“So, how do you know Travis?” Brantley inquired as he dragged a couple of fries through ketchup.
“I work for him.”
Brantley nodded as though that made sense, but he didn’t dig deeper. “His family seems to like you.”
Reese grinned. “I’m a pretty likable guy.”
There was an amused smirk that pulled at the corner of Brantley’s mouth. “Is that right?”
“I’d like to think so.”
Those steel-blue eyes latched onto his face, remained there for a few uncomfortable beats before Reese felt the need to fidget. Thankfully, the waitress came over, not thrown off by the fact that Reese had changed seats. She delivered his salad, asked if either of them needed anything, and then disappeared to take care of the other customers.
“Watchin’ your figure?” Brantley asked as he two-fisted his burger.
“Somethin’ like that.” Reese popped the egg yolk out of his hard-boiled eggs, set them aside.
“Best part of the egg,” Brantley said, as though it was normal to assess a man’s eating habits while at the dinner table.
“That why you invited me over? So you could critique my dinner?”
“Maybe.” The smile was mischievous.
“You’re a lot like your cousin Travis,” Reese told him.
“Handsome and smart?”
Reese chuckled, amused by the man. “Nosy as fuck.”
Brantley laughed, a rusty sound that was surprisingly pleasant.
“You know I’m not gay, right?”
“Pity,” Brantley said easily. “Damn pity.”
For whatever reason, he liked that Brantley spoke his mind. Like Travis, Reese wasn’t sure Brantley had a filter. And also like Travis, there were shadows in Brantley’s eyes. They were buried under the light the guy gravitated toward, likely in an effort to push down whatever darkness haunted him, but they were most definitely there.
“So, that girl at the range…the one you introduced us to at IHOP,” Reese prompted. “She a friend of yours?”
“Yep. Known her since high school.”
“JJ, right?”
Brantley nodded, wiped his mouth with a napkin before finishing off his tea and placing the glass near the edge of the table for a refill.
“Why? You interested?” Brantley leaned back, rested his arm on the back of the booth. “I could put in a good word for you.”
Reese noticed the way the charcoal T-shirt stretched across Brantley’s chest. It was something he never noticed, but there was just something about this man that drew the eye. The casual way he moved, the easy smile, those stormy eyes.
“What makes you think I need help in that regard?” Reese shot back.
Another smile, this one revealing dimples.
“How often you go to the range?”
The shift in topic caught him off guard, but he answered without much thought. “Couple times a week. Why?”
“Just makin’ conversation.”
So he claimed. To Reese, it felt a hell of a lot more like Brantley was trying to burrow under his skin.
And strangely enough, the realization wasn’t exactly off-putting.
Although he had no fucking idea why.
Chapter Five
Brantley woke a few days later to the sound of his phone ringing, the irritating blast cutting through what had been a relatively peaceful sleep. Considering he’d only been out for two hours, he wanted to hurl the thing through the window.
Slapping at the nightstand, he found the damn phone, cursing as he hit the button to take the call.
“Mornin’,” came JJ’s too-pleasant voice. “Thought maybe you’d want to meet for coffee.”
“You realize it’s six, right?”
“And the sun’s comin’ up. Your point?”
Brantley grumbled, biting his tongue just short of releasing a curse.
“Coffee, Walker. At the diner. Seven thirty.”
“Yeah,” he groused. “I’ll be there.”
Had JJ been anyone else, he probably would’ve told her to fuck off. But since he was hoping to stay in her good graces if for no other reason than he didn’t have many people in his life who weren’t trying to coddle him, Brantley figured he could forgive her this transgression.
Since he had an hour and a half before he had to meet her, Brantley opted for a run, cutting himself off at an hour but improving his pace so he considered it a win. Back at home, he showered, shaved, dressed. He made it to the diner with about ten minutes to spare but figured he could grab them a table, a task he soon realized wasn’t necessary because JJ was already there.
He made his way over, his gaze scanning her breakfast companion, taking in the man’s ridiculously nice features. The same ridiculously nice features he’d admired over dinner a few days ago. Reese Tavoularis. Guy just seemed to be popping up every-damn-where.
Stepping up to the side of the table, he peered down at JJ, smiled.
“Hey,” she greeted quickly, a flush infusing her cheeks. “You’re early.”
And you’re busted, he thought.
“You remember … uh…”
Oh, he most definitely remembered the man. “Reese.” Brantley smiled. “We had supper the other night.”
JJ’s eyes widened. “Together?”
“No,” Brantley retorted. “Separately, but it was memorable.” He smirked down at her. “Yes, together.”
“Dinner?”
“That’s another name for it, sure,” Brantley said. “You know, the meal you have at the end of the day.”
