“Oh my God,” Calvin looked up from the pictures that were scattered over his desk. “Gage, these are… really good. Like… really, really good.”

“I know, right?” Gage nodded, leaning over Calvin’s shoulder to look at the photos for the hundredth time that morning. “I told you he was amazing. They’re so much better than anything I could have imagined. Worlds better than anything I could have done on my own.”

Which was still an understatement, since Gage had approximately zero artistic ability and these prints were just… he didn’t even have words for how impressed he was. Newton had really gone above and beyond.

And these were just the samples. Gage literally couldn’t imagine how great the end result was going to be.

“God, yeah.” Calvin looked up at the clock. “Man, I wish Jack was here to see them. He’s been asking me about them every day since you told us about the promo plan.

“He’ll have plenty of time to check them out. I definitely want both of your opinions before I give the go-ahead on anything.” Gage grinned, tearing his eyes away from the photos to look at his friend again. “But they really are so good, aren’t they?”

“So good,” Calvin repeated, mirroring Gage’s smile. “I need to set up an appointment to talk to Newton. I already know Jack will want to ask him a million questions. I wish we weren’t so busy this week, and we could just take the afternoon off to head over to his studio when Jack gets back.”

“I’m going over there in just a few minutes when I leave here,” Gage said. “I could see if he’s free later if you want.”

Calvin’s lips pressed together, and he nodded slowly. It was the face he made when he was thinking of something. Planning something. It was his thinking face.

Except this time, it was accompanied by a sly grin.

“I don’t think Jack will be back in time to do anything this afternoon, but…” Calvin rubbed his hands together as his smile grew even wider. “Maybe you could ask Newton if he has any plans for later. Like, later tonight.”

“Later tonight?” Gage repeated, his brow furrowing as he tried to follow Calvin’s train of thought. He already knew for sure Calvin had something up his sleeve, but it wasn’t really clear to Gage what it could be. “Like… how much later?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Calvin nibbled at his lip, failing to sound as nonchalant as he was pretending to be. “I was thinking maybe sometime around dinner?”

Gage’s eyes went wide and then he laughed as Calvin’s intentions became crystal clear. “You want me to ask him to dinner? Like a date?”

Even saying the words made Gage’s palms go a little clammy. But at the same time, his mind was already racing with the possibility.

It was definitely not something he was opposed to. And he would be lying if he said the thought hadn’t already crossed his mind a few times.

Still… a date? So soon? Would Newton think he was crazy? Clingy? Creepy?

“Not a date.” Calvin shook his head as he looked up at Gage, his smile still firmly in place. “Not a real date, anyway. Just dinner. You can invite him over to our house, and it’ll be like…” He paused, then his eyes lit up again. “Like a business meeting. So no, not a date at all.”

Gage laughed again. Calvin was crazy.

Or was he?

As Calvin’s words sank in, Gage could see that it was actually not a terrible idea. It wouldn’t technically be a date, after all.

Well, it sort of would. And Gage knew that was sort of the point. But with Calvin and Jack there—with the four of them together, just talking business and having a nice, casual dinner, that was something Newton would probably go for… right?

“So?” Calvin prodded. “What do you think? Am I a genius, or what?”

“Pretty clever,” Gage admitted. A new surge of nerves hit him as he looked at the clock, though. “But you’re serious, right? You really want me to ask Newton out—er, over to your house—tonight?”

Tonight was really soon. Like ten hours away. That was… soon.

What was Gage going to wear? Something casual, since it was just technically dinner with friends? Something nice, to make a good impression? What would Newton like?

“Absolutely,” Calvin nodded, standing up from his desk and ushering Gage out the office door. “Now go down the street and pop the question. And then come right back here and let me know when he says yes.”

“Jesus, Calvin,” Gage took a deep breath as he hurried along the short corridor and out to the bookstore’s main room. “You act like I’m about to go propose to him or something.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” Calvin answered, winking as he walked ahead of Gage and held the front door open wide. “Now, go.”

Gage couldn’t stop grinning as he walked outside, the crisp morning air cooling him off a little and helping balance all the nervous energy he was suddenly filled with.

He was going to ask Newton out. For dinner.

Almost a date. Practically a date.

Now he just had to hope Newton would say yes.

Gage’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as he approached the door to Newton’s studio. He reached for the handle and paused to take a deep breath, slowly inhaling and exhaling before finally opening the door and stepping inside.

He had been a little nervous ever since he’d left the bookstore a few minutes before—and okay, maybe he’d been more than a little nervous then, too. But this was a whole other level of nervous.

This was dry mouth and sweaty palms, racing heart and shallow breathing.

Maybe he was actually having a heart attack.

It was just dinner, after all. No need to have a medical emergency. It certainly wasn’t the first time Gage had asked someone out before. And this wasn’t even technically a real date.

Just.

Dinner.

