeah, but—” His head cocks to the side as he studies me. For what, I’m not sure. Several awkward seconds go by before he finally says, “You know what? Sure. Why the hell not? Let’s do it. Where to?”

Holy hell. I wasn’t expecting him to say yes. “Uh, we can go back to Bar PM? It’s a lot more chill during the week than it is on the weekends. Say, five?”

He studies me for another moment, unease flashing in his eyes before it’s gone. “Okay, sure. I’ll see you then.”

The walk back to my office is quick. I practically jog there, with my mind reeling. He fucking agreed to have drinks with me. Once I’m back in the confines of my own area, I shut the door, heading to my chair, and sitting down.

I grab my phone, unlock it, and dial the first number on my speed dial. It rings a few times before my sister’s chipper voice connects.

“What’s up, baby bro? What’s with the midday call?”

“Uh, so I can’t come to dinner tonight.”

“What?! Why the hell not? You’ve never missed a Monday dinner. Is everything okay?” She’s right. I’ve religiously gone to her house for dinner every single Monday since I moved out of her house. Which kind of makes me feel like shit.

“Well… I kind of found myself in some plans I didn’t think would actually happen.” Molly doesn’t do vague. I can practically see the quizzical look on her face as she listens to me half explain shit.

“Yeah, I’m gonna need more than that, Stone.”

“Okay, well, you know how I ran into Cash at the convention in Fort Worth?”

“You didn’t run into him, Stone. You tricked him into going under false pretenses, but go on.”