26. Woolly Mammoth Status

TWENTY-SIX

WOOLLY MAMMOTH STATUS

Dessa

I chalked up my lunch date with Georgia, and the awkwardness with Tony to mercury being in retrograde. We haven't seen or talked to each other in several years, so we needed to shake off the rust. Tonight, I invited them over for dinner and drinks at my house as a take two. With an oven mitt covered hand, I open the oven and pull out a vegetarian lasagna. The savory aromas of garlic and fresh melted mozzarella fill the kitchen. I set the restaurant purchased lasagna on the stovetop. As it cools, a knock on the front door startles me. Striding out of the kitchen and through the living room, I twist the knob and pull it open. Georgia and Tony greet me with friendly smiles.

"I'm so happy you could make it!" I step out of the way and Georgia wraps her arms around me in a hug. As she steps away, Tony does the same .

"It smells amazing in here. My stomach's already rumbling." Georgia rests a hand on her belly.

"Also, we got you this." Tony raises a bottle of gin in the air.

"Thank you. This is way better than a bottle of wine." Tony passes the bottle to me as I take both their coats and they slip off their shoes. I escort them into the kitchen. "This is perfect. I'll make us some drinks."

Tony pulls out a seat for Georgia before sitting down himself. I stroll around to the opposite side and set the bottle on the counter.

Georgia rises on her stool to peer over to the stove behind me. "Did you make that?"

Spinning around, I glance at the lasagna, wishing I could make something that delicious. "If by ‘made it,' you mean ‘picked it up from Le Uve to warm up in my oven,' then yes. I made it." My lips upturn into a sarcastic smile.

Georgia laughs, and I join her. "We'll that's the hardest part, getting it from the restaurant to the oven without dropping it."

"Then call me a master chef." I playfully brush my shoulder. "Since I can't give you a home-cooked meal, how about a homemade cocktail?" I twist the cap off the bottle of gin.

"I won't turn that down." Georgia's eyes light up as a perfectly curved smile covers her face.

"Is that an Isabella Rossi drink book?" Tony reaches across the counter. His fingers curl around the glossy cover and pull it toward him.

I pour gin, lemon juice, and simple honey into a shaker. "It is."

Georgia turns to Tony, "Isn't she the mixologist with the chef husband? You took me to their restaurant in Chicago. "

My eyes widen as my breath stalls. "You've been to Poco Grande?"

"I've been there a few times," Tony says before facing Georgia, "I took you a couple of months ago when we were in Chicago. I've known Isabella and her husband Chris for several years."

"Holy shit." I slam my palms on the counter. "You know Isabella Rossi? Like know her, know her? Not I-have-a-friend-who-knows-someone-who-lives next-door-who-knows-someone-who-walks-her-dog know her."

A laugh escapes him. "Yeah, I know her, know her. Along with Chris."

A lightness fills my chest. "I'm only obsessed with her show on the Cooking Network. Seriously, she can turn anything into a drink. She's amazing." I press my hands to my chest. "She's been my idol since I started mixing drinks. I follow her show religiously and pre-order every recipe book she publishes. How in the hell are you friends with her?"

He laughs. "Years ago, we met through some mutual friends. Every time I'm in Chicago, I go to Poco Grande."

My shoulders drop as I sigh and stare across the room at an invisible spot on the wall. "That would be a dream." What I would give to meet her and pick her brain about her drinks. But it will have to remain a dream. "In the spirit of Isabella, here's one of her favorite drinks. A bees knees." Lifting the shaker, I pour the cocktail into three low ball glasses. I slide two of them across the counter to Georgia and Tony.

Over the next two hours, we eat dinner, make drinks, and laugh. It's such a fun evening with friends. No one mentions Garrett and me, so I steered clear of talking about it myself mostly because everything is still unknown. Before they leave, we make plans to do it again.

Like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep , I race the grocery cart up and down the aisles, grabbing whatever I can off the shelves. I only have two hours before Garrett comes over. I still need to clean my house, shower, and shave. Everything is approaching woolly mammoth status. With Garrett not being around, I haven't needed to shave my legs since he can't see them during our FaceTime calls. On the plus side, it helps keep me warm during the cold winter nights. I toss two cans of chickpeas into my cart.

"Hey Dessa!"

With a quick spin, a small smile spreads across my face as I lock eyes with the familiar face. Tony's waving at me from the end of the aisle with a wide smile of his own. He struts toward me.

"Hi, Tony. What are you doing here? This grocery store is on the opposite end of town from you."

"This is the only store that has the sunflower seeds I like." He lifts a bag of barbecue flavored sunflower seeds from his basket.

I chuckle. "You and Garrett are obsessed with sunflower seeds. I remember your mom would yell at you for always leaving piles around the house."

"I wouldn't call it yelling, but it was a stern talking to."

