With a nod, I grabbed the tray of drinks and carted them back to the booth.
“What’s this?” Freddy asked.
“Tequila. Courtesy of Mia.”
“That was nice of her.”
“I haven’t done shots in years,” I muttered.
“It’s just one. Come on.”
A few moments later, I was sucking on a lime, the tequila heating my belly. “Okay, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Right?” She smiled. “I knew you were a tequila girl.”
“I’m trying all sorts of new things.” I reached into my clutch and pulled out the keys Boxer had given me. I tossed them onto the table in front of Freddy. “He gave me keys.”
“I knew it. Isoknew it. I knew when he met a woman who turned his head, he’d be insta-mated.”
My brow furrowed.
“You don’t want him insta-mated?”
“It’s not that,” I said slowly, “it’s just—well, I have feelings for him.”
“Yeah.”
“No, like, theLword type of feelings.”
“Well, duh.” She rolled her eyes. “Charming, flirty Boxer is one thing. Committed, attentive Boxer is like a battering ram to your heart. You didn’t stand a chance.”
“I definitely didn’t stand a chance,” I agreed. “I’m not sure I trust it.”
“No? Why not?”
“It’s not him. Just, my own stuff I’m trying to work through,” I assured her. “How did you and Boxer meet? I’m curious.”
“You know Allison, right? Torque’s Old Lady?”
“Allison? Yeah, of course.”
“I was college suitemates with her cousin, Sadie. We went to a party, and someone drugged my drink.”
“Oh, Freddy,” I said in sympathy.
“I had all of my clothes on,” she hastened to assure me. “When I woke up the next morning, I mean. Sadie had called Torque, and Boxer came with him. Boxer had given me his number and said if I needed anything, to give him a call. A few weeks later, I did just that. He got me the job at Pinky’s and I quit school.”
“He never said a word to me about any of that,” I said.
“No, he wouldn’t have, would he? Aside from keeping confidences, he’s not the kind of guy to want accolades for being a good guy.”
“The best guy.”
She smiled. “The best guy.”
Mia swept by our table, a hand across her belly. “Hi, Freddy.”
“Hi,” Freddy replied. “Thanks for the shots.”