All Stirred Up by Z.A. Maxfield

Author:Z.A. Maxfield
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: MLR Press LLC
Published: 2011-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

If you’re a gifted flirt, talking about the price of eggs will do as well as any other subject.

~Mignon McLaughlin

Dirk pushed his chair back from the table slightly as if he wanted to keep himself from eating more. There was nothing left on his plate but parsley; he’d powered through a salad and a steak, some vegetables, and a monstrous baked potato. Now he was looking over the dessert menu, his gaze travelling over the nearly erotic photographs of cheesecakes and pies. He was all unabashed enthusiasm and voracious appetite, and it looked good on him.

When the waiter arrived at their table, Dirk was ready. “This one, Kahlua mousse with coffee ice cream. That’s got my name written all over it.”

Brendan handed his dessert menu back. “I’ll just have an Irish coffee when his dessert comes.” The waiter nodded and headed back toward the kitchen.

“More?” Brendan offered Dirk a last glass of wine. When Dirk shook his head no, Brendan poured himself another, emptying their second bottle. It had been a blessing to find a restaurant within walking distance, because he was more than a little shit-faced. It was nice to know he could enjoy himself and then regroup in the fresh air on the walk back.

Dirk gave him a once-over that was part admonishment and part challenge.

Brendan shrugged. “Lately I’ve been drinking a lot more than that.”

“Have you?” When Dirk asked a question in that oh-so-idle way, Brendan knew he was heading for another landmine.

“You know I have. I told you.”

Dirk’s nod was a prompt to go on.

Brendan picked his wine up and took a healthy swallow. “Get off the clock, Doc. We’re here to enjoy ourselves.”

“All right.” Dirk’s gaze, while still probing, was slightly unfocused. He blinked and grinned amiably. “Tell me three things you like to do for fun.”

“For fun?”

“And they can’t be about work or sex. Go.”

“I…” Not about work or sex? What else is there? “Uh…”

“Do you ever go to the movies?”

“Not really.” Brendan tried to remember the last time he’d seen a move in a movie theater. Mostly he watched them in hotels. “I go to the gym.”

“For fun?”

“No.” Brendan acknowledged that he might be bad at this particular game. “I don’t know if I do anything just for fun. What do you do for fun?”

“I rent boats and sail when I have time. I ride horses. When I’m home, I like to garden. My grandmother grew roses that have won all kinds of awards. I took some cuttings, and they grow at my place now.”

Brendan felt his eyebrows rise; that happened sometimes when he drank, his face went and made all sorts of expressions without his consent. Ordinarily he could keep it rather still. Dirk seemed to have a genius for getting him to reveal more than he wanted to. “Roses?”

“Yes. Do you garden?”

“No.” Brendan hadn’t ever gardened, per se. “Evan wants to buy a house where he and Toby can grow vegetables and herbs. He’s considered part of the localvore movement, and he goes on and on about things like pesticide-free food and bees.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.