XXX CHAPTER 41 XXX

When they arrived at El Colibri, Tammy was already seated at the bar, margarita in hand, chatting up the bartender.

Shoulder to shoulder with Edward, Emmett took a deep breath and said, "Here we go." He would've loved to have taken Edward's hand, if only to give it a reassuring squeeze—or maybe gotten one for himself. He knew Tammy would love Edward, but she didn't always couch her thoughts in niceties. Emmett had always taken it in stride, but Edward was a sensitive soul.

Edward had spotted her, too. He spoke out of the side of his mouth, holding his gaze on Tammy. "I'm fine, but I think you should have a drink."

"Sounds like a grande idea."

Edward chuckled. "Bueno."

"Hola, señorita."

As Tammy turned toward Emmett's voice, she lit up. "Ah! Señor MVP!" She jumped off her stool and gathered Emmett into a tight hug. Without letting go, she greeted Edward. "Y señor profesor de matemáticas."

Edward tugged on Emmett's sleeve, a horrified look on his face. "She does speak English, right?"

"Tammy Lutz, say hello to Edward Cullen . . . in English, please. Edward, this would be Tammy."

"Hello, Tammy. Very nice to finally meet you."

Taking Edward's offered hand, she answered. "So you're the guy who stole my fake boyfriend."

"And we're off," Emmett said with a chuckle. "C'mon, let's get you some food to soak up that tequila, Tam."

"Or maybe more tequila to keep it company."

Tammy laughed at her own joke as they moved toward the hostess stand. Emmett had called ahead for a table, and the hostess obliged even though a small crowd had formed.

"I'm sorry. We had to close the outdoor patio for the season, but I saved you an out-of-the-way table. Follow me, please."

Emmett gestured for the others to go first, and Edward waved Tammy on ahead. There were some advantages to the cooler fall weather, Emmett had to admit—this particular pair of jeans of Edward's being one that immediately came to mind. He wished he didn't know that beneath the jeans were Emmett's favorite fire-engine red boxerjocks. It made the whole not-mauling thing that much harder.

Emmett sat between them while the butterflies pounded away like prizefighters at his chest. It was a bit surreal to be seated at the table with the two of them, his oldest, dearest friend and the man who'd come to mean so much to Emmett in such a short time.

The waitress stopped by to take their drink orders, and Emmett locked away another tidbit about Edward—he liked his margarita straight up, no salt. Tammy, on the other hand, ordered herself another frozen strawberry though she was barely halfway through the first. His heart went out to her; Tammy was a stress drinker. Apparently, this meeting had all three of them on edge. Wonderful.

"So, Edward, how do you like Seven Hills?"

"It's a good place. I'm still getting settled in, but I love the kids and my colleagues. The parents . . ."—Edward chuffed as he shook his head—"I haven't quite mastered the fine art of dealing with them yet, but I'm working on it."

Emmett chuckled, wishing once again he could take Edward's hand. "He's a bit too honest for his own good," he explained to Tammy.

"Ah, that's a terrible quality in a teacher. No parent wants to know the truth!"

The drinks arrived not a moment too soon. Tammy downed the remains of her first and traded it in for the fresh one. Lifting her frosty pink drink to the center of the table, she offered a toast. "To happiness . . . and other things." With a glint in her eye, she clinked glasses with both of them.

Emmett offered a nod of gratitude for both what she'd offered and what she'd left unsaid in public. "Cheers."

Tammy tipped back her glass and took a healthy swig. "Have you run across Sawyer at school yet?"

"I, um . . ." Edward's startled gaze bounced back and forth between Emmett and Tammy. "I know who he is, but we haven't been introduced yet."

Shit.

"Oh. Of course." Tammy gave Edward a superior smile that set Emmett's teeth on edge. "Well, when you do meet him, you'll love him. He's a great kid."

"I look forward to it. I've certainly heard a lot of great things about him." Edward picked up his menu, effectively shifting the conversation off the uncomfortable topic. "So, what's good here?"

