Page 3 of Tastes of Him
When that dark gaze turned to me, I knew I wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. “What?”
“Maybe you could go in my place.”
“Beg your pardon?”
Cameran turned to me, her frown retreating. “That’s a great idea. I know Rod would love to finally be able to show you around. He was kind of disappointed last time I went to visit when you weren’t with me.”
“And?”
“Please, Sean? I feel bad not being able to go.” Julie’s sigh had me feeling sympathy for her. I wasn’t sure how much she really cared about not being able to get time off, but I knew she hated to disappoint Cameran. It was one of the reasons I got along with her and why I finally gave in.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
Cameran’s hug almost knocked the breath out of me. “Thank you! I guarantee we will have fun.”
“Sure,” I replied. I was agreeing to do this to make Cameran happy. Nothing more, nothing less.
CHAPTER TWO
Roderick
The bar was packed. Boisterous laughter welcomed me as I stepped in for what would probably be one of my last few visits to this place. Casey’s had been my spot for the four years I called the West Coast home, and while I was eager to get back to some familiar Southern hospitality, I couldn’t deny the fact that this place was like a second home.
“Rod!”
I nodded to Jennifer, raising my hand in greeting. She had always reminded me a lot of my sister, Cameran. They were both short in stature but large in life with the type of bullheaded determination that made them a force of nature and damn near unstoppable. If not for Jennifer’s straight hair and tattoos, I might have accidentally called her by the wrong name. She was another reason why I favored coming here.
“Hey, Jen,” I replied when I stepped up to the bar counter. She leaned down and grabbed a familiar bottle. I smiled when she popped the cap and slid it over to me. “Am I that predictable?”
Her smirk wasn’t malicious as she gave me a look. “You’ve ordered the same thing every time you came in. I only keep this shit on the order logs for you.”
My laugh sounded startled, even to my own ears. “What? I can’t be the only one who drinks it.” Her silence was slightly worrying. “I order other things.”
“The one time I told you we were out, you looked like someone kicked your puppy.”
“No one would dare.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “Good thing you’re cute.”
“I thought you always said it was a good thing I’m a doctor.”
“That too.” Jennifer pulled out a rag and started wiping down the counter. “Your boys are in their usual spot. Tell Brody I’m not cleaning up anything his clumsy ass spills, but I will bill him for a cleaning crew.”
I snorted but let her know I would relay the message before heading to the corner of the bar that had been our spot for the past few years. Brody’s booming laughter had me smiling as I made my way over.
“You better not knock that drink over, B. Jen is ready to murder you with a toothpick if you dirty another table.”
“Roddie!”
“Never call me that again.” I accepted his slapping hug, grunting at nearly having the air forced from my lungs by his exuberance. His smile was wide, and I shook my head as I smiled back. The guy was like a damn golden retriever, energetic and impossible to get mad at.
He leaned in. “I promised Jen I would clean up anything I spilled and even mop the entire place for good measure.”
I eyed him for a moment, taking a swig of my beer. “You still trying to get her to go on another date with you?”
Brody shrugged, but his smile didn’t wane. His dark brown eyes shifted over my shoulder, and I sighed internally, knowing just what he was looking at.
Not what. Who.