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I gave him the opportunity to fall in love with another woman, the green light tomarryanother woman, and I have no one to blame for my anger besides myself. I’ve dated and slept with other men since we’ve been apart, and my fear of commitment with someone else doesn’t mean he had to do the same.
“I appreciate the honesty,” he answers, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.
Silence passes, and the only noise cutting through the awkwardness is the faint sound of the radio. I stare out the window but steal glances at him every few seconds, hoping he doesn’t notice my taking in the way he bites into his lower lip when he’s holding himself back from saying something he shouldn’t.
He’s done that for years. I’ve read him and picked up on his quirks, and I consider myself a specialist in body language. At this moment, I’m sure his lack of sharing whatever he’s thinking is for the best.
I’m wondering how to move this conversation to my love of Justin Timberlake when he interrupts my thoughts by clearing his throat.
“By the way, you won’t be thanking me for the ride when we make it back to town.”
“Why’s that? You planning on killing me and throwing my body in the woods?”
“Nancy invited me to dinner tonight,” he answers. He presses his teeth to his lips again.
“Cool. Word on the street is, she makes a killer roast.”
“You’re about to find out for yourself.”
“Such a sweet man to bring me leftovers.”
“Let me correct myself. Nancy invitedusto dinner. My mistake for the miscommunication, Dyson.”
“Did you tell Nancy there was nousto invite?” My stomach growls, like it’s fighting for its right to be pro-dinner at Nancy’s. It wants something better than SpaghettiOs. I pout out my lip. “Leftovers will be both accepted and appreciated though.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I managed to chow down a sandwich and an apple during one break. The other breaks were filled with chugging down coffee, so I wouldn’t give a patient Viagra instead of antibiotics.”
He cocks his head to the side. “That happened before?”
I shake my head. “Nope, thanks in large part to coffee.”
“Doubt that’s why. You know how to do your job. You’ve wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember.”
His mother is the reason I became a nurse. Melody worked in the same ER years ago, and I’d sit at their kitchen table for hours, listening to her tell story after story while I threw millions of questions her way. Her passing away from congestive heart failure at forty only strengthened my passion. I wanted to pursue this career path in her memory.
He grabs his phone from the console when it rings and answers the call. “Yes, I picked her up, and we’re on our way. I don’t have to reply to your ungodly number of text messages for check-ins.” He chuckles and sneaks a look my way. “I’ll be sure to divulge that you can’t wait to see your favorite person.”
Oh, hell. He wasn’t joking about dinner.
“Not happening,” I tell him when he hangs up. “Call your pain-in-my-ass partner back and tell him I won’t be in attendance.” I squish my face together in a smug smile. “I wish y’all a happy dinner though.”
He’s still chuckling, and though it’s directed at me, it feels good to hear laughter coming from someone who regularly looks like he has a stick up his ass. “I promise I did my best to stop it.”
“You’re a grown-ass man, and the last time I saw you naked, you had balls. Tell them no.”
He smirks. “Balls are still intact, FYI. I can show you, if it helps.”
“Nice to know. No need for evidence.”
“I can’t bail on Nancy,” he says, blowing out a long breath. “It’s her birthday, and she’s excited we’re coming. And Kyle obviously is, as well.” He smirks again, unable to hide it at the mention of his best friend and Blue Beech’s biggest asshole to me.
Kyle will taunt me all night. His invite isn’t genuine. It is an excuse to drag me through hell.
“The last time I talked to Kyle, he gave me a ticket for a broken taillight and said he’d hate me until he took his last breath for running you out of town. I don’t trust the fool around my food. He’ll be topping off my drink with antifreeze.”
“Chill, Dyson. He won’t poison your roast.” He shakes his head as I give him my best death stare. “How about this? You come, and I won’t make you pay rent this month.”
