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“Don’t ‘hello’ me,” Zach said, scowling at him.

Lake blinked. It was only just after midday, and he didn’t think he’d done anything—today, at least—to warrant that. “… Un-hello?”

“Today is Friday.”

That was not what Lake had expected him to say. He hadn’thadexpectations, but that also hadn’t been one of them. “It is. Thanks?” He moved around Zach, heading towards the carpark. He needed some food and hadn’t brought anything from home, so canteen it was. “I could have checked on my phone, but I appreciate the reminder.” He didn’t think that deserved the dark look he was getting, but Zach could be moody, so Lake figured he was just grumpy about something random someone did to him, or a piece of machinery that wouldn’t work, or a spanner that had looked at him wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.

“Yesterday was Thursday.”

Lake grinned. “Are you sure? I don’t think Thursday is before Friday. You’re thinking of Tuesday.” He slapped Zach on the chest. “Good to know your education hasn’t been a total waste.”

He detoured into the small side room that held all the keys to the cars that were assigned to the building, stacks of paperwork that Lake knew weren’t supposed to be there, some chocolate bars for last-minute snacks—he slipped one in his pocket—and a chair that was gathering cobwebs.

“We have dinner together on Thursdays.”

Ah. The scowl made more sense now. “I was busy,” Lake said defensively as he grabbed the keys for one of the Rovers. His hackles were rising because he already knew where this was going, and he already knew thathewas in the wrong, and so Zach could just fuck off. “I messaged and told you I couldn’t make it.”

“What were you doing that was so important?”

Damn. “Hanging out with my new friend and having weird thoughts about a New Year’s Eve kiss” was probably not the right answer. “I was just…” He trailed off. Then sighed. There was no use trying to dance around it since he’d been cornered now. He’d beentryingto be subtle about it, but Zach wasn’t great at subtle. Okay, and maybe Lake wasn’t all that great at it either. At least he’d been trying. “I’m trying to give you space.”

“Givewhospace?” Zach asked.

When Lake climbed into the Rover, Zach was right there beside him, giving him that look that Lake knew meant he was not getting off the hook. Which was rude because his explanation had been perfectly understandable, and there was no need for follow-up questions. Just for that, he was making Zach buy lunch.

“Who, Lake?”

Lake started the Rover and reversed one-handed, his other hand on the gear. “You, Felix, and Avery. But you already knew that, so I don’t know why you asked. Anyway, it’s so, you know, you can do your whole domestic thing.”

“Domestic thing,” Zach said flatly. “What does that have to do with our Thursday dinner? That’s without mentioning all the invites you’ve said no to with flimsy excuses that a light breeze would knock over for the last almost three months, Lake. Felix said we should give you time, but I spent years waiting for Avery, and I’m not doing it with this too.”

“I’m not interested in sleeping with you, man, sorry.” Lake tried to laugh it off and grin, but Zach wasn’t having a bar of it.

“Why don’t you want to hang out with us anymore? Did you get a girlfriend?”

Lake snorted as he switched gears. “You already know I didn’t, since you set me up with that she-tiger.”

“I already apologised for that. I told you that she was a friend of a friend, and I’d never met her before.”

“Which begs the question why you would set her up with me if you didn’t even know her?”

“She came highly recommended.”

“It sounds like you’re referring me to a specialist,” Lake said. “I don’t need help to find dates.”

“You were lonely, so I figured she could help cheer you up.” Zach made a jerking motion with his hand, and Lake flipped him off.

“She was a nightmare, Zach. I have never been so turned off in my life.” Lake had been on plenty of lovely dates with funny, friendly women that he had a great time with. Sometimes they even ended up at one of their places afterwards, and sometimes they spent weeks just enjoying each other’s company, with or without sex. Marlie had been none of those things, and if he never saw her again, it would be too soon.

“Stop changing the subject. I said I was sorry, we moved on. You got rescued by your cop anyway.”

“That’s not the point at all.” Warmth spread across Lake as he remembered how confident Grady had looked striding across the restaurant and how quickly he’d steered the conversation and gotten him out of the situation.

“You could have called us, like you normally would have. We would have rescued you,” Zach said.

“I appreciate that.”

Zach sighed. “Lake, why are you avoiding us?”