揧ou looked up the reviews??
Based on the illumination from the streetlights, he looks affronted.
揙f course I did.?Crew keeps fiddling with the harness, petting Teddy as he does. I give up on helping and watch him struggling to free our dog.
I think I love him. It抯 a terrifying realization.
揟here!?
揧ou realize we抮e going to have to put it back on him, right? Don抰 celebrate yet.?
Crew rolls his eyes before climbing out of the car with Teddy. He sets the dog down in the mulch, and he immediately squats.
揇idn抰 see this coming when we went to that climbing gym.?
The sound of Asher抯 voice startles me. 揥hat do you mean??
揑 figured you two would end up divorced or not speaking. Crew likes things done a certain way梙is way. I got the sense you were the same way. Basically, a recipe for disaster.?
揑t抯 only been a couple of months. Who knows how we抣l end up.?
揂nyone with eyes could make a good guess,?Asher replies.
Crew climbs back into the car before I have a chance to reply. He hands me Teddy, who wriggles and licks my face.
揌e went.?
揑 saw.?I give his soft head a rub. 揥ho抯 the best boy??
揧ou never say that to me, Red.?
揧ou抮e housebroken.?
Asher makes a gagging sound.
Crew leans over to help me reattach the harness. 揂nd you like it when I抦 bad,?he whispers in my ear.
揑f you抮e done with the displays of affection, can we go??
Crew sighs. 揧our place??
揘ah, drop me off at Proof. I need a drink.?
揧ou could have called a fucking Uber, man. I抦 not a car service.?
揜ight. You were so busy being a dog dad. I figured if I called you, we could go get a drink. You didn抰 tell me you were bringing the wife, and I didn抰 even know you had a puppy.?
Crew sighs, but I think he hears the same thing I do. Asher wanted to talk to him, not just a ride. I thought their relationship was more work colleagues than anything, but it seems like they抮e genuinely friends. 揊ine, I抣l drop you at Proof. You had better not be late for the Danbury meeting in the morning.?
揇on抰 worry, boss. I抣l be in your office bright and early, feet on the desk.?
揊eet on the desk??I ask.
揅rew hates it when people touch his desk,?Asher tells me.
揙h.?I glance at Crew. He appears amused, not annoyed. I抳e touched his desk. Leaned against it. Sat at it.
A few minutes later, Crew stops in front of Proof. I look at the line of people standing outside, decked out in short dresses and expensive attire. Not too long ago, that might have been me. With the exception of waiting in line. I was always on the list.
揟hanks, man,?Asher says. 揙ne of these days, I抣l actually tell him to fuck off.?He clears his throat. 揝eriously, I owe you. Bye, Scarlett.?
揃ye, Asher.?
Asher climbs out of the car and disappears inside.
揧ou should go with him,?I tell Crew.
He looks surprised. 揥hy??
揌e obviously wanted to talk to you, and that抯 why he called. About whoever he抯 trying to tell to fuck off. You guys are friends, right??
揇epends on the day.?Crew smiles, telling me he抯 kidding. 揧eah, we抮e friends. We抳e known each other for a while. His family is almost as messy as mine.?
揝o, go. Seriously. I can handle all this.?I wave a hand at all the dog supplies we just bought.
揧ou lost the dog last time.?
揌e has a leash now. Plus, he seems tired.?I glance down at Teddy, who抯 methodically licking at his paw.
揂sher is a big boy. He has other friends he can call.?
揌e called you,?I point out.
Crew considers that. Smiles a little. 揑 can抰 believe you抮e encouraging me to go to a club with Asher, of all people. Half the stupid shit I抳e done was his idea.?
揑 trust you,?I whisper. It feels like the right thing to say and also happens to be true.
It captures Crew抯 attention. 揧eah??
揧eah.?
He looks at me and I look back. And something very tangible and very real passes between us before Crew unbuckles his seatbelt. 揟ext me when you抮e home.?
I nod. He leans forward and kisses me before he opens the door and steps out of the car. I watch his confident strides eat up the distance between the curb and the entrance of Proof, only stopping to say something to the bouncer before he disappears inside.
I climb into the driver抯 seat and drive home.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CREW
When the elevator doors open, it抯 to the sound of loud female laughter. It抯 not Scarlett抯， a sound I unwittingly memorized, despite the fact I抳e only heard it a few times. This is higher-pitched.
I pass the entryway tables and walk into the living room, following the sound. Scarlett is sitting on the sectional couch, poking at a container of Chinese food with a fork. At the sound of my footsteps, she looks up. Her eyes widen with surprise梥he wasn抰 expecting me home this early.