Page 28 of Scout

I give her a lazy salute and close the door behind me.

Inside, the Beaumont’s lobby is all marble and glass and soft jazz floating from invisible speakers. I walk into the bar like I belong there and slide onto a stool near the corner.

The bartender walks over, middle-aged, slightly graying, and wearing a bowtie.

“What can I get you?”

“Dirty martini,” I say, leaning on the bar. “Shaken. Not stirred. Extra olives.”

He nods and walks off to make it.

I exhale, finally alone.

For now.

Let the matchmaking begin.

Xavier

I walk into the Beaumont bar and spot him immediately.

Scout.

Perched on a barstool like he’s been carved into the scene—one leg crossed and a drink in hand. His dirty martini is already halfway gone, and he’s playing with the toothpick of olives like he’s toying with fate itself.

Kendrix is a few steps behind me, but I can already feel his tension. Like he’s wound up so tight, if you touched him, he’d snap.

Scout looks up, smiles—easy, practiced, and infuriatingly charming. “Hey, boys.”

We take the two empty stools beside him. I order a whiskey. Kendrix gets something clear and strong. We sit in silence for a beat too long, all of us trying to figure out who’s supposed to go first.

Finally, I crack. “Okay. What the hell was today?”

Scout blinks. “Elaborate?”

Kendrix leans in. “You showing up on Stephanie’s arm like you’re starring in a goddamn golf-themed porno. We thought you were into men.”

Scout just shrugs, all cool detachment. “A check is a check.”

Kendrix snorts. “Do you fuck the women, too?”

Scout laughs and nearly spills his drink. “God, no. Definitely not.”

I narrow my eyes. “What are we doing here?”

His smirk fades. He sets his drink down and sighs, voice soft but steady. “Look… Stephanie was just a job. A really good paying one. She booked me two hours before the event. I had no idea either of you was going to be there. I don’t play games. I know it probablylookedlike I was being petty, but I swear today was a total coincidence.”

I study his face. No twitch. No hesitation.

He’s telling the truth.

Scout leans forward slightly, looking between the two of us. “But you two?” He gestures with the toothpick in his hand.“You’ve got unfinished business. You’re still very much attached to each other. And maybe you’re too stubborn to say it out loud, but it’s obvious.”

Kendrix opens his mouth, but I cut in.

“He ended things, not me.”

He glares. “You have the emotional attachment of a paper towel.”