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Shit, it’s perfect. Just crunchy enough to be good without cracking a filling.

“You’re an asshole when you’re sober, you know that?” Soren clicks the tongs threateningly. “Drink up and maybe I’ll like you better, Doctor Walton.”

I grin, wrapping my lips around the mouth of the bottle and drinking deeply. “You liked me well enough when you had me breaking in to get your records from Professor Robinson.”

Aiden groans under his breath and shakes his head; he’s eager for the story but doesn't want to look the part.

“Hey, I needed to know how much he hated me. You were doing a favor for a friend.” Soren chuckles. “Besides, Robinson was a sadist on his best day.”

“You should have worked for him. You have no idea the kinds of tortures he made up. Things you wouldn’t even know were torture until you’re three hours into grading abstracts.”

The memories get me smiling.

It’s always this way with us. Easy, simple. We’re comfortable with each other, and these guys have been there for me when my own family decided they were too busy with their own lives to give a crap about mine.

We have other people in our lives, but we still get together. Our friendship is unbreakable. Only, they managed to get out, explore, pursue their dreams, while I came back to Holly Brook and planted bitter roots.

“All I’m saying is thank fuck you guys come to visit,” I finish.

“Sounds like he misses us, Sor,” Aiden jokes, his mouth still full.

Soren groans and says, “I’m going out on a limb to say the doc has a hard time making friends. He’s got his head buried in work and refuses to acknowledge the rest of the world.”

I grin. These guysaremy friends. With them, I can be myself. The bad day melts away and the mask comes off.

I adjust my seat; the chair is a little uncomfortable but a few more beers will fix everything. The trout smells great, there’s fire and moonlight?—

And footsteps.

Loud and echoing, coming from inside the house.

The car. Of course. I’d forgotten all about it. Whose is it?

“You guys have someone with you?”

It’s impossible to miss the way Soren’s grin shifts into a scowl, his eyes narrowed. Aiden only bursts into dark laughter as the door opens and the woman I’d caught snooping earlier today slips outside.

I sit up straighter. Holy crap, she’shere?

“Boys’ night?” she asks.

Her voice is a soft fluttering thing in contrast to the steely set of her shoulders and her lush curves. She pushes eyeglasses up higher on her nose, wavy hair in a messy ponytail at the top of her head.

“You.”

The word escapes before I reel it back in.

I’m out of the chair quickly. The girl looking in the window, with the groceries. She’d been watching me and took off rabbit-like when we made eye contact.

Soren makes a scoffing sound of disgust in his throat and pointedly turns his back to us, focusing on the grill.

The girl—thewoman—pays him no mind. Like she’s heard his bullshit before and is used to his behavior.

I remember my manners. “You want a seat?”

It’s impossible not to notice there’s only three chairs instead of four. Who is she? And why did Soren go immediately cold?

She just holds up her hand to wave me off. “Don’t worry about it. No one else does.”