“Eventually. I’m saving for a downpayment. Your place is nice.”
She was supposed to ask if he liked his bungalow, or if he still wanted a bigger house like they used to pillow-talk about. Then he’d say they’d save money faster if they lived together. Then she was supposed to volunteer to let her place go and move in with him again. Or at least consider it. Eric knew she wouldn’t let a man into her bed without letting him into her life on a permanent basis. But she let the conversation drop. Bree was still keeping her distance.
And he was running out of moves.
Adam arrived with bags of groceries. Bree paused when her brother unpacked the second package of ground beef. “Exactly how many hamburgers are you guys expecting to eat?”
“Two apiece for me, Eric and Dutch. One for you. Mackie’s on a health food kick. He’s bringing some veggie burger crap. Booker is addicted to hotdogs. I brought some of those too.”
Eric moved between Bree and the door to halt her escape. “Mackie and Dutch and Booker?”
“Mackie and Dutch want to apologize. Will you give them a chance?” Eric asked. He knew it wasn’t fair. He kept asking her to give more, when it should be him. It would kill a part of him if she and the others weren’t able to reach a détente. He wouldn’t give up his job. He couldn’t; being a cop was like breathing. But finding another group of friends that didn’t scare her to death would be a shitload of work.