Happy to oblige, Emmett answered. "I like the chicken habanero burrito, but I think that's gonna be way too spicy for you."

Tammy shot Emmett a sharp look over the top of her menu. "Are you ordering for him already?"

Before Emmett could answer, Edward set down his menu, folded his hands on top, and smiled sweetly at Emmett. "You know what? That sounds fine by me. I trust you."

Christ, Emmett was beginning to feel like a ping-pong ball being smacked back and forth across the table. Or, more accurately, smacked by Tammy and caressed by Edward.

While Tammy's gaze bore down on him, Emmett perused the menu in search of something mild but delicious. "I'd pick the Enchiladas Muchachas for you unless you're in the mood for a salad?"

"Nope, that's perfect. So, Tammy, what kind of work do you do?"

"I'm a regional HR manager for Amazon."

"Huh, I read that Amazon services nearly 20 million customers a day."

"Yes, sounds about right."

"That's an awful lot of fulfillment."

"Indeed."

Emmett's margarita muted the pangs of anxiety fluttering around in his belly as he watched their conversation from the sidelines.

"And you're responsible for the people who fill all those orders?"

"The ones here in Seattle, yes. Most of them come in from staffing agencies, and then we screen them and take care of the training."

"What's your biggest challenge with your employees?"

Edward really would've made a great lawyer.

"Shrink."

Edward's eyebrows popped up. "Sorry?"

Tammy's giggle floated across the table. "Merchandise unaccounted for at the time of inventory."

"Oh! Theft!"

Tammy grinned. "He catches on quick, huh?"

"The quickest," Emmett deadpanned.

"You know what the most lifted item is?" Tammy asked them both.

Emmett ventured a guess first. "Electronics."

"Try again."

"I'm gonna say jewelry," Edward said.

"Nope. Condoms and sex toys."

"Huh. Maybe we need to get you a job at Amazon, Professor." Emmett let loose a double-barreled smirk on his boyfriend.

"I think I'd make a fairly lousy thief."

Emmett laughed. "Yes, I would agree."

As usual, Edward moved the conversation forward, or more accurately, sideways. "So, will the drones fall under your authority?"

Oh boy.

"I believe they're pretty literal about the 'H' in 'HR' so I'm gonna have to say no."

"Makes sense. Would've been cool though."

Tammy shook her head and laughed. "Definitely."

"You see what I have to put up with?" Emmett teased. "His brain never shuts down."

"Mmhmm." Tammy wasn't buying his annoyed act, but then, Emmett wouldn't really have expected her to. "So, Em, are you still on top of the world?"

Emmett gave Edward one of those goofy smiles he meant not to give in public. "Oh yeah."

"Um . . . I think she was asking about the whole World Series thing." Edward offered a helpful tip of his chin toward Tammy.

"Oh!" Emmett cleared his throat and prayed he wasn't bright red. "That."

Tammy giggled. "Good god, you are so far gone, my friend."

"Apparently."

"Well, speaking of this"—she wiggled a finger along the table, indicating the two of them—"how lovely that you feel that way."

"Yeah." Emmett sighed, casting his eyes on Edward again despite his best intentions. "I can't seem to get enough."

Edward snorted. "I can vouch for that."

Case in point, right now. Had they been alone in his apartment, Emmett would've jumped him by now, and Edward knew it too.

"It's kind of interesting." Tammy's tone had enough troublemaker to it that Emmett's antennae went up.

"What's that?" he asked cautiously.

She was staring at Edward like a scientist observing a rat in a maze. "He doesn't seem to be your type at all."

Emmett didn't care for Tammy's speaking about Edward as if he weren't in the room, but he certainly wasn't about to feel defensive for his choice. He turned and directed his response toward Edward. "No, you are definitely not my type. I guess that was my first clue that I was going to fall harder, faster, and deeper than ever before."

