After practice, he ran errands, went home, did laundry and took care of work calls. Then he showered and stared at his closet, trying to figure out what to wear. After five minutes he realized he was still staring into his closet, undecided.
What the fuck? He was a dude. Guys didn’t do this. He pulled out a long-sleeved button-down shirt and put it on, then grabbed a pair of jeans and finished getting dressed.
He had no idea why he was nervous. But as he walked down the stairs and buttoned the cuffs of his shirt, he knew the answer.
Because it was Amelia’s best friend. Best friends held all the power. If Laura didn’t like him, it could affect his relationship with Amelia.
He should buy a nice bottle of wine for them. Maybe some flowers, too. He had plenty of time before he had to pick up Amelia, so he stopped at the flower shop and picked up a nice bouquet, then drove to the liquor store and searched out a bottle of pinot grigio, and on second glance, pulled a good cabernet as well. Hopefully Laura would like both.
He drove to Amelia’s house and went up to ring the bell. She came to the door and he inhaled her fragrance. Not perfume, but something citrusy that smelled fresh and made him want to shut and lock the door and bury his face in her neck. He wished they had time for some getting naked and fooling around, but they didn’t, so he pulled her against him and kissed her instead, letting her know how much he really wanted her.
When she drew back, she planted her hands on his chest. “You’re affectionate tonight.”
“I’m insulted by that statement. I’m affectionate with you all the time.”
“I stand corrected. Yes, you are. Did I mention how much I like that?”
“No, you haven’t. Care to show me?”
She laughed. “I’ll show you later. Otherwise, we’ll be late. Or no-shows.”
She was right and he knew it. If he started touching her or kissing her he’d never stop. “Let’s go.”
She took a glance at the backseat as she climbed into his SUV. “Aww, you got her flowers. She’ll love that.”
“I got wine, too,” he said as he backed out of the driveway. “Two bottles.”
“She’ll love that even more.”
It didn’t take long to drive to Laura’s place since she lived just down the street from Amelia. They could have walked, but an uncharacteristic rain was threatening tonight, so he wanted to make sure they had a vehicle just in case. He parked and he grabbed the wine and flowers from the backseat.
“I warned you that Laura isn’t a great housekeeper,” Amelia said. “And she’s really nervous about having you here, so be kind.”
“I am always kind, and shouldn’t I be the one who’s nervous?”
They stood on the sidewalk and Amelia turned to face him. “You’re nervous?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because Laura is your best friend. She gets veto power.”
Amelia’s lips curved. “Veto power.”
Flynn nodded. “If she hates me, we’re over.”
Amelia laughed. “She’s not going to hate you.”
“She might.”
“Just tell her you love clutter and you have as many subscriptions to magazines as she does. Trust me, she’ll love you.”
“Done. And you should have seen my room when I was growing up. I love clutter.”
She gave him a warm smile as they walked up the steps and onto the porch. Amelia rang the bell and they waited.
The door was opened and a nice-looking guy with short dark hair and a goatee answered.
He grinned. “Hey, you must be Flynn. I’m Jon Perry.”
Flynn shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jon.”
“Come on inside. Oh, and hi, Amelia.”
Amelia gave Jon a grin. “I was wondering if you were going to notice I was here.”
Jon laughed. “Sorry, I’m kind of a fan.”
Jon and Amelia hugged after they came inside. “Laura’s giving herself a nervous breakdown in the kitchen,” Jon said. “Something about meatballs.”
Amelia laid her bag down on the chair next to the front door and shrugged out of her sweater. “Uh-oh. I think I’d better go help her.”
“Would you mind taking these in to her?” Flynn asked, handing Amelia the wine and the flowers. “I don’t know if those will help.”
“They will.”
“Come on into the living room,” Jon said. “She made me clean.”
“You really didn’t need to do that.”
“Oh, I really did. Laura likes her clutter, and normally doesn’t care even when we have company over. Apparently, you’re something special.”
Flynn smiled. “I like my own share of clutter, so I wouldn’t have minded.”
“If only I’d known that before I shoved the entire contents of our living room into the closet. Just don’t open the closets, okay?”
Flynn laughed. “Definitely won’t do that.”
Amelia came down the hall bearing two glasses of wine, a beautiful brunette following behind her with two more glasses.
“Amelia made me leave the kitchen.”
The woman handed a glass of wine off to Jon, then turned to Flynn. “I’m Laura.”
“Nice to meet you, Laura. I’m Flynn Cassidy.”
She shook Flynn’s hand. “Oh, I know who you are, Flynn. I knew everything about you even before you started to date my best friend.”