Mark was the kind of guy he’d fix up with a female friend, or even a sister, without a qualm.
So why was he dead set against the idea of him and Erin together?
The answer to that question was so obvious he backtracked.
“You’re right. Erin’s a big girl, she doesn’t need me to protect her.” He held up a hand before Mark could open his mouth. “And I don’t think you’re someone she needs to be protected from. So, go for it. Seriously. You have my blessing.”
Mark shook his head. “That’s nice of you, man, but I’m all set for now. It’s good to know you won’t jump down my throat if I flirt with her again, but that’s probably all I’ll do.”
Jake hoped his relief didn’t show in his face. “Hey, whatever. It’s none of my business. What do you say we look over those design specs? I have some ideas for the exhaust system.”
“Great. Let’s take a look.”
A few days later, Jake put down his soldering iron and looked at the clock. He’d been working since five this morning, which meant he’d been at it for twelve hours. It was time to knock off for the night.
His cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket. Erin had said she wanted a week or so to work on the site, and the week wasn’t up yet. But he was so sure it was Erin calling him now that he flipped the phone open without checking the screen. “Hello?”
“Jake! I can’t believe you actually answered.”
Not Erin. Jenna.
“Hey, Jenna. I can’t really talk right now.”
“So what else is new? I just wanted to see how you’re doing. I haven’t heard from you in a while.”
He sighed. “I’m fine. Busy, but fine.”
“Okay, okay, I get the hint. Are you going to be at dinner this Sunday?”
“Unless I can get out of it, yeah.”
She laughed. “You won’t get out of it. This is Mom we’re talking about.”
“So I guess I’ll see you there.”
“See you there.”
The call ended, and he looked down at the cell phone in his hand. Then he flipped it open again and dialed Erin’s number.
She picked up after two rings. “Erin Shaw Designs.”
“Hey, Erin. It’s Jake.”
“Oh…hi, Jake.”
“I was calling to follow up about the website. To, uh, see if you needed anything else from us.”
“No, I’m all set. The site’s almost done, actually —I’m just putting on some finishing touches.”
“Great.” He hesitated. “I was also wondering if you wanted to get together tonight. As friends, of course,” he added, to make it clear he wasn’t trying to blur the boundaries between them. “We could grab some dinner, or go bowling, or something. Or just meet for coffee.”
There was a short silence, which gave him enough time to realize how much he wanted her to say yes.
“I can’t tonight. I’m meeting someone. But maybe some other time?”
His hand tightened on the phone. “Is it the same guy? The one you had dinner with that night?”
“No, this is…someone else. It’s our first date, actually.”
He wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse. “Well, I hope you have fun.”
“Thanks. I’ll call tomorrow to set up our next meeting, okay?”
“Sounds good. Goodbye, Erin.”
“Goodbye.”
Ever since he’d come home to Iowa, he’d spent most of his nights alone at his apartment. But tonight, the thought of going home to ESPN and leftover pizza left him cold. As they were heading out the door he asked Mark, “Do you feel like getting something to eat?”
“And drink, yeah. I could use a pitcher of beer and a giant plate of chicken wings.”
So they went down to O’Malley’s, the most popular pub in town, where they ate nachos and chicken wings, drank beer, and watched the Cubs/Cardinals game.
It was a good night. Or it was until he saw Erin Shaw come through the door with a guy in a suit.
They slid into a booth on the other side of the room, and Erin smiled at something her date said. He had blond hair and glasses and looked vaguely familiar, and even from here Jake could tell he was smitten with the woman sitting across from him.
The weather had finally turned warm, and Erin was wearing a sleeveless pink blouse and black skirt, with her hair loose and curling around her shoulders.
“Hello? Earth to Jake.”
When Jake didn’t answer Mark twisted around to see what he was looking at. “Damn, Erin looks hot tonight. And to think that could be me sitting with her.”
“You?”
“Yeah.” Mark grinned at him. “I would have asked her out a week ago if you weren’t so hung up on her.”