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I take it upon myself to do it, racking my brain for a good conversation turner. “So, uh … I get puked on all the time at work.”
Probably isn’t the best dinner conversation either.
“That’s gross,” Sierra says, her face scrunching together.
She made it a point to tell Gage she wasall grown upwhen she sat next to him at dinner. There’s no doubt she’sall grown up. She’d been in her early teens when Gage left and always crushed on him. Gage called it cute, but the way she’s looking at him now is anything butcute. She recently turned twenty-one, and there’s nothing not grown-up about her. To be honest, she’s gorgeous.
And she’s staring at him as if he’s more appetizing than dinner.
Not that I can blame her.
I see a hint of a thank-you in Gage’s eyes when he looks over at me, and Sierra and Rex start questioning me about hospital horror stories. I give them short ones that involve vomit and dealing with objects in places where no sane person would stick in certain areas. My job talk puts everyone at ease, and we enjoy Nancy’s roast.
* * *
“Sooo …”Sierra draws out. “Are you and Gage back together?”
Jesus. Can we be in the same room without that question popping up?
She followed me into the kitchen after dinner while the others went outside. I can’t stop myself from looking down at the sloppy outfit that I threw on after work, considering I’d planned on showering and throwing my ass into bed, and then look at hers. I’ve never been jealous of the chick, but she’s dressed to impress tonight.
I shake my head. “We’re trying the whole friendship thing.”
She grins. “Perfect.”
“What do you mean,perfect?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “Perfect as in he’s single and you have no interest, which means it’s okay for me to ask him out.”
Am I okay with this?
I have to be. Might as well get used to seeing Gage with someone else now before we start enjoying each other’s company and get hooked again.
“You can do whatever you want,” I say, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. “He can do whatever he wants.”
She nods and walks out of the room, as if I’ve given her permission.
I’ve never wanted to tackle someone so hard in my life.
Eighteen
Gage
Surprisingly,I managed to keep my cool at dinner.
No breakdown happened when Rex asked me about the bad shit I had seen in Chicago.
As much as I enjoyed seeing Nancy, anxiety crawled through me with the need to leave so that I could clear my head. It’s the same reason I’ve been avoiding people. Questions don’t surprise me, and their curiosity can’t be blamed. I was gone for years without a word. I’m a stranger to them now. A stranger they want to pick apart for entertainment.
On top of that, too much shit happened today.
Lauren knows about Missy, people wanted too many details about my life away from here, and Lauren’s stepping in with the vomit talk helped buy me time to regain some of my composure. Her saving my ass doesn’t do anything but drag out all the feelings for her I’ve tried to keep stored away. They’re coming back harder and faster, hitting me while I’m weak.
The short ride back from Nancy’s is filled with small talk about how delicious Nancy’s meal was, and Lauren jumps out of the truck as soon as I park in the driveway. Her door slams, and she doesn’t look back at me while going up the stairs to the loft, her bag thrown over her shoulder.
I step out and watch her when she makes it to the top stair.
“You’re coming up,” is all she says.