“Hey, Gage,” Newton’s cheery voice as he walked out of the back room pulled Gage from his thoughts. It made Gage smile to see the way Newton’s whole face lit up as he spoke, and for a brief moment, all of Gage’s nerves and worries were pushed aside until all that was left was Newton. “I didn’t expect to see you in here this early.” His smile slipped just a little. “Were the pictures okay? Did you have a chance to show your friends?”

“The pictures were—are—amazing, Newton. Truly amazing.” Gage took a few steps closer but stopped himself before he got within arm’s reach. He didn’t need to distract himself even more by trying to come up with an excuse to reach out and touch Newton again. “Jack hasn’t seen them yet, but Calvin loved them. Seriously loved them. But I knew he would.”

He could see Newton visibly relax at the news, his bright smile returning in full force. Man, the way Newton lit up the room made it really, really difficult for Gage to remember his don’t-stand-too-close-and-definitely-do-not-touch rule. And even now that he did remember, it took every ounce of his willpower not to completely ignore it.

“I’m so glad they liked them—and that you liked them, of course,” Gage said, then cocked his head to the side. “So… what’s up? Did you have anything you wanted to add to the shots, or some other ideas?”

“Um, maybe?” Gage hadn’t really thought of those options, but he wasn’t going to completely rule them out. Especially if it meant he got to spend more time with Newton. But that wasn’t what he was here for at the moment. “But I really just wanted to…” He swallowed hard. He had made it this far. No turning back now. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

Newton waited a beat, then quirked an eyebrow. “O-kay…” The corners of his mouth twitched up as he waited a couple more seconds. “Do I need to guess what the ‘something’ is? I have to warn you, I’m pretty awful at that game.”

Gage laughed, a little too loud and a little too long. Damn, why did he have to be so nervous? And why did Newton have to be so cute?

“No,” Gage said, finally pulling himself together. “I won’t make you guess, tempting as that idea is at the moment.” He took another breath. He could do this. It was just dinner. Just a quick, easy invitation to a laid back, casual dinner with friends. Easy breezy. “I was wondering if you… if you had plans? Tonight, I mean?”

Newton blinked.

Then cocked his head to the other side.

Then blinked again.

“Plans?” he repeated. “T-tonight?” Newton shook his head. “No, n-no plans.” Gage watched as his smile faded to deer-in-headlights and great, now they were both hopelessly, unreasonably nervous. “Why, um… why do you ask?”

“It’s not what you think,” Gage said, hoping to ease the awkwardness. Instead, he realized by Newton’s confused expression that he might have just made it worse. “I mean… maybe it is? It’s dinner. With, ah, me. And Calvin. And Jack. Just dinner.” Oh, Jesus. This was a train wreck. Was it suddenly a hundred degrees in Newton’s studio? Was Gage legitimately having a heart attack this time? Regardless, he needed to get it together and finish this botched invitation, so Newton could politely decline now that he clearly thought Gage was a lunatic. “So, if you’re not busy, which I won’t blame you if you are… I thought—we, Calvin and I thought—that maybe you could talk to him and Jack about the promo stuff over dinner?”

Newton was staring at Gage with his eyebrows knitted together and his mouth open, as if Gage had just grown a pair of horns or a second head.

He wasn’t saying no, though.

To be fair, he wasn’t saying anything else, either.

Then he did something that shocked the hell out of Gage. Newton started smiling. Then chuckling. Then laughing.

Hard, loud, belly laughs that made Gage smile too, even though he was pretty sure he’d mangled that invitation to dinner beyond all recognition. He was pretty sure he hadn’t even been speaking English anymore toward the end.

And then they were both laughing together.

“Was that…” Newton shook his head and laughed again. “I’m sorry, Gage. I don’t mean to laugh. But I just… was there an offer of food in there somewhere? Because if so, I’m in.”

Gage stopped laughing. Stopped smiling. It was his turn to stare open-mouthed as Newton spoke.

Did he really say yes?

Did that count as a yes?

“You’re in?” Gage asked, just to be sure. “You’ll come to dinner? With me? With Calvin, Jack, and me, I mean… but… yeah?”

Newton shrugged and gave another little grin. “You said they loved the pictures, right?”

“Loved them, Newton. For real.”

“Then yeah,” Newton nodded. “I’m in. I’ll bring some more samples, maybe? In case they want to see a few different things?”

“Perfect,” Gage said, his nerves finally taking a back seat to the excitement and happiness that was starting to bubble up inside. “That’s… perfect. Thank you. I mean… I think it’ll be fun? Jack and Calvin are so nice. I’m sure you’ll have a good time.” He exhaled loudly, realizing for the first time that he’d been holding his breath for the last several seconds. “Okay. Okay. So… I’ll pick you up later, then? Around six?”

“Great.” Newton smiled. “Six will be great.”

“Perfect,” Gage repeated, even though it felt like he’d just said that word at least ten times. But that was really the best word, the only word that fit.

Newton said yes. They were going to have dinner.

It was going to be perfect.