Mission Happy (A Texas Desires Novel Book 3) (18 page)

“He’s really hot, Tina, and I’m really lame. He makes me want to up my dating game by a million. I don’t wanna lose him.”

“He likes you, Julie,” Tina said inches away from her.

“There’s no way you know that,” she shot back, lifting her head.

“Okay, honestly, that’s really cute that you’re worried about it. If you really want to set things right, you should tell him the truth about your career choice and everything your success affords you,” Tina said, spreading her arms wide. “It’s my experience, those manly men types like to pay their own way.”

“You’re always such a buzzkill.” That had her sister laughing. She turned away and began gathering all the different lingerie scattered about her bedroom.

“Are they coming to pick these up this afternoon?” Tina asked.

“Yes, leave them downstairs. And you’re pretty much the worst sister ever, you know that, right?” Julia laughed at the cupless teddy she tossed her sister’s direction. Like she’d ever wear anything like that.

“You got this, Julie.” A fist bump came toward her when Tina passed by on her way toward the door with the extra bags of lingerie. “And tell him before he finds out. He won’t think it’s a lucky coincidence, I promise. I’m taking these downstairs. Are we reading lines tonight?”

“Yes and did the new chef start today?” she asked when her stomach chose then for a loud grumble.

“I believe so. I think he’s down there now,” she said at the door.

