Chapter 54
Jason shrugged. “Gonna get started. Probably have a good crowd today, the weather’s not even going to get up to ninety. It’ll be nice, especially porch seating.” He nudged Kat, who flapped her hand at him, and then he disappeared into the restaurant.
Andy sighed as soon as the door closed. “Let’s have it.”
“Did you sleep last night, at all?” Kat climbed up the stairs, coming up to lean on the rail next to him. “I can make you another coffee.”
“I slept,” Andy said. It was stupid, how hard he had to work to keep the blush off his face. “It’s not what you think.”
“Yes? What is it that I think, hmm?” She took the long-empty travel mug from him, shook it, and took it to Scooter’s door. She walked right in; apparently Scooter hadn’t locked the door. Andy thought of the all-but-useless chain on his apartment door and wondered if this was a Southern thing, or a Scooter thing. “Coffee, coffee,” Kat was mumbling. She dug through his kitchen cabinets with ease of familiarity and tossed a pod into the Keurig, thumbing the button.
Andy followed her as far as the doorway, watching the coffee dribble into the mug. “You’re a menace. And we didn’t sleep together.”
Kat brought him back the mug. “That’s not what I’m interested in. That will come in time. You…talked.”
No, don’t blush, don’t, no, NO—dammit.“Okay, yeah. That happened.” He hid his face in the coffee.
Kat hopped up on the rail, swinging her feet. “You are happy, it was a good talk? Scooter was not stupid?”
Andy frowned at her. “Of course he wasn’t. He was…” Ugh, they could probably fry today’s crab cakes on his face. “We’re…dating, now. I guess.”
Kat chuckled. “I love him,” she said. “It doesn’t mean he can’t be stupid. But you did not answer my question, Andrushka. How are you feeling, about…dating, you guess.”
“Really, really horny,” he said, which was payback for the wedgie comment. “And, uh, kind of nervous. In a good way. Just. I don’t want to screw it up.”
“Well then, everything will work out,” Kat said. She ran her fingers casually through Andy’s hair. “You’ll see. It’ll be just fine.”
“I’ve heard that before,” Andy grumbled. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“Just be Andy,” Kat said. “That’s all he wants. You do not have to do anything, or be anything, except yourself. You’re exactly enough. Think of it this way; if Jason can have someone as perfect as me, you’re in a good position to have exactly what you want.”
Andy snorted. “Even if I’m not sure I know what that is.” He finished the coffee and pulled her off the rail. “You didn’t say what any of that had to do with Scooter going up to Williamsburg.”
“He is happy,” she said, simply. “And when he is happy, he likes to drive, and he likes to shop, and he likes to climb this tree. I do not understand this last thing, but it is something he does. Up the tree, like a squirrel. There is a particular tree. It’s a Scooter thing. But watch, he’ll bring back food. That’s what he does; Scooter feeds people. It amazes me that I still fit into my uniform.”
“Yeah, I can see you struggling,” Andy said drily, but the idea Scooter was happy—that was…good. A relief. He hadn’t quiteworked up to worrying that Scooter was having regrets, but it had been hard to keep his thoughts pointed in a positive direction. “Come on, we need to get on with prep.” 22
“I’m stealing Andy,” Scooter called out just as the lunch rush was dying down. “We’ll be back before dinner.” He’d taken a little care with his appearance, which really wasn’t saying much between his pathetic wardrobe and the heat, but he’d pulled out his super-thin blue tee, the one that left nothing whatsoever to the imagination and which he’d used to great effect back in his clubbing days, and a white linen button-down that he left hanging open, along with his lightest, tightest jeans and boots. He’d slicked his hair back, but it was already falling in his face. One of these days, he was going to need to either commit to wearing it long, or get a fucking haircut already.
Pathetic wardrobe or not, Andy’s eyes darkened gratifyingly, and then he was yanking off the apron and practically tossing it at its hook. He slipped his arm through Scooter’s and winked at Kat—thatwasn’t worrying at all. “Consider me stolen,” he said. “What’s cookin’?”
“Go grab Trick, we’ll take him with,” Scooter said. “He could use an outing, too.” He was milking the suspense, not because there really was any, but because Andy was too adorable when he was grinning like that. Scooter could imagine, just for a little bit, that he might be able to spring a real surprise at some point. Not likely; Kat had told him more than once he had a terrible poker face.