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“What’s wrong?”
Was I that transparent? “I got my period this morning.” I brought my voice down to a whisper.
There was the mark of disappointment in his eyes before he quickly covered it. “Oh.”
“Guess I’ll let you know once it’s finished.”
He frowned. “Okay. Sure.”
An incoming call brought a welcome reprieve from the awkwardness. “This is my screening interview for a possible receptionist, so I need to get it.”
“All right.”
Luckily, I had a busy day to keep me distracted. Two phone interviews, a meeting with HR to discuss rehab options for Peter, a meeting with an outside vendor who’d help us with furniture purchases, and another for a cleaning service. The day capped off with a walk-in customer.
Leaving the office felt depressing. It was the first time in days I didn’t have plans to meet Leo, and it was funny how in such a short time I’d gotten used to my new routine. The thing which made me saddest, though, as I drove to my apartment was how much I missed his company.
I was on the couch flipping through television channels, feeling unsettled during what should have been a relaxing night when Malorie came in. “Oh, you’re here?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m here.”
She didn’t seem pleased. “Craig is on his way over.”
“Okay.”
“Are things all right with your mystery guy?”
“Yeah. Just taking a night off from seeing him.” I’d be happy once we told our parents. Then I could spill the beans to my cousin, and all this secrecy would be done.
The knock came at the door, and Malorie practically sprinted over. “My cousin is here.”
Her pout drove home how put out she was by the idea. Did she forget I paid rent?
“Hey, Addy, nice to see you,” Craig greeted, his good cheer the opposite of Malorie’s rudeness.
“Hey, Craig.”
“Her date bailed on her tonight,” Malorie offered.
“He didn’t bail. We just didn’t have plans.” Because if we weren’t baby-making, then he didn’t want to spend time together. I wished it didn’t sting.
“Then you can go out with us. We’re eating dinner at Wyatt’s tonight. They have good barbeque.”
“Thank you, but I don’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be. Right, Mal?”
My cousin forced a smile. “Of course not.”
Even being their third wheel would beat sitting here, strangely dissatisfied by my old habit of binging TV shows and eating snacks. “Okay, I’ll get dressed.”
Twenty minutes later I was happy to have gotten out of the house and my mind off of Leo. The banter between Craig and Malorie was fun to watch, and it was clear they were actually developing a relationship.
My cell phone buzzed with an incoming message, and I pulled it out to see it was from Leo.
“Are you at home?”
“No, I’m out with Mal and Craig for dinner,”I typed back.
