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“Sebastian’s coming back to town,” I said. “For his rehab.”
“Oh, yeah, you told me that.”
If this were a cartoon, Holley would have steam coming out of her ears by now. “Did everyone know except me?”
“Apparently Saylor didn’t,” I replied, opening my tomato soup. God, it smelled good. “And she’s right. What happened between you was eight years ago. Haven’t we all moved on?”
She grunted and opened her soup. The scent of French Onion soup filled the air. “Yes, we have, but that was also the last time I saw him. He tried to speak to me after and I refused.”
“I like Seb,” Josh said. “Been a while, but he’s a good guy.”
“Not the time,” I muttered to him.
Holley snorted. “Good guys don’t break girls’ hearts.”
“He didn’t know he was breaking your heart. It’s not like you ever told him you had feelings for him, and you literally waited until the last possible minute at prom to tell him,” I pointed out.
Rather undiplomatically.
Maybe politics was a career choice if selling books went down the creek.
“Thank you, Jerry Springer,” she snapped. “I know that, but it doesn’t mean I’m excited to see him again. It doesn’t mean I want to.”
“Isn’t his sister getting married soon?” Josh frowned. “Yeah, Kate’s getting married the weekend before Thanksgiving.”
“That’s right. You guys went to school together.” I’d forgotten Seb had a sister. “Are you going?”
He shook his head. “Nah, I haven’t spoken to her in a couple of years. I think Colt was going to, but that was only because Amber got an invite.”
“Mm, Colton,” Holley mused. “Have you spoken to him yet?”
Josh shook his head. “We’ve acknowledged each other at work, but we’re on opposite sides of the site.”
I looked down, lamely dipping a bit of my crusty bread into my soup.
“Hey.” Josh pushed my hair away from my face and tilted my chin so I looked at him. “I’m not worried. It’s only been three days. He’ll come around when he’s ready.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because he didn’t give me the finger when he saw me this morning.” He dropped his hand and grinned, and even Holley snorted at that. “That’s progress right there.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Plus, on Monday, our boss asked me why I looked like I’d moonlighted in the UFC over the weekend, and Colt yelled, “Because he fucked my sister so I punched him!” He’s now moved to fucking, so I assume he’s slowly beginning to accept this relationship.”
Something told me that this reconciliation was going to take a while.
Holley laughed and choked on a piece of bread. She had to stop to thump her chest to free the bit that was stuck.
“At least Cora isn’t fussing over me anymore. If I take one more Tylenol, I’m going to need my stomach pumped.”
“Who’s Cora?” I frowned.
Josh grinned. “Are you jealous?”
I stared at him.
“Cora is the fifty-eight-year-old office manager and wife of my boss who mothers everyone within a twenty-mile radius,” he said after a moment. “She’s a good-looking fifty-eight, but she’s not my type. I prefer feisty, awkward bookworms who get me punched.”
I punched him in the arm. “Shut up.”
Holley looked between us. “Shakespeare couldn’t have written a better love story.”
“Did he write love stor—” Josh paused. “Oh, right. Romeo and Juliet.”
We both blinked at him and said at the same time, “Romeo and Juliet is not a romance!”
I even heard that echoed from Saylor from wherever she was.
Josh looked around. “Right. Okay. Why not? They fell in love.”
“And then they died,” Holley said slowly, looking at him as if he’d just told her all books should be burned. “He poisoned himself because he thought she was dead, then she woke up and stabbed herself because he was dead. In what world is that even remotely romantic?”
“Uh…” He hesitated. “It’s kind of romantic that they couldn’t live without each other?”
“No,” I said. “That’s romantic when you’re talking about ninety-year-old couples who’ve been together for seventy years. Not two obstinate teenagers who were, by all accounts, complete little shits.”
He blinked at me. “You wouldn’t do that for me?”
“Would I hell,” I replied. “I don’t like you that much.”
He tried to look hurt, but all that happened was he ended up laughing. “And I took a punch for you.”
“Your fault.” I dipped some bread in my soup. “Really, all you had to do was not tell me you had feelings for me and none of this ever would have happened.”
“So it’s all my fault.”
“Absolutely,” Holley agreed. “As a rule, it’s always the man’s fault.”
I inclined my head in her direction in agreement. “She’s right.”
“This is why I’ve been single for so long,” Josh said dryly. “You’re too much hard work.”
“Yes. You’re a regular walk in the park yourself.” I gently touched the bruise on his jaw. “Jurassic Park, maybe.”
He looked over at me, meeting my eyes, and his lips twisted in amusement.