“Okay, give me a second. I’ll be down.”

~~~

Connor looked around and immediately ran a hand down the front of his dress shirt. As much as he thought he knew Cole, the sophisticatedly elegant restaurant couldn’t have shocked him more than it did. He was vastly underdressed. Cole in his suit coat and slacks even seemed out of place.

In what universe did his buddy drive an hour and a half just to have dinner in a swanky, over-the-top restaurant? Something wasn’t right.

“Here you go, Mr. Willis.” The host led them across the restaurant to a back corner booth. Cole slid in the booth first, lifting a hand to wave at the couple beside him. Connor followed from the other side and stared at Cole, waiting for the host to go away so he could ask what the hell was up. “Your usual, sir?”

“That’s fine,” Cole said, taking his menu, immediately putting it aside.

“And for you, sir?” the host asked, shifting his attention to Connor. He focused on the host and took his menu, but looked back over at Cole.

“What’s your usual?”

“Scotch.”

That was it. He just stared at the alien who had taken over his buddy’s body. Out of every answer he could have gotten, that wouldn’t have been in the top million. After a moment of stunned silence, he lifted his gaze to the waiter.

“I’ll take a Heineken.” The man bent slightly at the waist and nodded once before walking away. Not a moment later, someone arrived at their table to add a second place setting in front of Connor.

“Hello, Mr. Willis. How are you this evening?” another server asked as he put a glass of water in front of each of them.

“I’m fine, Blayne. This is a friend of mine. Connor McDaniel.”

Connor nodded at the man, but stared at Cole, waiting for some sort of explanation.

“We need a minute. It’s his first time here.”

“No problem. I’ll get your drinks and be right back.” When the guy retreated, Connor narrowed his eyes, staring a hole through Cole.

“What?”

“You know what.”

“I like it here,” Cole said nonchalantly. Connor continued to stare, not buying that nonsense for one single second. When Cole remained quiet, looking at everything in the restaurant except Connor, he lifted a critical brow.

“So what’s going on with you? Why’re you back so fast?” Cole asked. Funny how effectively that changed the subject. He sat back in the seat and reached for the menu. The menu was very limited, and there were no prices—not that he’d expected to see any. The place was too nice. He skimmed down the list, saw a steak and placed the menu back on the table, praying he wasn’t about to pay a thousand dollars for this meal.

“Did you decide?” Blayne asked as he approached. Cole looked over at Connor while his drink was being placed in front of him.

“I’ll take the New York Strip. Medium-rare.”

“That’s what I thought you’d pick. It’s a good choice. I’ve had just about everything on the menu.”

Connor handed the menu to the waiter; Cole did too. “I’ll take the special.”

The waiter nodded and, without another word, he left them alone.

“Restaurants with no pricing, suit coat required. Did they let me in because I’m with you?” Connor asked.

“Yes. Don’t get pissed off. I also told them you were a decorated war veteran who could wipe the floor with their asses if they stopped you at the door.”

Connor lifted his pilsner glass, took a long drink to swallow down that bit of information, and kept his eyes on Cole.

“What gives? When did you start living like this?”

Cole cut his gaze away. There was sincere conflict on his buddy’s face, something bothered him. Connor knew him too well. Cole lifted his hand to adjust his ball cap—a move he’d done a million times throughout his life in moments of anxiety—but the comforting hat wasn’t there. A look of resignation took over.

“I haven’t told you. I’m not happy about it. I was hoping by not saying it out loud, it would go away,” Cole said, sucking down some of the scotch. The look he made said it all—his taste buds hadn’t become any more accustomed to the taste since it had become his regular drink of choice at this posh restaurant. If it weren’t for his concern, he’d have smiled at his friend’s real personality showing through with that grimace.

“What?” Connor finally asked when Cole didn’t elaborate.

“They’ve decided I need to run for senate,” Cole said disgustedly.

“Who?” Connor said immediately, then ran Cole’s sentence over in his mind again. It made absolutely no sense even hearing it a second time. “Wait, what? So your dad’s retiring?”

“No. Not anything near as achievable as that. Not the Texas Senate, the United States Senate. Old Man Liptonberg’s on his last leg and isn’t running,” Cole said and sucked down even more of the scotch.

“He’s been our senator for forty years. Our whole lives,” Connor said, sitting back in the seat.

“Exactly. So they want someone young to slide in and build a career as long. He’s agreed to back me. Woo-hoo,” Cole said. For the first time since he’d started speaking, Cole’s turmoil-filled gaze landed on him.

“Who decided this?”

“My father and the Republican National Committee. By the time it got to me, it wasn’t really a choice.” As strong and solid as Cole had always been, he was also extraordinarily loyal. He had a weakness where his father was concerned. Connor had watched for years as Cole carried not only that man but the entire family on his back. He held their secrets from everyone. Connor only knew certain things because he’d been there when Cole had found the biggest bag of cocaine Connor had ever seen. Apparently, it hadn’t been Cole’s first time to stumble on something like that. His father was a functioning addict and no one in the world had any idea.

“You’re kidding?” Connor finally said, not really knowing what else to say.

“Not even a little bit.”

“Do you even have a shot at winning?” Connor asked, taking another drink from his pilsner glass. Cole slightly lifted a hand and the waiter arrived with another scotch.

“They don’t expect me to lose. It’s Texas and it’s the Republican Party. My pop’s got a good name. I’ll probably win, they say.” Cole’s whole focus stayed on the contents of the glass in front of him.

“You aren’t a Republican.” What the hell? Cole totally believed it took a village to build a community, not that conservative at all.

“I know, right? Doesn’t seem to matter.” Cole gave a humorless laugh and lifted the glass to down the drink in two solid gulps. Before the waiter could move to bring him another drink, Cole lifted a hand to stop him.

“So why are we here?” Connor asked.

“It’s a be-seen-out deal. This place is pretty popular,” Cole explained, lifting the glass, letting the ice fall into his mouth.

“So you go to places like this all the time now?”

“Not really. Mainly just here. It’s the place to be in the area, but if the campaign continues, I’ll be traveling, doing more to be seen out,” Cole said. He must have changed his mind on the refill, because he lifted his hand and looked over toward the waiter.

“You might need to drive.”

“Whatever. That’s fine,” Connor said, but followed Cole’s gaze when his buddy’s attention wandered. Cole had gotten lost in a stunning female. She was on the shorter side, curvy, with long dark hair artfully arranged on the back of her head. She was perfectly put together in her business suit while efficiently carrying two plates of food from what he supposed might be the kitchen. Connor looked back at Cole who was still lost for staring at her.

A slow smile spread across his face as he sat back in the booth. So that was why they were there. Connor casually lifted his glass, taking a long couple of swallows, and waited for Cole to return. He didn’t fit in with this crowd, and from the stares he got, he figured the patrons of the restaurant weren’t feeling him either. Cole should have told him about the dress code. Lucky for him, his cell phone caught his attention. His own distraction came by way of a text. Much like Cole’s reaction to the unknown woman, Connor didn’t have much of a choice but to respond to Julie. He read her message all the way through, then started at the top again. So, she had a plan, but he’d need a computer for it to work out. His overactive imagination created multiple possibilities for needing technology. He liked them all.

“
I usually used the ones on base. I think my parents have one. If not, I could probably use Cole’s for the night. Why?
” Connor texted.

When a reply didn’t come back right away, he lifted his ass to stuff his phone inside his back pocket. A new voice at the table startled him, causing him to look up to see the object of Cole’s desire standing in front of their table.

“Good evening, Mr. Willis.” What appeared to be a genuine smile touched the woman’s lips. Her gaze landed on Cole, but then moved to him, keeping the exact same expression she’d just given Cole. “I heard you brought someone with you tonight.”

As she spoke, she moved the centerpiece on the table back several inches, giving them more room.

“I did. Sada, meet my best friend, Connor McDaniel.”

“It’s a pleasure,” she said, extending a well-manicured hand in his direction as the waiter silently replaced Cole’s drink with a new one. “I’ve actually heard a lot about you. I hoped the reservation extension was for you.”

He clasped her hand and nodded, wishing he could say the same, but Cole had been keeping this jewel a complete secret. On the downside, Cole had used her first name while she’d used his last. That spoke volumes on how far he’d gotten in extending their relationship.

What did that mean? Women always flocked to Cole. He could draw them like flies to honey. It was sport for him.

Cole cast a glance his way, and it was right there on his face. Cole was totally lovesick. Oh my God. Connor had just been given the gift of gossip. This would be the talk of the Prescott baby shower.

“Please let me personally know if you need anything tonight. We’ve got a full house, and I don’t want a single thing to slip through.” The host from the front door slid in behind her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and turned her attention back to their table. She gave a gentle smile. “Duty calls.”

Cole watched her walk away until she passed through the swinging doors to the back.

“I got it now. No further explanation needed.”

“What do you get?” Cole asked, swirling the ice in his glass. He would swear he saw a flush creeping up under Cole’s collar.

“You gave on Kenzie way too easily. I see why,” Connor said as Cole lifted the glass to take a hearty swallow.

“Not true. I gave Bateman hell over her, and you don’t see anything,” Cole managed, refusing to look his way. He stared out at all the restaurant patrons, keeping his gaze roaming everywhere but toward Connor.

“I know what I saw.”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s not interested.” Cole’s direct gaze landed on him. “So what’s going on with you? Why are you already back?”

“You certain she’s not interested?” Connor asked, somewhat confused. If that were true, there was no other conclusion but that Cole hadn’t put the charm on her yet. That was how confident he was in Cole’s game.

“It’s true. I’ve told her to call me Cole a million times. I’ve asked her out every single time I’ve come to eat here. She refuses and no one will tell me a thing about her. I’ve offered to bribe them,” he confessed, extending a hand, waving it around the room.

“How often do you come here?”

“Far too often,” he said and gave a humorless laugh as he cocked his head toward Connor. “Seriously, enough about that. What’s going on with you?”

Connor stared at him for several long moments and decided to give him a break. Cole didn’t need any more stress right now. “Remember me telling you about the Turkish douche motherfucker?”