Page 15

Chapter fourteen

The Roscoe Squad

Karma

“I can’t wait to meet this chico of yours,“ my bestie says as we walk up to the front of Roscoe’s Bar and Grill. When I open the door to the neighborhood hang-out, a wave of sound hits us, followed by the overwhelming scent of barbecue.

“You’re gonna love him, Evie,” I tell her over the noise. “He’s so cute, you’ll want to put him in your pocket.”

“Not in these jeans, carnal .“ She runs a hand along her hip. Evie’s hourglass figure is poured into low-rise jeans paired with a petal pink babydoll cami that shows a hint of her mocha-brown stomach. Her dark hair falls in loose, textured layers down to the middle of her back. High-heeled sandals—showing off her summer pedicure—complete her oh-so-casual look.

I feel like a wallflower standing next to Evie. It’s a good thing I called dibs on Josh first.

As we approach the crowded table where my dream guy sits, a random jock jumps to his feet. He rushes toward us, his eyes trained on my best friend, ignoring me completely. “Hey, there—how you doin’? I’m Tyrell.”

Evie flicks her eyes up and down his massive body. “I know who you are, ‘Typhoon’ Jones.”

“Do you, now?” He licks his bottom lip, puffing out his chest.

“Yeah.” My best friend smirks. “They say you’re the biggest player on the Golden Gladiators football team.”

Tyrell flexes his broad shoulders. “When they say ‘biggest’, they’re not talking about just my delts.”

“When they say ‘player’, they’re not talking about football.” Evie saunters past the cocky athlete as his friends erupt in laughter.

Oops. So much for first impressions.

Looking around the table at Josh’s friends, I see muscles and more muscles. Not exactly what I was expecting. I guess I thought he’d hang out with other genius-types. This crowd is dominated by jersey-wearing jocks and— holy shit. Is that Dr. Fletcher?

“Karma, I’m so glad you’re here!” Josh hurries over to greet me, tilting up his face for a kiss.

I glance uneasily at the football players before giving him a small peck on the lips. “Hey, Moonbeam. Meet my best girl, Evangeline Delarosa. Evie, this is Josh Malik.”

“ Namaste .“ He bows, his palms pressed together.

“ ?Hola! “ Evie says in return. Grasping his chin between two fingers, she peers deeply into his eyes. After a moment, she gives a satisfied nod. “We’re going to be compadres , you and I. Tell me, chico, do you like to salsa?”

He answers, uncertainty in his voice, “Um, I like to eat salsa…?”

“Close enough.” She pats his cheek.

Thank god, my best friend has given us her stamp of approval. Now I just have to win over Josh’s crew.

No small feat. I stick out in the sports bar like a sore thumb. Roscoe’s, with its big screen TVs and non-stop game coverage, caters to a more athletic crowd than me. And by the look of the chalkboard menu on the wall, this place is a meat-lover’s paradise. I’m a peace-loving plant-eater in the middle of a hungry pack of carnivores. What have I gotten myself into?

Josh grabs me by the hand, then loops his arm through Evie’s, dragging us to the far end of the table. “This is JR.” He gestures at the gigantic blond. “He’s my best friend—and my roommate, at least for a little while longer.”

“You know my partner and I from the coffee shop. Right, Karma?” JR puts a muscular arm around Dr. Fletcher.

Partner? Interesting .

“Dr. F!” I greet my favorite customer. “Hey, I got one for you. Why is a roach-clip called a roach-clip?”

The professor snorts at the old joke. “Because ‘pot holder’ was already taken.”

“You got it.” I give him a fist-bump. Yeah, I know—weed jokes aren’t exactly witty repartee. What can I say? It’s the only thing we have in common.

“Karma, dude!” A guy named Blake calls to me from the other end of the table. “You’re dating Josh? I didn’t know that you were into guys. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” He glances at JR and the professor.

A man in an elegant suit sips a martini. “A few of you should get your gaydar checked.”

“What’s gaydar, Mr. Crenshaw?” the athlete sitting next to him asks.

Spreading his arms wide, Josh encompasses the eclectic group. “Meet the rest of the Roscoe Squad. This is Simon.” He points to Mr. Martini.

The forty-something man gives me a cheeky wink.

“And Josiah.”

The naive jock gazes at us, a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

“You’ve met Tyrell...”

The cocky athlete narrows his eyes at me.

“... and Blake.”

