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Dave glanced around the crowded mall before quickly ducking into the sweet smelling tobacco shop. He wasted no time lingering by the front display window. He made his way to the counter at the back of the store and finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.
A short, round man only a few years older than Dave stepped through a nearby curtain. He had long white hair and a well groomed goatee. He grinned when he saw Dave. “David,” he greeted with just a hint of an Arabic accent.
Dave smiled wearily. “It’s good to see you too, Arif.”
Arif eagerly rubbed his hands together. “I got a special shipment of cigars in last week. Egyptian tobacco.”
“I’d love to see them.” Dave leaned on the counter and lowered his voice. “But can we move to the back?”
Arif arched an eyebrow. He stared at Dave for a long moment. He clicked his tongue between his teeth in disapproval. “You look tired.”
“Well, I’ve been up since six and I didn’t get to bed last night till after two.”
Arif smirked but asked seriously, “Do I have to remind Derek to take it easy on you?”
Dave chuckled ruefully. “It wasn’t him. It was a friend of ours. She insisted we get an early start back home from the cabin so we had time to stop off here.” He flushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I had to duck out after the second shop.”
Arif laughed out loud and pointed at Dave. “There’s more to this story than meets the eye. I think we need to be comfortable for this.” He waved Dave to follow him. “Come. Derifa has just made coffee.”
Meanwhile, Derek had to stomp on the urge to bang his head on the nearest wall. First, it was watches, which neither he nor Dave really needed. Then it was bracelets and necklaces but everything was too girly. And listening to Penelope oohh and ahh over every pretty thing didn’t help.
Derek had to stomp on the urge to bang Penelope’s head against the wall when he noticed the way Spencer was watching them. He recognized the look, the one that said Spencer’s curiosity was piqued. He rolled his eyes and muttered a graphic curse under his breath.
“Garcia,” Spencer jumped in. “What are we looking for?”
Penelope paused in her chattering to a saleslady to shrug. “I’ll know it when I see it.”
“But what are shopping for?” Spencer persisted. “I can help if I know the occasion.”
Penelope patted his cheek. “It’s sweet that you want to help, but no. If you want, I’ll put you in charge of dinner tonight. It’s the least we can do for our hosts who saved us from brooding our weekend away.”
Derek chose that moment to quickly, but silently back out. He was very macho in the way he hid behind a group of teenagers to walk away without being noticed. He made a quick stop in an electronics store for the newest Call of Duty before he went straight to the tobacco shop.
Derek exploded into the back room to find Dave sitting on an old couch, sipping coffee, talking with Arif in the nearby armchair. “You left me!”
“I had to before I was tempted to eat my gun. Besides, it was your idea to tell her,” Dave retorted. “We both knew what would happen.”
Derek grunted and ran a hand over his head in agitation. “Yeah, I know,” he grudgingly allowed.
Arif stood. He went to clasp Derek’s shoulder. “Sit down, my friend,” he said warmly. “Your other friends will keep.”
Derek sank down on the couch next to Dave. He buried his face in Dave’s shoulder. “She’s putting Reid in charge of dinner,” he whined.
Dave put an arm around Derek’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. We’ll eat out and then we’ll get rid of them. We’ll have our last few hours of freedom to ourselves.”
Arif settled back in his chair. He poured Derek a cup of coffee and handed it to him. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
Derek sat up straight. “Thanks.” He looked at Dave in bemusement. “You told him.”
Arif snickered. “It was the price of refuge.”
Dave smirked. “Besides, he’s not likely to want to plan our wedding.”