Cady smiled. “Great. Then celebration drinks it is.”
“Oh, I don’t know—”
“Can I give you a word of advice?” Cady asked abruptly.
“Um, sure. I guess.”
“When I first came here, I tried to separate myself from everyone else. I didn’t want to get close to anyone in case something happened to them. I didn’t want to fuck up again and lose someone I loved. But I learned that with these guys there’s no protecting yourself. You’re all in or all out. We’re a team, but we’re more than that. We’re a family. Now, you don’t have to have anything to do with us outside of work hours. That’s all fine. But you’re the one who’s missing out.”
Cady turned and walked out the door, leaving her staring after her in shock.
Well, she guessed she’d been told.
***
Gray looked over at the door to the busy bar. The team at Black-Gray were regulars on Friday nights. Maggie, the owner, always kept the same table free for them. The others sat around drinking and laughing, but Gray wasn’t quite feeling it.
He glanced over as the door opened again. Two younger women walked in, dressed to impress in short skirts and high, platform shoes. One of them looked over at him, running her gaze up and down his body like he was a piece of meat. She winked at him. He looked away, uninterested. Beside him, Hunter snorted.
“What?” Gray snapped. He’d had enough of Hunter’s advice lately. If anyone was turning into Dr. Phil, it was him.
“Normally you’re more polite than that. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Because usually, you’d spend the next half an hour explaining that they’re way to young and stupid for you. Pretty sure I’ve got hairs on my ass older than those two.”
Crude, but probably accurate. If they were older than twenty-one, then he’d pluck the hairs on Hunter’s ass.
The door opened again.
“Staring at the door isn’t going to make her step through it, you know,” Hunter told him.
“Who?”
“Lacey. Cady said she’s not coming.”
“I’m not looking for her.”
“No? Who you looking for then?”
Hunter had him there. He wasn’t even certain why he was waiting for her. Like Hunter said, she wasn’t coming. And even if by some miracle she did appear, she’d take one look at him and run off. She wasn’t shy or scared around anyone else. He didn’t know what it was she found so objectionable about him.
Then the door opened, and there she stood. His body took immediate notice. It didn’t give a shit that she didn’t like him. He was more attracted than he’d been to any other woman in a long time. He took in her long, dark hair, which shined, even under the crappy lights in the bar. She stood uncertainly just inside the doorway, glancing around with those too-serious, deep brown eyes. She wore one of her usual work uniforms: a dark gray skirt and matching jacket with a crisp, white shirt underneath. Her sensible shoes didn’t have much of a heel, but they didn’t need to. Not with her height.
Gray had always thought he preferred petite, curvy women. But there was something about her long, lean body that made his heart race, his body heat. Calm yourself.
“There she is.” Cady jumped up and moved over to Lacey, who looked like she was about to bolt. Grabbing the other woman’s hand, Cady practically dragged her over to their table. Everyone called out a greeting, holding up their drinks in congratulations. She blushed slightly, looking unsure.
“Here, have a seat.” Cady gestured towards her empty seat, which was on the other side of Hunter. “I’ll go grab another one.”
“No need.” Hunter stood and took Cady’s free chair then pulled her onto his lap. That left the chair next to Gray free. Manipulative bastard. Gray knew he’d done that on purpose, he could have easily kept his chair instead of moving. But now Lacey had to sit by Gray.
Thank God for interfering friends.
Gray just sat and waited to see what she would do. She hesitated for a moment, but to her credit, she sat with a small smile and a nod of thanks. As everyone congratulated her, welcoming her to the team, her smile grew wider. He saw her shoulders relax. Interesting. Acceptance seemed to soften her. Not that it wasn’t that way for most people. They needed a place to belong. But he almost sensed a hunger about her, as though she hadn’t had much acceptance in her life.
Or perhaps he was just reading too much into it.
Allie, the waitress, walked over to them. Concern filled him as he noticed she was moving slower than usual today.
“Hey, what can I get you?” she asked Lacey, giving her a small smile.