Emmett itched to wrap a hand behind Edward's head and draw him in for a kiss but settled for stretching his leg across Edward's under-table space. Innocent enough, but touching. Finally touching.

Edward returned his melty-eyed gaze, leaned forward, and smiled. "I guess you've come a long way since Garrett Healey."

Emmett chuckled. A soft, intimate laugh to let Edward know he was so fucking happy they'd shared those tucked-away pieces of themselves.

"Who?"

Emmett snapped back to the present, back to his old friend who never knew about his first painful crush. "Nobody important," he answered.

Tammy took a long drag on her drink. "Do you play any sports, Edward?"

"I run. Hand-eye coordination isn't really my strength."

Emmett turned to Tammy. "He's being modest. You should see him juggle."

"Juggle? Really?"

Edward hid his face in his margarita, the flesh of his cheeks as pink as Tammy's drink. He gathered himself, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and attempted to finesse the conversation again. "I don't think my fumbling around qualifies as a sport exactly."

Tammy watched them eye each other for a bit while sipping at her drink. "Are you guys getting out at all?"

"No." Emmett's answer came out sharper than he'd intended, but she'd poked her finger at a tender bruise. "I mean, there's the occasional lunch, but"—he leaned closer to Tammy and lowered his voice—"you see this. It's not my imagination; we're ridiculous, right?"

Edward lifted his eyes, too. Whatever Tammy might say or not say about them wouldn't really change anything, and yet, they both held their breath until she delivered her verdict. Because wasn't there a chance Emmett was wrong? That maybe they weren't as obvious as he was certain they were?

"You two are beyond ridiculous."

Emmett deflated like a punctured tire, the air whooshing out of him with a remorseful grimace.

Seeing Emmett's response, Edward frowned as well. "Why do I feel like the groundhog who just saw his shadow?"

The knife twisted in Emmett's gut. How long could he force Edward back into his dark underground tunnel without doing serious damage, if not to their relationship then to the man himself? Emmett didn't need a statistician to tell him that gay couples don't survive when one is out and the other isn't.

This isn't the time. It wouldn't be fair to the Mariners franchise or his teammates. The media frenzy would take the focus off the team's accomplishments. Who knows what the backlash would be in terms of negotiating his new contract?

Their food showed up, two heaping plates of chicken concoctions for the boys and a salad for Tammy.

Tammy gathered the pile of chips rimming the salad bowl and airlifted them to Emmett's bread plate. "Want?"

"No, thanks."

"Oh. Sorry."

Emmett took one look at her booboo face and reached for her hand, chips and all. "Thanks anyway," he said, adding a warm smile.

Too little, too late. Tammy excused herself from the table, nearly knocking over her chair in her haste to leave. Emmett had precious little experience with women, and Tammy was not usually one for drama. Emmett understood just enough to know he'd fucked this up somehow.

"Hey, I think I better—"

"You should probably—"

They spoke over each other, two minds churning with the same solution. Emmett dropped his napkin on the chair as he stood. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back."

"Do whatever you need to do. I'm a big boy."

"Don't I know it," Emmett said, leaving Edward chuckling with an exaggerated wink.

He waited outside the ladies' room, startling Tammy when she finally emerged. "Hi."

"What are you doing? The men's room is over there."

"I came to check on you."

"Oh brother. Your burrito is gonna get cold."

"Nah, it's muy caliente. It'll keep."

"Funny. You left your boyfriend all alone at the table."

Also muy caliente, but that observation won't help. "He'll keep too."

Out of excuses to send him away, Tammy relented with a loud sigh. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"You're as bad a liar as Edward, you know that?"

"Well, at least I have that going for me."

"Tam . . . shit. This was a terrible idea, wasn't it?"

"No. It was a great idea. I'm just not handling this as well as I'd hoped."

Emmett wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled her into his chest. "I'm sorry."

"There's no reason for you to be sorry."

"I know, but you know how much I hate hurting you."

Tammy sniffled a few times, then mumbled into his shirt. "I hope you know I'm really happy for you."

