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“Is that okay, Junie?” Zeke asks, clearly worried. He’s such a good guy. Of course on the flipside of that, he’s probably dumber than a bucket of rocks. I don’t see how anyone could buy this cock and bull story that Ben is weaving.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about me,” I tell him, a forced smile on my lips.
“Only if you’re positive.”
“Zeke, go. I’m fine. Promise.”
Zeke reaches over and squeezes my hand. “I’ll make it up to you,” he says and then he’s moving toward the exit. I hate to tell him that I doubt I’ll let him make anything up to me.
Once he leaves, my head jerks around as Ben yells out, “Hey, Karen? Just serve my takeout here. I’ll eat in tonight.”
“You got it, Ben,” she calls back.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask him as he settles into the seat that Zeke left.
He’s stacking up Zeke’s dishes and sets them aside as he answers. “Cleaning up a place to eat. I promised Zeke after all. You wouldn’t want me to lie would you, Juniper?” He’s grinning and obviously proud of himself.
I really might have to kill him.
Ben
“Are you proud of yourself?” Junie asks, and she’s pissed, but I’d like to think she finds it funny too. At least she’s not stomping out of here and refusing to talk to me. I think that’s progress.
“I don’t know what you mean, Juniper,” I lie.
“Will you quit calling me that?” she mutters.
“Does that mean I can call you Junie again?”
“I don’t know, have your balls been infested with sand fleas and your dick fallen off?”
“Ouch, you’re vicious,” I tell her, wincing a little at her description. Hell, I’m resisting the urge to put my hand between my legs and shield my boys. “Especially for someone who told me she didn’t hold a grudge.”
“I don’t have to hold a grudge to be pissed off when a man calls out another woman’s name when he’s in bed with me, Ben.”
“So, you admit you’re still pissed at me, even a year later?”
She looks at me and there are different emotions moving over her face. I let her stare, because I’m staring back. I’ve missed her. She brought something sweet into my life, and it might have been fleeting, but as fucked up as I was, I knew it was special. So special that in the year that followed, while I was digging my head out of my ass, it wasn’t Luna on my mind at all. It wasn’t Luna that I grieved. It was not not being able to pick up the phone to call Junie and have her give me a sarcastic kick in the ass, that I knew would leave me laughing. It was not hearing Junie’s laugh, touching her face, or just being near her. I mean, I’m a man, so I fucking missed the sexual things we did too, but it’s the other stuff that haunted me. I’m not sure how someone you spent such a short time with becomes so important to you, but it happened with Junie, and I’ve been left in a holding pattern waiting for her to give me an opportunity. Hearing she was going on a date threw me for a damn loop. If she’s looking for a man in her life, then motherfucker, I’m going to be that man.
Somehow.
“Okay, Sheriff. What is all this about?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you here? Why did you send poor Zeke out on a wild goose chase—”
“To be fair, there was vandalism out at the old dock tonight,” I reply with a shrug. Hell, even this conversation where I seem to be on a chess board with Junie trying to outwit her is more fun than I can remember having since the day she walked out my door.
“Why don’t I believe you?” she mutters, shaking her head, but she picks up her fork and starts eating. I figure that is at least a minor win.
“Because you’re a jaded woman who has trust issues?”
“I trusted you once,” she says with a smile that is as hard as it is sarcastic.
“Fair enough, I suppose. But, let me ask you something, Junie.”
“Go ahead, but I’m warning you once I finish my meal, I’m out of here, so you better speak fast.”
