“Which is?”
“Nothing. Forget it.” He couldn’t admit that winning her over was his mission for the evening. Before any winning could occur, he had to get her to agree to go.
“Okay.” She resumed entering her notes, but her progress was notably slower.
An idea struck. Picking up the phone, he called his other close friend Levi.
“Hello?” he muttered.
“It’s almost three o’clock, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Nice try. You’ll never be Prince Charming.”
That hit a little close to home. “I could be if I tried.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m into the princesses. What do you want?”
“Get some coffee already.”
“Means getting out of bed. It’s too early for that kind of commitment to the day,” Levi said around a yawn.
“Eric and Cass are going to Pandora’s tonight. We’re getting a few people together. Want to go?”
“Yeah. Sounds like fun.” Bedclothes rustled and a feminine voice protested. Levi ignored her to ask, “What time?”
“About seven, seven-thirty.”
“I’ll be there. An opportunity to go out without the assless chaps is always welcome.”
Justin laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. No firemen, lumberjacks, sailors or construction workers allowed.”
“Then I’m definitely in. See ya.”
They hung up. Justin went back to his chart and forced himself to fill in some of the information before tilting his head toward Grace. “A few of my friends are getting together tonight. Want to come along? We’re meeting at some dive bar that allegedly serves the best nachos in Seattle.”
She hesitated long enough that Justin had to fight to not push, cajole or plead with her to say yes. Finally, finally, she looked over at him. “No construction workers, huh?”
“Nope. No cowboys, either.”
“Shame. I’m rather fond of cowboys.” She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “Why are you inviting me?”
“I want to hang out with you. It’s a group setting, public venue. Nothing nefarious. Just come out for a while. Enjoy yourself. You’ll like the people who are going.”
“It’s not another ‘lunch’ situation?”
“I gave you my word—I won’t push.”
She ran a hand around the nape of her neck and shrugged one shoulder. “Sure. I’ll come. When should I meet you there?”
“About seven-thirty. That’ll give everyone time to be late and you won’t end up waiting on us.”
She laughed. “Your friends are always late?”
“Eric and Cass are awesome, but they’re a new couple so...yeah, they tend to run late.” Heat crept across his cheeks, and he grinned at his own awkwardness over his friends’ sex lives. “Levi will be there, but he’s rarely the first to arrive. Has this thing about being alone.” And that might have been too much personal information on the guy, but it would explain him well enough she understood.