Irresistibly Yours (Oxford #1)(19)

“That’s not what I meant,” Cole grumbled, dropping into the chair across from Jake.

“So it doesn’t bother you that she’s a woman?”

“Hell no. I love women.”

“Excellent,” Jake said. “So you won’t have a problem coming to dinner.”

“That was the lamest attempt at a trap ever,” Cole said. “Explain to me why your wife’s deciding to befriend Penelope Pope—which I’m in favor of, by the way—requires me to be present.”

“It’s not a trap,” Jake said irritably.

“Uh-huh. So you’re telling me this isn’t a couples-only party, with Penelope and me being the only single people?”

“Nope,” Jake said without hesitation. “And even if the girls were trying to set Penelope up, rumor has it Riley’s brother is first pick. Except he’s in Milan or Rome or something.”

Cole frowned. “Why was Liam first pick?”

Jake threw up his hands. “Do you want to come to f*cking dinner or not?”

Cole considered. On one hand, he enjoyed hanging out with Jake and the rest of the crew. Was he slightly aware that he was the lone single guy in the group? Yes. Did it bother him? Not in the least.

Except…Grace and her friends were always not so subtly trying to set Cole up with women in an attempt to lure him into their coupled lifestyle.

As such, he could smell a setup a mile away. And this was definitely one of them.

“I think I’ll respectfully pass,” Cole said slowly, leaning back in his chair and resting his heels on Jake’s desk. “Penelope’s great, but—”

Jake shrugged as though it didn’t make a difference to him. “No problem. I’ll ask Lincoln.”

Cole’s feet hit the floor. “Hell no.”

“What’s wrong with Lincoln?” Jake asked distractedly, looking at something that had just come through on his computer screen.

“Yeah? What’s wrong with Lincoln?” came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Cole glanced over his shoulder to see the very topic of conversation strolling into Jake’s office. Lincoln sat in the chair next to Cole.

“Wanna come to dinner?” Jake asked Lincoln.

“No,” Cole said, pointing a finger at Jake. “No way.”

“Sure, I love dinner,” Lincoln said, ignoring Cole. “When?”

“You’re not going,” Cole told Lincoln.

Jake frowned. “Well, at least one of you has to come. If I go home and tell Grace I didn’t find her tenth dinner party member, she’s going to be cranky, and when she’s cranky, I don’t get laid.”

“I’ll be there,” Cole said.

Jake lifted an eyebrow. “Changed your mind, did you?”

Cole didn’t rise to the bait.

Jake likely knew full well that Lincoln was the worst possible alternative.

Women seemed to fall in love with Lincoln just for existing. Cole had seen smart, rational women all but offer to have the man’s baby in exchange for a smile.

Not that Lincoln ever fell in love back. In fact, whenever Cole so much as teased him about getting serious, Lincoln got this haunted look like he was torn between puking and punching something.

No way was Cole going to subject Penelope to that. The woman needed a friend, not a broken heart.

“What did I just miss out on?” Lincoln asked Jake. “I sense subtext.”

Jake jerked his chin at Cole. “Dude can’t make up his mind how he feels about Penelope Pope.”

“Ah, the cute brunette who’s gunning for your job.”

“Not my job yet,” Cole grumbled. “Unless you two know something…”

Lincoln held up his hands. “Dude, believe me, I’ve tried. Cassidy’s tight-lipped on this one.”

“Tight-lipped about what?”

Cole didn’t even have to turn around to know that Cassidy was standing in the doorway.

“Is this what you guys do all day?” Cole asked the group. “Just loom around other people’s office doorways and eavesdrop?”

“Why don’t you join the team and find out?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, Cassidy,” Cole said, tilting his head back and looking at his maybe-soon-to-be employer. “Why don’t I join the team and find out?”

Cassidy rolled his eyes, crossing both arms across his chest as he leaned against the doorway. “Yeah, I can see you’d be such a positive influence on my team’s productivity.”

“Glad you’re seeing the light,” Cole replied. “Should I start today? Jake here doesn’t mind sharing his office.”

“I do. I definitely mind,” Jake said.

Cassidy sighed. “I was going to call you tomorrow, Sharpe, but since you’re here—might as well get it over with.”

Cole felt his stomach drop suddenly. Cassidy’s words were hardly the encouraging pep talk of someone about to make a job offer.

He swallowed his bitterness.

He wasn’t going to get the job. They were going to give it to Penelope Pope.

And damn it, she probably deserved it.

But so did he.

And he needed it. He couldn’t let Bobby get kicked out of his home. Sure, his brother could move in with Cole, but they’d tried that, and Bobby had been bored out of his mind while Cole was at work, and Cole had been stressed and irritable, worrying about his brother more than he probably needed to.