Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(89)

I had to look away from the food rolling around in his mouth. It was hard, though, because he was making smacking noises.

We painfully got through dinner, Lump trying as hard as William and I to get a topic that everyone could agree on. It apparently didn’t exist. This guy didn’t have a broad scope of knowledge. He frankly seemed fairly stupid. And violent.

When the bill came William reached for it smoothly. John did not. Instead, John took out some twenties and pushed them across the table at William. “That ought to cover Lumpy and I.”

Lump looked apologetically at William, keeping her eyes directed away from me. Wise.

“I’d be honored,” William said, shaking his head at the wad of bills.

John looked surprised, but took his money back quickly, thanking “good Will Hunting.”

When we were back in the car I was about to make up some excuse to have to go home early, but William said, “I have some friends that are at a bar not far from here if anyone would like to go?”

Lump agreed and John just shrugged. It wasn’t as awesome as just going home, but hopefully I wouldn’t have to talk to this nincompoop once we got there.

Walking into the bar all eyes turned to Lump and I. We had been expecting a classy meal and dressed appropriately. William as well, but when men dressed up, they rarely showed leg and cle**age. Hence, he didn’t stand out as much in a bar with jeans and sweaters.

So yeah, we were a tad over-dressed. Sore thumbs in a sea of manicures.

I turned to William in outrage. “You--! We are going to stick out here!”

William had a shit eating grin. “Is it my fault I wanted to show off the two fine-looking ladies I had the pleasure of accompanying to dinner, in a place where they would feel like diamonds among rocks?”

Lump looked back at him with a smile. John looked back with thunder clouds.

“Cute,” I said, looking away with a huff.

“What?” he asked exaggeratedly. “Besides,” he quietly whispered to me, “we don’t have to talk to that guy and we can get a cab from here. I don’t trust him.”

“Trust him how?” I whispered back.

“He keeps sizing me up. I doubt he goes many places without starting a fight. Firstly, I didn’t want to be the one fighting. Second, I didn’t want to have to bail him out of anything by default. Including jail.”

I nodded as we walked. I still would rather have just gone home.

Moose saw us walk in. With a smile, he stood up.

John stopped mid-stride, making Lump crash into him.

William easily stepped in front and clapped Moose on the back. “Moose, you remember Lump?”

“Of course,” Moose said in good humor. He stepped up to hug her. “You look beautiful tonight, Betz.”

“Thanks, Moose. You look like shit, as always.”

“I’ll have to tell Jasmine. She dresses me these days.”

“You can dress up a goat, but, in the end, he is still a goat.”

“Oh man!” Moose laughed, putting his hand over his heart in mock pain. “You’re worse than Jessica!”

“Pupil surpassed the teacher!” I said.

“And this is her date, John,” William said, putting his arm around me as he nodded toward the douche.

Moose turned to John. If he noticed the littler man’s aggression he didn’t show it.

“John knows Lump from Muay Thai kick-boxing,” William continued. “Lump tells us he is quite skilled.”

“Oh really?” Moose said politely. “That’s interesting. I had a friend that took lessons in Muay Thai. It is pretty intense I hear.”

“Very,” John said with a scowl.

Moose smiled and nodded, still unaffected. “Would y’all like a drink?”

“Beer,” William and I said together.

Moose laughed. “Glad to see y’all out tonight. We were short of pretty people—poor Adam was being hit on by women and men!”

“Where’s your girl?” I asked.

Moose gave me the international sign for C’mon and I’ll tell you, which was a wave of the hand. I followed like a puppy, happy to be away from Lump’s dude.

“She is out for a girl’s night. You and Lump really ought to hook up with them. I hear they have a great time.”

“I might. That sounds fun!”

“Jess, first, I heard about you meeting Dez. Dezeray. Look, that was a long time ago and Willie is so far over that lady, you have no idea! He was done a year before he finally walked away.”

“I know Moose.”

“Second,” he got more serious. “What the hell is up with Lump’s boyfriend?”

“I know, right?! He is such a douche! She said they were totally good together and whatever. Like, immediately hit it off!”

“Wow. Valley girl.”

“Shut up.”

“I heard about her and Adam’s thing, too. Not good.”

“Men are a bunch of gossips.”

Moose shrugged.

“Yeah, they repaired all that. Kinda. The falling out I mean. But she doesn’t trust him—or maybe is scared of him? Not sure, she won’t say. And he is being him, which is over-cautious as always.”

“Yeah, he won’t say much about it. Bothers him, though.”