"Of course I know that."

"I really thought I'd be more okay with this."

Emmett gave her a playful jostle. "Eh, I was your first crush. Your heart's not gonna just forget me overnight."

"Thanks for being a jerk. It helps."

He chuckled. "Any time."

Tammy sighed and pulled back from his embrace. "I just realized I've never actually seen you with someone you cared about." Taking a quick check to make sure they were alone, she added, "It's one thing to know intellectually that you're gay but another to actually see you with a man you're obviously head over heels for."

Emmett wouldn't toss out platitudes about wanting her as a friend, or worse, promising her she would have been the one if he weren't gay. None of that had ever helped much. "What can I do?"

"Just be really fucking happy with that man out there. He seems as amazing as you promised."

"He really is." The familiar twinge of pride filled Emmett's chest.

Tammy pulled back, taking both of Emmett's hands inside her own. "I really wanted to love him, you know. But then, I got here and saw you two together, and then I kind of wanted to hate him."

Emmett chuffed. "How'd that work out?"

"Freaking impossible."

"Yep."

"Do you think I need to apologize to him?"

"No. He's basically the most understanding man on the planet."

"He'd have to be," Tammy said, gently patting Emmett's shirt about where his heart was.

"Ain't that the truth?" Tammy turned toward the table, towing Emmett by the hand. "I realize this is a ridiculous thing to say to a person who just won the World Series, but I have never seen you happier."

"And how about you, my friend? Is Mr. Black fulfilling all your orders? Or do we need to send in the drones?"

She rolled her eyes before answering. "Actually, he is doing quite admirably, thank you very much."

"Glad to hear it."

"Can we be done talking about my love life now, please?" Tammy's gaze flicked over to Edward, tucking happily into his enchilada.

"Fair enough."

Tammy elbowed Emmett in the side. "You're doing that thing again with your face."

"Shit. I can't help it."

"You do know there are other solutions to this problem, right?"

"Aaaaand we're back."

Emmett pulled out Tammy's chair, and she gave him one last stern glare before taking her seat. He shrugged it off.

"How's your lunch?" Tammy asked.

"Delicious. Everything okay?"

"All is well," Emmett answered. Laying his napkin across his lap, he cut into his burrito and took the first bite. "Mmm."

Edward shook his head and grinned. "Your tongue must hate you right now."

"Not half as much as you're gonna hate the habanero effect later."

Tammy interrupted Emmett's eyebrow waggle. "Cool it, Romeo. I'm trying to eat over here."

Edward jumped in, setting down his fork with a dramatic flourish. "Seriously. I am too." He gave Tammy a can-you-believe-this-guy shrug, and she smiled back.

"I'm not sure I like what's happening here," Emmett said, but he was lying. In fact, he could hardly contain his smile.

Content to let Tammy and Edward carry on the conversation, Emmett relaxed and enjoyed his meal. Their circles were widening, overlapping, opening to include the world of people who came with the deal. Their lives were fusing together in small and significant ways, some predictable, some surprising.

By the end of the meal, Tammy was sufficiently sobered up and pumped with coffee for Emmett to allow her to drive home. With plans to follow each other on Twitter and chilling promises to "keep Emmett in line," Edward and Tammy hugged and said their goodbyes in the parking lot.

"You okay to drive?" Edward asked Emmett.

"I'm good, but I think I better warn you . . ."

Edward shot him a look of concern. "What?"

"Tequila makes me horny."

"Ay Dios!"

Author's Note: I would like to especially thank Tammy herself (Taylor9901) for the consult on this chapter. Aside from posting some of the funniest reviews on this story and Benched, Tammy has some really lovely insights into these characters, and she was kind enough to share a few with me along the way. Also, thank you to the ladies of FB who helped me figure out that last line!

Hold onto your sad goodbyes. We still have a few more weeks together with this story! Thanks for all the love you've shown.
XXX ~BOH