By the Numbers by Chris Owen and Tory Temple Page B

twice about the divorce, just because of her mom's souvlaki." Trey took a sip of wine and tried to find a flavor in it. "This is good."
    "Thanks. I like it mostly because it's not too sweet and it doesn't give me headaches after half a glass." Deuce looked like maybe he knew wine wasn't really Trey's thing. "Indian isn't really that much like Greek, but you might like it. It's more like Pakistani. We'll give it a go, anyway. How did you learn how to cook artichokes? I thought they were kind of a fake food, actually."
    "I pick up stuff from guys at work. Some of them suck in the kitchen, but some are good. When we have a good meal, I watch whoever's cooking and try to remember it. I like for Lacey to have real food when she's here, not just a kid's meal from the burger place. Can I taste the red one?"
    "Absolutely." Deuce got up and grabbed the bottle, uncorking it deftly. "Want a new glass? This one is okay to sit open for a while, too. It likes to breathe, though honestly I usually just drink it."
    Trey finished pulling leaves off his artichoke and moved the neat pile of them to the side of his plate. "I guess a new glass, sure. What if I like the red one better? Can I drink it with my dinner anyway? What are the wine laws?"
    "Don't know, but there's no wine police." Deuce got another two wine glasses and poured, then brought them and the wine to the table. "If you like it, you drink it. Between the two of us we can sort out what we like, I'm sure."
    It sounded like another come-on, and when Trey glanced up to see if he was right, he found Deuce giving him that little smile with a twinkle in his eye. Yup, definitely a come-on.
    They both finished their dinner while chatting about nothing of great importance. Trey liked that. Small talk was underrated, especially when you were trying to get to know someone. Deuce was smart and amusing and didn't seem to mind that he and Trey were definitely on two different levels when it came to things like choosing wine.
    Trey left the dishes to soak in the sink. "So there's dessert," he offered. "Now or later?"
    "Later, I think. Did you like the red or the white?" Deuce still had half a glass of the white, and there wasn't a lot left in either bottle.
    "The red. Maybe. The white was good too, and we drank a lot of both." His head was a little fuzzy. Two or three beers could go down no problem, but wine was a different experience.
    Deuce nodded, smiling at him. "We did, indeed. It's all part of my cunning plan, though. Luckily, you're following along very well."
    "Your plan is to get me to agree to more than three dogs here at a time, I can tell. That's why you brought two bottles." Trey left his flip-flops by the sink and gestured toward the living room. "Come on, we can sit for a while. Then I'll get dessert, which will make you change your mind about my cooking skills."
    "You have mad, mad skills, and I in no way want more than three dogs here, trust me." He followed Trey, laughing as they went to the living room. "But I'll make sure to get a couple of bottles of the white every month or so."
    Trey flopped onto his couch and reached for the stereo remote. "And a red. For comparison. What music do you like?"
    "Any and all, really." Deuce sat down next to him and stretched his legs out. "I went through a stage of being all dance music, then all classic rock. I have Mozart for Sunday afternoons, and African drums for when I want African drums. I like it all."
    "I don't have African drums." Trey grinned and turned the stereo to the classic rock station. "Do you dance around to them?"
    "Not that any living human will ever see."
    Trey chuckled. "I'll have to ask Q, then. Hey, one of our guys plays in a band that hits the local bars and stuff around here. If you ever want to go, it's pretty cool."
    "Sounds good to me." Deuce nodded. "Do you dance?"
    "Not really. I observe." Trey leaned his head back on the couch and turned it so he could see Deuce. "Watching people is way more entertaining for