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ChapterTen
BRYCE
Iracked the weight on the bench and checked my phone. I’d heard the notification come through my wireless headphones while I was lifting.
KD: Should we order ham and pineapple pizzas? Or just normal single topping options?
I chuckled then swiped the towel over my sweaty face.
I hit the call button and waited for Krystal to answer.
“Oh, hey, Bryce,” she said warmly.
“Hey to you too. I got your text.”
“Tonight? Well, I think I could meet tonight if you think we need to,” she said after a pause.
I chuckled. “I gather your mom is listening.” I thought about my schedule. Back to work tomorrow morning, but tonight I was just planning to have dinner with my folks. “I can do tonight. I’ve got dinner plans with my parents, but I’m free after.”
“A working dinner sounds great. Thanks for making time. I know you’re busy.”
“Working dinner, huh?” Not exactly what I’d said. My parents would love to see her though. I just had to make sure they didn’t get the wrong idea. It was a friendly dinner before doing some work on the fundraiser.
“No, no. I had some tentative plans, but they can wait. This is more important.”
“Hmmm. Kenny again? Or is it another lucky guy getting the slip?” There couldn’t be that many single guys in Minden, right? Of course, Monica seemed to pull another woman out of a hat every time I turned around. Greencastle, Minden, even Terre Haute wasn’t too far for her purposes. Maybe Sharon was extending her reach.
“Oh, definitely. I’ll bring my sketches and my laptop.”
I laughed. “You’re a little scary, you know that?”
“See you later.”
“I’ll pick you up at five.” I would need to clean out my truck a bit. Too many granola bar wrappers ended up on the passenger floorboard.
I hung up the phone and smiled down at Krystal’s pineapple text for a second.
There was a crash from across the gym as Jake dropped his weights.
I raised my eyebrows at him, and he waved a tired hand.
“Who was on the phone?” he yelled as he headed my way. Probably didn’t even realize the loud music was only in his headphones.
I shook my head and pointed to my ears so he’d take out his earbud. Once he had, I replied, “Nobody.”
“Nobody sure puts a goofy grin on your face.”
I threw my sweaty towel at him. “Get back to work, doofus.”
“Just saying… It obviously wasn’t Monica. She’s at work today.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How do you know Monica’s work schedule?”
He shrugged. “She’s in my small group at church. She must have mentioned it.”
Good for him if that was true. I had a hard time remembering my sister’s work schedule. At least our shifts were predictable. Twenty-four hours on, forty-eight hours off. Monica worked twelve-hour shifts, but it was always moving. Days, nights, weekends, weekdays. It was impossible.
“I’ve got one more set and then I’m done,” I told him.