A laugh escapes me. "That's true. Your mother doesn't have a bitter bone in her body."

"Thanks for inviting me and Georgia over again for dinner. It's great to see you two become friends."

"Of course. I love having you two over. And Georgia's great. You lucked out with her." I've spent weeks avoiding the elephant in our relationship, and with the holiday approaching, might as well point it out. My fingers grip the cart handle. "And you and Garret seem to have worked out your differences, since he was involved with your wedding and all." I hate knowing I'm the reason they stopped talking all those years ago. I had no idea either of them, let alone both, had feelings for me until Tony kissed me that night at Jacobson's party. All that's in the past now. We've all moved on. Or at least Tony has. Garrett and I are still undecided.

He shrugs. "Something like that. Did you know he's back in town?"

"I do. We're hanging out later."

His lips flatten into a thin line. "So, you two still talk?"

I nod. Heat creeps up my neck and over my cheeks. We've done more than talk, but he doesn't need to know that. "We've kept in contact."

"Even with the distance between you two?" He sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth and shakes his head. "That must be hard."

"We're just friends. We text, make the occasional phone call, and FaceTime whenever we can." My grip tightens on the handle of the grocery cart. I'm not used to the Tony interrogation. Things were never like this in the past. I pinch my brows together. "Why?"

With quick, jerky movements, he swings his head back and forth. "No reason. I just know him. He likes to keep his options open, and with there being so much distance between you two, it leaves those options even wider." He takes a step forward and brushes his hand over my shoulder and comes to a stop on my bicep.

This is the second time he's warned me off Garrett. He acts like I don't know him. Perhaps he's being a concerned friend. Or does he know something I don't? "Thanks for your concern. I know Garrett pretty well. I'm sure I can handle him." The corner of my lips curl into a smile. I'll handle him. He'll handle me. Naked, of course. "No need to worry about me."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt. That's all." He drops his hand and it falls to his side.

"How's Georgia? Is she with you?" I ask, peering over his shoulder. In the short time I've known Georgia, she's become a great friend. I love learning about her handbag business, and she enjoys learning about my less exciting bartender life. Plus, I want to be done talking about mine and Garrett's relation-whatever-we're-doing-ship.

"She's at home packing. We're going to go visit her parents in Chicago for Christmas. Also, I have some business to take care of while I'm there."

"Working over the holidays?"

"You know me." He playfully winks. "I always have something going on."

I laugh. "It must run in the family. Garrett's the same way." His name is out before I can stop it. I pinch my lips together to keep anything else from spewing out. Even when I tell myself not to talk about him, I still talk about him.

His lips turn downward at his brother's name. "Yeah."

Now I made it awkward. "Well, it was good to see you. Tell Georgia I said hi and we need to get together soon."

"What about me?"

"You can join too, of course. Take care." He leans in and places a kiss on my cheek. It's a little startling, for the fact that we've never been the type of friends who did that kind of thing. I brush it off. It's only Tony.

I grip the shopping cart handle and continue my way down the aisle, and Tony leaves in the opposite direction. Glancing at the time on my phone, I realize I only have a an hour and a half before Garrett arrives. The rest of my shopping will have to wait until later.

After I got home from the store, I threw everything into the fridge, spot cleaned the kitchen, and now I'm sitting on the edge of the tub, shaving my legs. I check the time on my phone. Shit. Thirty minutes. My phone rings, startling me. Garrett's name flashes on the screen. My wet fingers fumble to press the talk button while I simultaneously avoid pushing my phone into the tub. Somehow I manage to tap the speakerphone.

"Hey, you."

"What are you doing? Have you had dinner?"

"No. I just got home a little bit ago."

"Why is it echoing? Are you in the bathroom? Did you answer the phone while on the toilet?"

"No! I mean, technically, yes, I'm in the bathroom, but I'm not going to the bathroom. I'm shaving my legs."

"Oh yeah? Plan on getting lucky tonight?"

His voice is deep and sexy which causes goosebumps to prickle my skin. Shit. I'll have to shave again. "Either way, I'll be getting off with or without you."

"Fuck that. I'll be the one getting you off," he growls.

His words cause my nipples to pebble. "What if I were to start right now?"

"Fuck. Are you trying to get me hard? My dick is throbbing, and I need to pick up the takeout."

"Then you better get here quick before I finish."

"Food's not important, right? I'll get there much faster if I don't stop. "

I laugh. "Don't worry, if I finish, we can always start again."

His deep groan echoes through the phone before it disconnects. For the next twenty minutes, I frantically dash around the rest of my townhouse tossing junk into drawers and closets, anywhere so it's out of sight. A knock startles me before Garrett steps through the door. When I catch sight of him, my heart leaps to my throat. I sprint, meeting him in the doorway and throwing myself into his arms. He wraps one arm around my waist, holding me tight.

