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I’d been starving. As soon as I’d gotten off work the night before that, Gamble had gotten his distress call from home. He’d needed to borrow my truck, since he didn’t have any wheels at the time. I’d been worried about him, so I’d gone along for the ride. We drove all night to get to her and Colton and Brandt. I’d needed food before I passed out, and no way was I going to eat something from that nasty place, so I’d taken the two young brothers over to a nearby McDonalds and gotten everyone breakfast while Noel had taken care of Caroline, because her abortion had left her so sick.
Caroline drew in a breath. “While the boys and I ate on the couch, you and Noel went outside to talk, but the window was open, so I heard almost everything you said.”
I winced, trying to remember that conversation with Gam. “What’d I say?”
She smiled fondly. “Well, first you cracked some kind of joke about karma-sutra, or something like that.”
I chuckled softly. “Okay, yeah. I remember something like that.”
“And then you started teasing him about how...how hot you thought I was.”
Groaning, I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. “Oh, damn. I did, didn’t I? Sorry about that.”
“No, I liked it. I liked how you could tease him, how you were trying to get him out of his funk after the shock he’d just come home to.” Her smile smoothed out into an expression of supreme appreciation. “But then you got serious with him and made him talk out his problems. When he told you he wanted to just bring us all back home with him, you encouraged it. It didn’t matter that doing so meant three more people would suddenly be living in the apartment you shared with him and you’d mostly likely have to find somewhere else to live. You didn’t even pause to think it through. You just...supported him, and I don’t know if he would’ve gone through with what he did for us if you hadn’t been there to tell him he should. I just...” She shook her head, gazing at me as if I was something special. It made my chest feel all tight and strange. “I remember thinking I wished I had a friend like Oren Tenning.”
Unease flooded me. Yeah, I was some friend. I lied to Gamble’s face every time I saw him these days.
Caroline seemed to think I was honorable, though. She beamed up at me. “Every time you were around after that, the room just got...brighter. You were always this upbeat ray of optimism. Even when you were trying to be polite to me at the beginning, you’d have something funny to say, something a little off color, a little naughty, but always, always entertaining. I craved the times you’d come around. I swear, you got me out of my depression more than anyone. Laughter is a lot more healing than you’d think.”
A strange memory caught me off guard at her words. Caroline saw the change in my face, and tipped her head to the side. “What?”
I started to wave her off and tell her it was nothing, but then, I don’t know...I stopped myself. “You know that game you play as a kid where you make funny faces at someone to see who’ll laugh first?”
She grinned. “Yeah. Noel and I used to play it, and then Brandt and I did after he left.”
I nodded. “I was just remembering...what you said reminded me for some strange reason...”
“Of what?” she prodded.
I shook my head, but then I went and confessed, “Zoey and I used to do that too, except we used words. You know, whoever said the funniest thing to make the other person laugh first, won.”
It seemed to take her a moment to realize which Zoey I was talking about. Then her lips parted and eyes flared. “Let me guess. You won every time.”
I gave a quiet laugh. “No, actually she did. My sister was so fucking hilarious. She always knew how to do or say just the right thing to make me smile whenever I was upset. I just...I guess I felt honored to hear I’d done that for you. Like some part of her is still here, living through me.”
“Oren?” Caroline murmured softly. She touched my face and I looked at her.
“I gotta get back to work,” I said.
She nodded but whispered, “Thank you for telling me that.”
I cleared my throat and tipped my face down to hers. “Yeah, well...thanks for telling me why I’m so much better than Hart.” When I winked, she groaned and rolled her eyes. I pressed my mouth to hers just as the office door swung open.
We leapt apart, but it was too late. We were already exposed. Expecting to find Gamble hovering in the doorway, I blinked when I saw Pick instead.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I blurted out.
He glanced from me to Caroline and then back to me. “It’s my office,” he finally said, his voice mild, but his eyes narrowing with displeasure.
“But it’s midnight,” I argued without meaning to. “Shouldn’t you be tucked in bed with your little family right now?”
“Hmm.” Pick glanced between us again. Caroline grew more uncomfortable, crossing her arms over her chest and kicking at the toe of her pumps. I shifted slightly to block his view of her.
“Yes, I really should be in bed, wrapped around my gorgeous woman right now, but some unfinished paperwork I left here was making me toss and turn, so Tink kicked me out and told me not to come back until I’d taken care of it.”
“Oh.” Well, that explained that. I blew out a breath, glanced at Caroline, and turned back to Pick as I clapped my hands. “I guess we’ll get out of your hair and let you get to it, then.”
I stepped aside and motioned Caroline toward the door. She lurched into action, only to pause when she reached Pick still standing in the doorway.