He stares at Evie with his mouth open.

“And this is Mr. Bennett and his friend, Ms. McLaughlin,” Josh finishes the introductions.

A gigantic older version of JR stands up, sticking his hand out to shake. “George Bennett Senior—or SR, as the boys like to call me. And this lovely lady is Moira.”

“ Ach , jes’ call me Molly,’ she says in a thick Irish brogue.

Whoa. I wasn’t expecting to meet such a diverse group of people—and from the looks on everyone’s faces, they weren’t expecting to meet someone like me. I’m sensing an overprotective vibe. Great… My dream guy has linebackers for ‘big brothers’.

“Hey, everybody.” I lift my hand in greeting. “This is my best friend, Evangeline.”

“ ?Qué onda? “ Evie addresses the crowd before taking a seat next to Josiah.

“Wow, you speak Spanish?” he asks her, like he’s never heard the language before. “Where is your family from?”

“Queens, guapo .“ She gives him a flirtatious smile. “What about you?”

Josiah ducks his head, blushing. “I’m from Pennsylvania Amish country. Nobody there looks like you or Karma… or Josh, Molly, or Tyrell. Everyone here in Hannah Harbor is so interesting, don’t you think?”

Evie lays a manicured hand on his forearm. “You’re pretty interesting yourself. Tell me, José, do you like to salsa?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Simon nudging Fletcher. “Looks like someone else needs their gaydar fixed.”

Oof. When I told my best friend to ‘give a player a chance’, a gay Amish football player isn’t what I had in mind. My Fairy Godmother can wave her magic wand at him all she wants. You can’t un-queer queer.

When I sit down at the table next to Josh, JR passes me a basket of chips while Simon pours me a tall glass of beer. I take a deep, calming breath as everyone settles into conversation. Maybe this won’t be so bad, after all.

“So, Karma.” SR’s deep voice carries across the table. “How long have you been dating our J-Bob?”

I squeeze Josh’s hand underneath the table and give him a soft smile. “We’ve only been on one date so far, but I’ve been crushing on him for ages.”

“Told you.” JR says to his roommate.

Josh silences the enormous athlete with a sharp look before turning toward the older Bennett. “Karma is taking me on our second date this evening. We’re going somewhere romantic, just the two of us.”

Both Evie and Fletcher point a finger at me, and I raise my hands in self-defense. “I’ll be a gentleman, I swear.”

“How boring.” Simon swallows the rest of his martini in one gulp.

Fletcher frowns at the man in the suit before aiming a glare at me. “Josh is my TA. You’d better not rush into anything with him.”

“But don’t take too much time,” SR warns, stretching an arm around Molly’s shoulders. “You never know how long you’ve got.”

“I agree with the professor,” Tyrell cuts in, giving me the evil eye. “What do you know about this guy, Josh?”

Jeez. Half of Josh’s friends want to wrap a chastity belt around him while the other half think I should jump his bones. How can I win over everyone when they can’t even agree among themselves?

“Well, I think it’s great that you’re seeing each other.” JR comes to our defense. “I’m staying with Fletcher tonight, just so you know. You’ve got the whole apartment to yourself, Josh.”

Uh oh. It’s hard enough keeping my hands to myself in the crowded sports bar. I don’t need the added temptation of having Josh alone… all to myself… without anyone around to keep us from… Arghh .

I can do this. I can be a gentleman. If that’s what it takes to show Josh how I feel, then that’s what I’m gonna do.

“Hey, Evie,” Tyrell calls across the table. “Do you need some company tonight? I’ve got Netflix.” He bobs his eyebrows up and down.

She gazes at him with a flat stare. “No thanks, Ty- fool .”

“Dude!” Blake points at his teammate, cracking up.

The conversation continues in much the same way—filled with smack-talk, laughter, and a few overprotective looks. Pitchers of beer and sweet tea are passed around along with huge platters of food. After a while, I whisper in Josh’s ear, “I like your friends, Moonbeam.”

He turns to me, his eyes filled with plans for our romantic evening together. He glances at my mouth, then licks his lips. “Does that mean we can go on our date now?”

“Let’s give it a few more minutes,” I tell him.

How am I supposed to ‘keep it in my pants’ when he’s looking at me that way? Especially now that I know we have an empty apartment waiting for us. I really like Josh, and I want to prove it to him—but how much temptation can one guy endure?

I have a feeling that I’m about to find out.