96|Not His Circus

When the spindly guy with rimless glasses and tousled dark hair introduced himself as Seth Andrews, Austin's mood quickly took a nosedive. This guy—no, this kid—didn't look old enough to be out of college, let alone run his own PI agency.

"How old are you?" Austin couldn't help but ask as they sat down. He'd booked a balcony table right in the corner, away from curious eyes and ears. The stunning view of the sunset didn't hurt either.

"I was wondering when you'd ask me that," Seth grinned as he reached inside his backpack and took out his laptop.

"So it's a common question, then?" Austin mused, oddly comforted by the knowledge that he wasn't the only one who found the man's age questionable.

"Yep, it is," the PI nodded, his fingers rapidly stroking the keys on his keyboard as he brought up a couple of windows on the screen. "And to answer your question, I'll be turning twenty-seven in December."

Austin's eyes lit up at his response; Marybeth's birthday was also in December. He wondere