“I always thought you were the smartest and prettiest thing in the state.”
“That’s sweet of you.Thanks.Isn’t there a girl you’re into around here that might be more suited to you?”
“Eh.”He shrugged.
“There is someone.”I rocked my head, evaluating him.“Let me guess.She’s into Josh.”
“That’s a problem.”He cast me a weird, furtive look.
“Who is it?”
“Just a girl.”
“Do you need me to push Josh out of the way for you so you can make your play?”I fiddled with the edge of a half-open box.I’d do it for Drew.“Have you talked to her about it?”
He had his baseball cap off and crushed it in his hands.He stared at the floor.“Not really.”
I asked gently, “Did you ever ask her out or did you march into her place of work straight off the farm and start doing that thing you’re doing right now with your hat?”
He stopped messing with his hat.“I think you and I should go out.”
“I don’t know.”I wondered if that weird look from him was because the someone he liked was me.“I just got out of a not-so-great relationship.I’m not looking to jump into something else.”
“If you went out with me, Josh would know for sure you’re not available.Then he’ll stop being crazy.It might make work go better for you since you’ve decided to stay at his clinic.”
“It’sourclinic, nothis.What do you mean by crazy?”
“If you date me, he might leave you alone.At least he should settle out.He’ll focus on moving past you.I’ve known him forever.He may have let you go back in school, but he didn’t want to.He needs to see that you’ve moved on for him to accept it’s over.”
“What do you mean by hedidn’t want tolet me go back then?He kissed Milly at school.It sure looked like he meant it.Are you saying he did it on purpose to break us up?”
“Did I say he didn’t want to do it?I meant, he was a two-timing asshole.”Drew’s insecurity, like he’d messed up, put me on red alert.
I stepped into his personal space, not intimidated by him towering over me.Drew was a big guy, a few inches taller that Josh.But he was a teddy bear.“Tell me exactly what you know.Why did Josh kiss Milly in high school?”
He held up his hands.“I don’t know much.”
I took another step forward and poked him in the chest.“Tell.Me.”
He stepped backward.“It seemed weird to me.Sure, she was always angling to get him to notice her, but he never had before.In fact, he disliked her since middle school because she was always so mean to you.Then suddenly out of the blue he kissed her in public where you would be sure to find them?”He held up both hands palms up.“Seemed suspicious.”
Josh forced me to break up with him?I couldn’t wrap my head around the reason he’d have done that.
I acted as if I was about to poke him again, but Drew avoided me and backed up a step.I asked, “What else?”
Drew spurted out, “I think he regretted it all and would’ve apologized to you, but then you went and stole his clothes that day.After that, it was game on for him.”
“For the record, I never stole his clothes.He ran outside in his underwear to yell at me.Then he got locked out.I didaccidentallysteal his keys.I was giving them back.Why would he force me to break up with him the day before prom?”
“Assholish move.I’m not arguing that.I’ll always be your plus-one when you need it.I was proud to have you on my arm that night.It’d be in your best interest for him to accept you’ve moved on.”
“Why is it best hethinksI’ve moved on?”I didn’t understand this.“Ididmove on.It was over.It isstillover.”
“Is it?He went apeshit after you had your argument at the reception.He was all worked up.I don’t want a repeat of him busting into my place when I’m not dressed to yell at me about how my house smells and that I have no right to want to date you.”
“For real?He did that?”My chest squeezed so hard I had to do a little choke cough to get air moving.How had he been that jealous?“So, you only want to go out with me because you want Josh to stop pestering you.”
“Yeah—No.No!”He shook his head.“I want to go out for real.Side bonus would be getting him to stop bothering me.”His face broke into a smile so wide it showed all his teeth.“You’re going to say yes.I don’t even care if it’s because it’d make Josh nuts.”