"I'm so happy you're finally here."

"Me too, Tates."

He presses his lips to mine. I cup his cheek, my thumb brushing over the stubble. A round of butterflies take flight in my belly when he calls me the nickname. This friendship could develop into more, but again, he lives halfway across the country. While FaceTime is fun, I'm hard-pressed to believe it's sustainable.

Slowly, I pull away. "Let me help you with that."

"I got it. How about you show me how good my jersey looks on you? Then, after I'm finished eating my dinner, I'll have my dessert."

I flash him a seductive smile while I drag my finger down his chest. "Only because I'm excited for the second part." I wink and turn to climb the stairs. When I glance over my shoulder, Garrett's staring at my ass. I give it an extra wiggle before climbing the rest of the way to the second floor.

Once in my bedroom, I yank the jersey from the hanger in my closet and strip out of my clothes. With nothing on underneath, I shrug the fabric over my shoulders and fasten the buttons. The cool fabric grazes my nipples, turning them to stiff peaks. Garrett's jaw is going to hit the floor when he sees me. I twirl around. The hem of the jersey kisses the top of my thighs. If I bend over too far, I'll be flashing my butt cheeks. I'm fully prepared to skip dinner and dive into straight desert.

As I enter the kitchen, Garrett's on the other side of the island setting out containers of food along with plates and silverware for us. When I cross from the carpet to the linoleum, he peers at me and freezes. His gaze roams over my body as if he's studying me for later. My body temperature rises twenty degrees from his heated stare.

"By the way you can't stop staring, I'm guessing this is what you wanted."

"That's more than I wanted. More than I could ever dream of." He steps out from behind the island and stalks toward me.

My chest rises and falls with each of his footsteps. Get ready for desert.

He comes to a halt in front of me. His hands cup my cheeks, and his gaze bores into mine. "Seeing you wearing my jersey in person… There's no comparison to anything I've ever seen. You're just… wow. I'm five seconds away from saying forget dinner, I want dessert."

A deep rumbles sounds from my belly. Would it be weird if he has desert while I eat dinner? Yeah. That's most definitely weird. "We have all night for everything else. First food because it smells delicious." I rise on my tippy toes, breaking his grasp on me, and peer around his shoulder, wanting to see the spread.

Garrett laughs and spins around. At the counter, he pulls out a stool for me. "Have a seat. What do you want?"

The enticing smell of all the food makes my stomach growl again. "Everything. Just put it all on my plate."

"Here's some vegan muhammara, some garden pesto tortellini, fried noodles, and charred eggplant tian." He scoops a little of each on my plate.

"Did you order all the vegetarian dishes on the menu?"

"Maybe." He flashes me his signature panty-dropping smile.

Oops. Too bad I'm not wearing any.

How I feel about Garrett is equivalent to a thousand-piece clear jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces are there, but how do we put it together? It should be easy, right? We've known each other for so long, we were best friends, but he left and shattered those thousand pieces into a million pieces. Our chemistry is undeniable, but is what we're doing all we'll ever have? Or how do we navigate the uncharted territory of more? I drop my fork to the plate, and it clatters against the ceramic.

"Garrett, what are we doing?"

His fork stops halfway to his mouth, and he turns his head to face me. "I'm feeding you and counting down the minutes until I can be between your legs."

A small smile plays on my lips. "No, not that. What are we doing?" I wave my finger between us. "You and me. What is this?"

He sets his fork on his plate and turns to fully face me. He grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers. My heart rate spikes at his touch.

"We're rekindling our friendship. I have a lot of years to make up for."

My gaze casts downward. "But is it only a friendship?"

"What do you want?"

Loaded question. Do I even know what I want? "One thing is certain, I want this." I lift my head to meet his eyes. "You. Us. But what happens when you leave again?" He's still here, and my heart's breaking thinking about him leaving again .

"Then we'll continue this over text and FaceTime like we have been."

"So long-distance? I feel like I'd be having a more intimate relationship with my hand than with you."

"Tates." My name sounds like a plea. "Think about it this way, the time we do get to spend with each other will be that much sweeter." He presses a kiss to my knuckles.

I nod. "You're right."

"Let's not talk about this now. I'm here. You're here. Let's focus on the present. We can worry about everything else tomorrow." His lips pull into a smile. "In the meantime, want to open your Christmas present? I know it's early, but I think this will help your mood."

"You got me a present?" A flush of adrenaline tingles through my body, and a wide grin takes over.

"You didn't think I'd come here empty-handed, did you?" Twisting around, he grabs a red box with a gold ribbon secured on top and passes it to me.

"You already bought me this." I point to the navy blue jersey I'm wearing.

"That's more of a present for me than you. Go on. Open it." He nods at the box sitting in my lap.

"Did you wrap this yourself?"

He nods. "I'm a man of many talents."

