Beside her, Eli groaned under his breath.
“Really? That must be challenging. What kind of law do you practice?” Kay leaned back when the waitress appeared to bring their water and take their orders.
Everyone except Eli ordered the special, the house burger and fries. Mara ordered a plate of cheese fries with her meal. Kay really wanted to order some too but figured chowing down on several plates of food was probably bad date etiquette. She could only hope she wasn’t doing anything else wrong. She was so hopelessly out of practice with the whole man-woman flirting thing.
As soon as the waitress left, Danny said, “Disability.”
“Huh?” Kay took a sip of her water as she tried to remember what they’d been talking about before.
Eli leaned over and whispered, “Disability. I think he’s an ambulance chaser.”
Kay spluttered, the water going down her throat the wrong way as Eli’s loud whisper carried across the table.
“Actually, Danny works on disability cases for people who have been denied coverage by their insurance companies.” Mara shot Eli a death glare.
To his credit, Danny didn’t show any reaction. “It’s true. Although I wouldn’t have turned my nose up at ambulance chasing a few years ago. I had law-school loans bigger than the national debt.”
The tension around the table went down a notch as they all laughed. Kay smiled at him gratefully.
“So, is this your brother?” Danny gestured to Eli. Kay slapped a hand against Eli’s chest before he could say anything.
“Oh they’re no relation. He’s actually our brother-in-law,” Ridley said.
Danny didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “So, Mara tells me you’re a singer. I couldn’t carry a tune even i
f I strapped it to my back, so I think that’s pretty amazing.”
Kay had gotten used to answering questions and being interviewed more over the past year. She’d never love it, but it had definitely gotten easier.
“I’m really lucky. I used to sing as part of a group, but now I’m going solo. My album should be out in a few months. We’re halfway finished recording.”
Danny looked impressed. “Wow, congratulations.”
“You should go visit her at the studio,” Mara piped up. There was a round of agreement from Ridley and Raina.
“Can I? That would be really cool.”
Kay shrugged. It was hard to believe he was really interested in coming to watch her work, but he seemed completely earnest. Plus, he hadn’t seemed disappointed when he saw what she looked like. As far as blind dates went, they were probably already doing better than average.
“I guess so.”
Next to her, Eli tensed and then slid out of the booth. “I think I’m going to order something to eat as well. I’d better go find the waitress. Do you guys want anything else?”
Kay shook her head then said, “Well, maybe some coffee.”
Danny looked up. “Coffee sounds perfect. I’ll have one, too.”
Although he’d offered, Eli looked like he was chewing nails as he asked, “Sugar or creamer?”
“No, I don’t take anything in it.”
“Interesting. I would have pegged you as a low-fat, half-caf, soy-only guy.” Eli walked off and left them all staring after him.
After a few awkward moments, Kay finally said, “I am so sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” Danny leaned forward, his eyes amused. “I’m not the easily offended type.”
“I can tell.” In his place, she doubted she would be so calm. He’d been invited here to meet her and Eli had been treating him with disdain the entire time. His laid-back nature was definitely attractive. She smiled at him. “You should definitely come and watch me record something. It’ll be fun.”