“Well, we know where they live and you know how to apologize, right?”
“I can’t just show up and be all like, ‘Hey, I’m sorry. Can we play with your skunk?’”
“Why not?”
I chuckle. “Because…” I trail off, not knowing how to answer. Because that sounds too damn simple, I guess? I don’t know! I hurt the guy, and I don’t know how to apologize for that—especially since he still seems to harbor some resentment as well.
“I don’t know, Brody. I really don’t. Why don’t we table this now, until I can find a way to make this happen. You know I’d do anything for you, bud. So this isn’t me blowing you off or anything; this is just me asking you for a moment to think on it, okay?”
He nods. “Okay.”
“Now, let's get our butts back home and settle in for boys' night. Video games?”
“Yeah!”
“I’ve got some of that root beer in the glass bottles. We can kick off our shoes and put our feet up on the coffee table without Mum getting on our cases about it, right?”
He giggles. “Can we also have messy snacks?”
“Absolutely! Popcorn or ice cream?”
“Both?”
“You got it, dude…”
He peers up at me. “You know sometimes the kids at school make fun of me for still sayin’ ‘I love you’ to you and Mum.”
I frown at the steering wheel. I know they do, I saw one young girl tee-heeing to her little posse when he signed it to me at the drop-off on his last day of school. I sigh. “I don’t know who decided that wasn’t thecoolthing to do at your age… but I’d like to wallop them. Well, not actually, because me and your mom wholeheartedly believe in gentle parenting, but you should be able to openly tell someone you love them, without worrying what other people think.”
Brody nods. “Yeah. You should…”
Chapter Five
“Great. I’m being stood up,” I mutter to myself, toeing at a pebble with the tip of my shoe. I puff a stray lock of hair out of my face with a huff. “Get allll in my head about going on a date, and for what? Nothing. Guys are fuckin’—”
Suddenly, a tap on my shoulder has me rearing back on a slight shriek. Caleb, with a horrified look on his face, manages to catch me before I stumble back. And I am—in no way—instantly mesmerized by how strong his arms are as he saves me from falling on my ass.
Once he rights me and gives me a once over, he holds his hands up. “Sorry. I really didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to agree with you that guys are assholes, yes. And this one is also very sorry for being late. Got hung up just before leaving the house.”
“Oh, uh, that’s alright.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t have to minimize it for my benefit, L-A-U-R-E-N. It’s okay to be annoyed about something like that. Not a good look for me to start a first official date off that way, and I knowthat. I would have texted to let you know, but I don’t exactly have your number.”
I pull my phone out of the back pocket of my too-tight skinny-jeans—the ones that I am so thankful that I had stashed away in the backseat of my car, since they came in handy to have tonight. “We can fix that,” I say suggestively, opening my text messages and handing it over to him.
After his thumbs quickly tap out something, he hands me my phone back and I peer down at the message he sent to himself:
Me
You really are a knucklehead for keeping me waiting like that. You owe me dinner now. ;)
I snort, deadpanning, “Wow. Suave.”
He runs his fingers through his waves of hair, then signs, “Head and Shoulders, actually. I still haven’t found a way to make dandruff look cool yet.”
A giggle erupts out of me, making me sound way too much like a giddy middle-schooler. “Suave andwitty…”
He smirks. “And flake free. I am pretty much a package deal.”
