A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers, #3)(29)

“Yeah, they are,” I reply, even though it feels like a lie coming out of my mouth.

“So you met Lia in college?” Birdy asks.

“Yeah, we were part of a secret Scrabble group, and she was very impressive with her spelling skills. After her first night, we sort of bonded over all things that interested us, and we’ve been best friends since.”

“That’s so cool. What were some of the things you bonded over?”

“Uhh.” I look off to the side and then lean a little closer. “If I tell you, it might deter you from wanting to stick around on this date because Lia and I don’t usually like mainstream popular things.”

“Try me.” She brings her wine up to her pink-painted lips. “I might surprise you.”

“Okay.” I rub my hands together and turn toward her. “I have a deep obsession for Lord of the Rings. I read the books when I was younger, became quickly obsessed, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve dressed up as Gandalf for Halloween far too many times for me to count. I enjoy building model airplanes and flying them. I find it incredibly soothing. I’m an avid board gamer. I will try any game at least once. I prefer the ones where I go on a quest. Sports don’t really interest me. I’ll watch them, but I’m not a diehard fan. I’ve been known to enjoy a comic book from time to time, but nothing mainstream like Marvel or DC. There’s this one line of comic books about Sherlock Holmes that I really enjoy reading. I’m tempting the line of becoming a Disney adult. I’m an annual ticket holder, will attend the Halloween party every year, and have a sick obsession with The Nightmare Before Christmas as well as Mulan. The montage where she ‘becomes a man’ gives me chills every time. And my favorite movie is The Thin Man. There’s a whole series of them, and in the late fall, there’s an old movie theater downtown that will put on a marathon of them. Lia and I go every year.”

Birdy sips her wine and pauses for a moment. After a few seconds, she finally says, “A hot nerd, I think I can get on board with that.”

I let out a chuckle and lift my glass to hers, where we clink them and sip.





“What do you think, man?” Brian asks. “She’s great, isn’t she?”

Birdy excused herself to the bathroom after her plate of salad was taken away by the server. I shamelessly watched her walk away with a pretty hefty sway to her hips that I appreciated.

“Yeah, she’s pretty awesome,” I say as I pat my mouth with my cloth napkin and then set it on the table. “Seems like we have some differences when it comes to interests, but she did say she enjoys hiking, which is a plus.”

Lia has been quiet for a while. Well, most of the dinner, actually. Brian has been talking to her about work while Birdy and I have been conversing.

“Did you tell her that you like birdwatching when you hike?” Lia asks.

“Uh, skipped out on the part where I mention my binoculars, bucket hat, and notebook.”

Brian laughs. “I bet that’s a sight to behold.”

“Not many people get to see that side of me for that reason.”

“I don’t know. I think the bucket hat looks good,” Lia says, her eyes flashing toward me.

Brian shifts in his chair and clears his throat. “So would I be safe to assume that you’ll be driving Birdy home tonight?”

“If she needs a ride, sure,” I answer.

“Will you be asking her out again?” Lia asks softly.

I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe. She seems cool, and getting to know her without an audience who likes to share embarrassing pictures might be helpful.”

“But those are the best pic—”

“Well, don’t let us keep you,” Brian says just as Birdy approaches. I don’t fail to notice how he cut Lia off, or how she slinks back in her chair from the abrupt interruption. Brian stands from his chair and buttons up his suit jacket. “I’ve already taken care of the bill. Lia and I are going to head out as it’s a bit of a drive to Malibu.”

“Yeah, of course,” I say as I stand as well. Way to make this incredibly awkward with a blunt goodbye. There was no interlude, just a short-snipped we’re leaving. Wanting to make sure Lia is okay, I turn to her and pull her into a hug. “You good?” I ask softly. She nods against my shoulder, so I take that as her answer and say, “Have a good weekend.”

“Okay. Thanks,” she says softly, her voice sounding strange. I’m about to ask her if she’s sure everything is okay, but I think twice of it, not wanting to spark any questioning from Brian.

So I release Lia and say, “Text me about next week and your appointments. You know I’ll be at all of them.”

“I will.” She smiles as Brian comes around and places his hand on her lower back.

He lends out his hand and offers me a shake. “Good seeing you, Breaker. Have fun, the night is still early. Maybe take Birdy out for dessert.”

No pressure. Jesus.

“Sure, thanks again for dinner.” They both take off, and I turn to Birdy. She’s standing there, unsure of what to do, with her clutch tightly in her hand. “So.” I stick my hands in my pockets. “Uh . . . when I go on hikes, it’s more for birdwatching.” She laughs. “Just want to put that out there before I ask if you want to get dessert.”