Shit. He's going to be sorely disappointed when I hand him his unwrapped present. Hopefully, he'll be too amazed by what it is to care. I tug on one end of the ribbon, and it comes undone. I peel away at the pristine wrapping paper, not wanting to rip it. After lifting the lid, the crinkle of tissue paper fills the room as I push it to the side. When I reach the bottom, I freeze. All the air escapes my lungs, and I forget how to breathe. Tears well in the corners of my eyes as I slowly lift my gaze to meet Garrett's. "What is this?" I choke out .

"You know how your recipe book went missing for a few days…"

I nod, brows pinched together.

"I may have borrowed it so I could make copies of your recipes and create a book for you."

My fingers trace over the glossy words The Drink Menu . I'm in complete disbelief that he did this.

"If you don't like the title, we can always make you a different one. I just wanted to give you something."

"Oh! No! This is… I don't know what to say." My voice quivers as a tear breaks free and slides down my cheek. I swipe it away. "That's a happy tear." A laugh bubbles out of me.

"You love it?" A hopeful smile flirts on his lips.

"Garrett, I more than love it." I set the box on the counter and jump to my feet, throwing my arms around his neck. "This is the most thoughtful gift anyone's ever given me. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." He presses a kiss to my forehead. "But you have to look inside. That's the best part."

While standing at the counter, I flip through the pages. Garrett presses his front against my back as he looks over my shoulder, his hands resting on the counter, caging me in.

"This is amazing! And you have pictures. How did you do all this? This must have cost a fortune."

"Only half a fortune."

I twist my head to look at him, wide-eyed.

He laughs. "It wasn't that much. I called in some favors. My agent's sister knows self-publishing, so she helped me create the book. She also hooked me up with a formatter, and a friend of a friend is a photographer. Another friend knows a thing or two about mixing drinks, so she helped me try to make the drinks look as authentic to your recipes as possible."

"Garrett, this is amazing. I can't believe you did this." I continue flipping page after page. As soon as my eyes scan the name of one of the recipes, I freeze. A boisterous laugh bursts out of me. "What is this one?" I twist to face him, my finger resting on the glossy page.

A boyish grin covers his lips. "I got creative and made my own cocktail."

I stare at the name. "G Plus D," I whisper.

"Sorry, the name isn't as cool as all yours." He lifts one shoulder and lets it drop. "They say it really helps to get the clothes to fall off."

I throw my head back with laughter and point at the recipe. "Well, it's the tequila." I'm still in utter shock he did this for me. "Thank you so much. This is the best present I've ever gotten." I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his. His hands slide over my waist and his arms drape on my hips, holding me to him as if he never wants to let me go. A chill runs up my spine when his fingertips tickle the back of my thighs right below my butt.

"Since we're exchanging gifts now, I have to give you yours."

"My undressing you while you're wearing my jersey isn't my present?"

"No. That's like the bonus present. For both of us. Wait right here. I'll be right back." I saunter out of the kitchen and add an extra sway to my hips, since Garrett's watching me.

He groans. When I glance over my shoulder, he's adjusting himself in his jeans.

I grab his present from my bedroom and return downstairs with both of my hands behind my back. "I didn't wrap it as beautifully as yours. In fact, I didn't wrap it at all, so don't judge me." He smiles and sits up in his chair. "Close your eyes and hold out your hand."

He does as I say. "You're not going to club me upside the head with a baseball bat and shove a ball down my throat and give me what I deserve after all these years, are you?"

I laugh. "That's a really good idea. I should've gone with that." He lifts one eyelid and smirks. I slap a hand over his eyes to make sure he can't see. "I promise no bats or balls."

"I'm kind of disappointed in the no balls."

"Maybe later."

"I'm holding you to it."

"Are your eyes closed? No peeking."

"It's pitch black in here."

I swing my hand to my back and pull his present from a bag before depositing the flattened penny into his palm. "You can open your eyes."

Slowly, his eyelids open. Without saying a word, he lifts his hand to get a closer inspection. Several quiet seconds tick by. "How did you find my lucky penny?"

"I didn't find your penny, but I did track down a machine that makes them and it just so happened to be just like the one from Earl's."

"Where is it?" He glances around my townhouse.

"Currently, it's sitting in a friend's garage."

"They had one the whole time?"

"No, a customer at the bar overheard me talking about it and said he might know someone, so Lach went with me and sure enough, in the back of the storage shed was the machine. I bought it from him, but it didn't work. I figured with my friend Ledger's mechanic background he must be good at fixing things and sure enough he got it working. "

Garrett stares intently at the mallard impression on the copper. "This is awesome."

"It gets better. Not only do you have one lucky penny…" I bring my other hand in front of me and drop an entire plastic bag of pennies into his palm. "Now you have spares. And don't worry, I touched every single one of them."