Page 42 of Shadow's Surrender
“Yeah, they should be here any minute,” Warren replied as he craned his neck and looked at the front of the restaurant.
Ashley and Shelby sat down, leaving an empty seat between them. Licks of anger burned inside Scarlett as she fumed from the deceit of her friends.
“Did you know about this?” Scarlett mouthed to Daisy, who shook her headno,then crossed her heart with her index finger.
Scarlett huffed and leaned back against the chair, deciding that she’d hurry through dinner then cut out of there fast. She was more than pissed at her meddling friends, who seemed hellbent to keep Warren in her life.Why can’t they just butt the fuck out?After a long week of committee meetings, listening to her parents lecture her on what she should do,andShadow’s rejection of her—which was, hands down, the worst part of the week—she yearned for a girls’ night out, and here wasWarrensitting beside her. Yeah … feeling betrayed at that moment by her friends didn’t even describe it.
Soon the whole gang was there, and as Warren and his buddies talked about business and sports, and her friends planned the next pool party, Scarlett sipped martini after martini. She had to give credit to Warren for catching on that she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him, so he’d backed off with the touchy-feely crap and pretty much ignored her once Brent and Jeremy arrived.
The waiter put down four platters of ribs on the table along with mounds of mashed potatoes, corn, and coleslaw.
“Buffalo steak medium-rare?” the server asked, glancing around the table. Jeremy waved his hand and the waiter placed the steaming dish in front of him. Warren and Brent had ordered New York strips, and after setting everything down, the server hurried away.
The conversation flowed well while they ate, and as Scarlett began to relax and enjoy herself, the anger she’d felt at her friends earlier in the evening slowly vanished.
“How do you like the food?” Warren asked before he popped a morsel of steak into his mouth.
“It’s so good. I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” Scarlett replied.
“This is the best barbecue I’ve had.” Shelby licked her fingers. “Am I right?”
The group spent the next few minutes talking about the food, then changed the subject to best nightclubs in Pinewood Springs.
Warren leaned against Scarlett, his shoulder brushing against hers. “Do you want a bite?” He speared a morsel of steak and held it inches from her mouth. “It’s real good and juicy,” he said in a low voice.
“Thanks, but I’m pretty full,” she replied.
“Just one little bite, beautiful.”
Warren caught her eye, and she quickly looked down at her plate. She moved her fork around, pretending to be engrossed in her meal.
“Hey, there,” a deep voice boomed.
She looked up, and for a second it didn’t register that the muscular man standing by the table was the contractor working on the tennis house.
“Smokey—the dude working his ass off at your house.” He leaned back on his heels.
“Right! Sorry, I …” She waved her hand in the air toward him. “You just look different.” Her gaze skimmed his leather vest. “Hi, how are you?”
He chuckled. “Better than you, lady.”
“He thinks you’re drunk,” Warren whispered under his breath. “What a rude asshole.”
Scarlett ignored the looks her friends were giving her as she engaged in small talk with Smokey.
“How do you like the food?” His eyes swept around the table as her friends mumbled praises of their meals.
“It’s really good. I’ll have to tell my parents about it,” Scarlett said.
“Your dad comes here a lot,” Smokey said, then pursed his lips together.
She widened her eyes. “I didn’t know that. I wonder why he never suggested it to us.”
He shrugged then looked toward the back of the room. “I gotta join my brothers.”
She craned her neck and saw a table of about twenty men all wearing leather vests. “You have a big family.”
Smokey burst out laughing and slapped his thigh a few times. “Fuckin’ classic.” He lifted his chin to her and sauntered away.
