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“Deal,” I said as I stepped out of the parts department. “I’ll tell her you’re a perfect angel.”
George chuckled. “She’ll call you on that lie too.” He locked up the door to our office. “You’re doing good, kid. Don’t let the grind get to you.” He gave me a nod before he headed toward the parking lot. “See you in the morning.”
I went to the bus stop. I was surprised I had dodged my brother for the entire day. It was like Shay had worked a miracle.
I pulled my phone out, Shay still in mind. If she could get my brother to act right, that meant I needed to do the same thing with her brother. Granted, Darius was nowhere near the asshole that Kyle was.
The only problem was, I couldn’t really drop in on Darius. He lived with their mother. If I showed up, that would clue Mrs. Jackson in on what we’ve been doing. That could be disastrous for everyone.
That meant I couldn’t be spontaneous.
I tried to call him, but it rang until it went to voicemail. I left a message, trying to sound peppy and excited to see him. Hopefully soon. Then I sent him a text, hoping to get his attention.
I didn’t get a response on the bus ride home. When I walked into the apartment, the text message was read, but I still got no response.It didn’t mean anything,I tried to reassure myself. He was very likely still at work.
Shay came home. She paused for a beat and eyed me. “Are you gonna be here tonight?” she asked.
“I didn’t really have plans to go anywhere,” I answered her honestly. I gestured to my phone. “I was trying to get a hold of Darius, but I guess he’s still at work.”Or he’s ignoring me.But I wasn’t gonna say the last part to Shay.
“Sometimes he works late when they’re getting close to the deadline of getting a project finished,” she said as she went straight to her room. “Dee will work until they chase him off the job site.” She wasn’t gone long. She came out in a cute lavenderdress that came down to her thighs. It complimented her brown skin. It was clear she was getting ready for a date. “Give him a minute to get off work and he’ll call you. He’s not the type to string a girl along.”
“I’ll be patient,” I lied. I eyed her. “Where are you going?”
“I promised your brother that I would take him out to dinner,” she said as she slipped her shoes on. She took a moment to buckle a strap. “I told him I’d go all out for him to make up for the tension this morning.”
“Does that mean I need to be scarce?” I asked. I grimaced. I could go stay with Cam and Adam. That would be easy, and neither of them would complain. I just wouldn’t be able to give Darius some much-needed one-on-one attention.
“It’d help,” she said, pursing her lips. She looked at me, her makeup making her glow. “I’m trying to make this work. I want it to go slow, and he’s more than willing to take things at my pace.” She took a breath. “But I don’t know what to do when you two are concerned. I can only twist his arm so far before we butt heads.”
“I’ll do what I can to keep from fucking it up for you,” I said. I shook my head. “After everything, I’m gonna leave it alone. I’ll focus on what I want and let you pursue what you want.” I gestured between us. “This is the only thing I’m not sure how to keep up with.”
Shay nodded. “I was thinking we have lunch or dinner on the occasion. Kind of like how we had pizza the other day with Cam.” She gave me a light smile. “I don’t want to pick which of your men I like best. I don’t want to feel like I might favor Cameron over my own damn brother.”
“I’m trying with your brother,” I said uneasily. “Not as much as I should. At this rate, I don’t think I can pick one man. It’s not something that would be fair to everyone involved.”
“Then don’t,” Shay said dismissively.
“But—”
“Look,” she began, twisting so she could look at me. “If everyone involved is happy with the situation you’re in, don’t choose.” She tilted her head as she spoke. “I was being selfish when I made the demand that you pick one.” She paused and picked up her phone, thumbing at the screen. “If I make you choose, then it’s not fair if I completely disregard your opinion of my relationship with your brother.” She glanced at me. “Because at this point, that’s what I’m doing.”
“I have said nothing about what you’re doing,” I said, watching as she stood.
“You haven’t,” she agreed, taking a moment to touch up her hair, using the camera on her phone to inspect it. “But while you’re not saying anything, your expressions can speak volumes.” She turned to give me a look. “Though I know mine can do the same.” She sighed. “You gonna be here when I get back?”
“I’ll crash at Adam and Cam’s so I don’t keep you from having fun,” I told her. My phone vibrated in my hand, letting me know I had a message waiting. I didn’t look. I was afraid that I was gonna be brushed off. It had been way too long since I had been in contact with Darius. There was no reason for him to entertain me.
“I’m not planning on doing more than sleeping with him,” she told me, “not that that’s your business. But if you want to stay here, don’t let him being here stop you. If he wants to stay the night, I’m not gonna tell him no.”
I hummed. “Just give me a heads up when you’re on your way home. That way, if I decide to stay in, I won’t disrupt your night.”
“I appreciate you,” she said. “I’ve got to go. I’ll text you later.” Shay walked out the door, her excitement about the night evident.
I watched her leave and struggled to think of what I would do with myself. The easy way out would be to do as I said. Or I could stay home and just hide in my room when they got back.
Or I could keep trying Darius. And face the music if I needed to. I unlocked my phone and saw a simple message from Darius. He had just gotten off work. He was asking for a long enough minute to get home and shower.
I sent him a message back, promising him dinner. ‘But I don’t know if I can do a long walk on the beach,’ I sent him after a beat. Hopefully he would grasp what I wanted tonight to be. The ache from this morning was dim. I could handle just Darius.
