Nothing happened, so shut up about it. You two gossip like a couple of old ladies,” Ryan snapped. “This is a private conversation, Mr. Nosy. Did Michael call you? No, he called me, so get off the phone!” Jack yelled.
“Will one of you just tell me what happened?” Michael interrupted.
Jack decided to start the story. “So, I was minding my own business ”—
33
Ryan interrupted. “He was flirting with a bachelorette and her friends at the bar, letting them touch his muscles. Shamelessly trying to earn some extra tips is probably more accurate. Minding his business, my ass!”
Jack loudly cleared his throat. “Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I look over at Ryan and he’s all frozen like a deer in headlights, looking across the bar at this chick. She was cute, too; super blond hair, nice little body.” Ryan cursed at Jack under his breath. “He was so preoccupied with her, a customer threw a maraschino cherry at his head to get his attention.”
Michael couldn’t help but laugh at that mental image.
“Wait, it gets better. The girl must have seen him looking at her like some sort of freaky stalker, but still saunters over and orders a drink from him. He’s so distracted by her that instead of putting the soda for her rum and Coke in the glass, he pours it all over his shoe and damn near flooded the bar.”
“The nozzle malfunctioned, you moron. I hit the fill button and the stream of Coke came out, and then it wouldn’t stop. It had nothing to do with being distracted.” His voice got all sappy at the end.
“Mike, I swear, he actually had drool coming down the side of his mouth! Aarrrgghh! Stop it, Ryan … Get away. I’m telling the truth, I saw you drool … Damn it, put down the fucking pillow.”
Michael heard the phone drop to the floor then slide across the hardwood while the two of them apparently wrestled in the background. A long string of profanities later, there was the sound of a slamming door and the click of a lock.
Jack returned to the phone victorious. “I’m back. Dude, I’m telling you, he was so hot for this girl. She was cute —a real artsy type. I don’t think he even said a single word to her. Then, when I jokingly called her a barfly, he put me in a headlock. We may need to hold an intervention for him or something.”
“Well, I sure am sorry I missed all the fun. You know what I think Ryan needs? I think he needs a quick trip to the gym to work out all his aggres-sions … or his pent up energy. You in? I’ll pick you guys up in twenty minutes.”
When Michael pulled up to their apartment, Ryan climbed in the backseat and Jack jumped up front. Michael couldn’t resist the urge to tease Ryan a little more. “So, Ryan, seriously, you’re falling for a barfly?” Michael felt a sharp smack the back of his head and a lot of cursing from the back seat. Jack’s deep laughter filled the car as they headed off to the gym.
34
Chapter 4
G race adjusted her headphones, making sure they were securely on her ears before she walked out of the locker room. With her iPod, towel, and water bottle in hand, she headed over and claimed one of the open treadmills.
After setting the resistance level, she draped her towel over the bar and started jogging at her usual brisk pace.
The treadmill faced a mirrored wall, so as she ran, Grace could watch the people moving through the gym behind her. Her eyes stopped on one of the television monitors where a local sports program was running highlights from that weekend’s Seahawks game. Thoughts of Wiener Guy and the black eye he
had to be sporting popped i nto Grace’s head, making her chuckle as she
continued on her run.
Michael, Jack, and Ryan had been working out for about a half hour when Michael decided it was time to try and get some more information out of Ryan about the mystery girl he had met at the club the night before.
“So, Ryan, are you going tell me anything about the girl?”
“Will one of you just tell me what happened?” Michael interrupted.
Jack decided to start the story. “So, I was minding my own business ”—
33
Ryan interrupted. “He was flirting with a bachelorette and her friends at the bar, letting them touch his muscles. Shamelessly trying to earn some extra tips is probably more accurate. Minding his business, my ass!”
Jack loudly cleared his throat. “Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I look over at Ryan and he’s all frozen like a deer in headlights, looking across the bar at this chick. She was cute, too; super blond hair, nice little body.” Ryan cursed at Jack under his breath. “He was so preoccupied with her, a customer threw a maraschino cherry at his head to get his attention.”
Michael couldn’t help but laugh at that mental image.
“Wait, it gets better. The girl must have seen him looking at her like some sort of freaky stalker, but still saunters over and orders a drink from him. He’s so distracted by her that instead of putting the soda for her rum and Coke in the glass, he pours it all over his shoe and damn near flooded the bar.”
“The nozzle malfunctioned, you moron. I hit the fill button and the stream of Coke came out, and then it wouldn’t stop. It had nothing to do with being distracted.” His voice got all sappy at the end.
“Mike, I swear, he actually had drool coming down the side of his mouth! Aarrrgghh! Stop it, Ryan … Get away. I’m telling the truth, I saw you drool … Damn it, put down the fucking pillow.”
Michael heard the phone drop to the floor then slide across the hardwood while the two of them apparently wrestled in the background. A long string of profanities later, there was the sound of a slamming door and the click of a lock.
Jack returned to the phone victorious. “I’m back. Dude, I’m telling you, he was so hot for this girl. She was cute —a real artsy type. I don’t think he even said a single word to her. Then, when I jokingly called her a barfly, he put me in a headlock. We may need to hold an intervention for him or something.”
“Well, I sure am sorry I missed all the fun. You know what I think Ryan needs? I think he needs a quick trip to the gym to work out all his aggres-sions … or his pent up energy. You in? I’ll pick you guys up in twenty minutes.”
When Michael pulled up to their apartment, Ryan climbed in the backseat and Jack jumped up front. Michael couldn’t resist the urge to tease Ryan a little more. “So, Ryan, seriously, you’re falling for a barfly?” Michael felt a sharp smack the back of his head and a lot of cursing from the back seat. Jack’s deep laughter filled the car as they headed off to the gym.
34
Chapter 4
G race adjusted her headphones, making sure they were securely on her ears before she walked out of the locker room. With her iPod, towel, and water bottle in hand, she headed over and claimed one of the open treadmills.
After setting the resistance level, she draped her towel over the bar and started jogging at her usual brisk pace.
The treadmill faced a mirrored wall, so as she ran, Grace could watch the people moving through the gym behind her. Her eyes stopped on one of the television monitors where a local sports program was running highlights from that weekend’s Seahawks game. Thoughts of Wiener Guy and the black eye he
had to be sporting popped i nto Grace’s head, making her chuckle as she
continued on her run.
Michael, Jack, and Ryan had been working out for about a half hour when Michael decided it was time to try and get some more information out of Ryan about the mystery girl he had met at the club the night before.
“So, Ryan, are you going tell me anything about the girl?”
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