Chapter 49

Piper

If I never saw another waffle again, it would be too soon. I wasn’t even excited about seeing one of Cami’s waffles, and they were fantastic. The first few times I’d been invited on the quest for the perfect waffle, it had been fun. I liked waffles, and I wasn’t nearly as picky as Xander. I even liked frozen waffles, though I’d never tell him that. Many of the waffles we’d tried had been good. I’d quickly grown bored with Xander’s complaints, as had the others.

“We should turn this into a drinking game,” Cami whispered from my side, having been talked into joining us by Bentley.

Bentley heard her and giggled, leaning in to add, “Every time he says waffle, we do a shot.”

“That would make this more entertaining,” I agreed.

We all sighed, probably all for the same reason. There was no alcohol served at most of the places Xander dragged us off to. Xander had been ranting about the consistency of the waffles for ten minutes. I’d never even considered whether or not a waffle had the right consistency. These must be really bad since he’d accepted my offer to share my club sandwich.

“You should put him out of his misery,” I told Cami.

Xander stopped his waffle rant, and his focus shifted to Cami. “She’s right. I need waffles, and you’re holding out on me. I’ll bet you’ve even made them for my friends.”

Cami flashed him an innocent smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You can’t keep those perfect waffles hidden from me forever,” he crooned. “I’ll talk you into sharing. You’ll be begging me to sample your waffles.”

“Is he still talking about waffles?” I asked Austin.

“Nope, he’s flirting with me,” Cami answered for him. “This is Xander’s latest technique. My ex-boyfriend had a cow when I brought him on a waffle quest. Mitch was not amused when Xander offered to let me sit on his lap and feed him waffles.”

“You broke up with Mitch?” I asked. No one had mentioned that to me. When she nodded, I continued. “I’m so sorry. Are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine,” Cami assured me. “Mitch kept pushing me to change jobs so I would be available for more of his work functions. He was looking for the perfect trophy wife.”

“Wife?” I asked. “You hadn’t been dating long.”

Cami shrugged. “I guess all he wanted was a pretty blonde to go to parties with him.”

“That asshole didn’t deserve you, babe,” Xander told her. “You need to stop dating these losers and find someone who appreciates you.”

“Like you?” Cami asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Much as I’d love to have exclusive rights to your waffles, I’m not good enough for you either,” Xander admitted.

That was definitely interesting. If I wasn’t mistaken, Xander was interested in more than Cami’s waffles.

“I’m surprised you made it out tonight,” I remarked to change the subject. “Don’t you usually see patients Thursday mornings?”

Cami was a child psychologist, and she loved her job. I’d spent enough time around her to know it was rough on her some days, but she wouldn’t give it up for anything. “With the flu going around, I’ve had a bunch of cancelations,” she explained. “I don’t need to be at the office until one tomorrow.”

“Didn’t you say your roommates were meeting us here?” Xander asked me.

“They should already be here,” I replied. “They just got back in town.”

“I can’t believe I haven’t met them yet,” Bentley mused.

“That’s because we’ve mostly hung out at work,” I reminded her.

“Speaking of work,” Cami began. “What are your plans now that the club is open, Bentley?”

“I’ve applied for a few office manager positions,” Bentley replied.

“Madi also offered her a job helping out with Reckless Release,” Gage added. “We need someone with us to handle scheduling on tours, and we haven’t liked anyone the label has sent so far.”

“They’ve all been dickheads,” Xander muttered. “We’re also tired of hearing Gage whine and cry about how lonely he is when we’re on tour. I guess we’ll need to bring you with us next, Red. Austin is miserable without you.”

Austin reached over and punched Xander’s arm. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m not being an asshole,” Xander argued. “You and Gage were both miserable little bitches while we were gone. You need to be around your women.”

“I’m not his woman,” I argued.

“That’s bullshit,” Xander stated.

“He’s right,” Cami agreed. “I know we’re supposed to pretend we don’t notice.”

“So we don’t screw things up for Austin,” Bentley cut in.

“This just got awkward,” I muttered.

“Lying isn’t good,” Xander added.

“Exactly!” Cami agreed. “I know I’m not the best person to give advice on relationships, but I also know that if you’ve found someone you connect with this way, you should give things a chance.”

“We only recently started talking again,” I reminded them. “We’re dating and getting to know each other.”

“And fucking,” Xander added.

Austin punched him in the arm again.

“What the fuck?” Xander asked. “You are fucking, so why can’t I say it? Why can’t we talk about what’s going on between the two of you? We’re just trying to help.”

“We don’t need a relationship intervention.” Austin looked like he was going to punch Xander again. “Things are going great. Let us handle it.”

“Fine,” Xander replied with a huff. “Just don’t screw this up.”

Austin’s eyes met mine when he replied. “I’m doing everything in my power to avoid screwing this up.”