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“Like a double date?”

“Do you want to go or not?” Grady asked, not wanting to incriminate himself. “You know Will.”

“I do,” Lake said brightly. Considering how long Lake had known Peyton and Will, at this stage, he probably knew more about them than even Quinn did.

“So… that’s a yes?”

“Yes.” Lake paused. “Shit. I’m being summoned. We can talk details tonight?”

“All right. See you then.”

Grady bit his lip as he stared down at his phone. He should have been used to having plans with Lake most nights of the week, but it still felt like he was living a fantasy that didn’t belong to him. At some point, the real hero would show up, and Grady would be left out in the cold.

“Grady?”

Grady jerked his head up to Quinn standing over him, one eyebrow raised. He hadn’t even noticed him finish his call and get up. “What?”

“You okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said irritably.

Quinn didn’t look like he believed a word of that, and Grady didn’t particularly care. He’d started this bullshit in the first place.

“We got the warrant for the ATM videos,” Quinn said. “You good to go?”

“Yeah.”

He shook off the weird thoughts as he grabbed his jacket and followed Quinn out of the room.

“So, I’m guessing I can tell Will to expect you and Lake with us?”

“Smug is an unattractive trait.” He kept his head down as he slid into the passenger seat so he didn’t have to see Quinn’s expression.

“Not your boyfriend, huh?” Quinn asked as he started the engine.

“Shut the fuck up and drive,” Grady muttered. He’d told Lake why they couldn’t date, and just because they got along, had great sex, and Grady loved everything about him didn’t mean—

Fuck.

No.

No.

He couldn’t be in love with Lake, because Grady had made more than one questionable decision in his life, and hecould notbe making another one. He’d already had his heart broken twice in his life. Was he trying to go for some kind of record and make it a third time?

Laketiltedhishead,squinting at the map. “I think the seals are this way?” he said, pointing in a random direction.

“They are not,” Will argued, snatching the map from him. They both peered at the scrap of paper, but Lake didn’t miss the look that Grady shared with Quinn. It should have annoyed him because the expressions wereextremelyjudgemental, but all it did was warm him, making his heart burst with happiness. He was on adatewith Grady. Not just a date, but a date with someone that Grady was close to. So it had to mean something to Grady. It meanteverythingto Lake.

“We just passed the gorillas and there are the elephants,” Will said, pointing to the exhibit. “So the seals have to be this way?”

“I think you’re reading it upside down,” Lake said. They turned it around together, accidentally ripping a little bit of the side. It didn’t matter, that was just where the blue bit and something about selfies was. He and Will were pros at selfies, and he was surprised their phones weren’t already full from all the pictures they’d taken.

“No,” Will said, biting his lip. “I think it was the right way up.”

They turned it again.

“We’re going to be late for the presentation if you two stay in charge of the map,” Grady said, taking it from them. “I thought soldiers were good at navigation?”