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“I figured as much,” he said with a half smile. “That’s why I’m here. I didn’t think he’d stay away from you for long.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need a damned babysitter. I’m perfectly fine on my own. I managed to function for thirty years by myself without anyone hovering over me.”
“Oh, well, okay then. I don’t know why I’ve been so worried these last months. You’re skin and bones and I could sleep in the bags under your eyes.”
“I’m kind of getting tired of people telling me that.”
“I’m just saying it wouldn’t hurt for you to get a good night’s sleep or eat a cheeseburger for God’s sake. And stop fighting Jack. You know you’ll feel better with him close by for a little while. The boy’s got it bad.” Vaughn arched an eyebrow and my mouth dropped open.
“You’ve lost your mind,” I said, nervous all of a sudden. I’d been doing pretty well putting off the feelings that had begun to stir between us before my accident. I was a champion at ignoring things I didn’t want to see or feel. I had plenty of practice from a lifetime of self-preservation growing up in the Graves household.
“Give the guy a break. It’s painful for the rest of us to watch. He was a bear to be around the whole time you were gone. You wouldn’t even recognize your house.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t been home yet?”
“Nothing good ever happened in that house that I can remember. And I don’t see any reason to keep it unless I want to use the little cove by the water to smuggle in stolen goods and drugs like my parents did. Though I’m pretty sure the FBI is still monitoring the area, so it probably wouldn’t be smart on my part to start the family business back up again.”
“You should at least see it before you decide what to do with it. He needed something to keep himself busy while you were gone, and it’s been a slow winter. You got a new roof and all the rotted wood was replaced. He hired a crew to repaint the outside and clear away some of the dead brush. Your central heat and air should be in good shape, and he had the floors refinished and the walls painted on the inside.”
To cover the blood stains. We both knew the reason why that project was necessary.
“He’s been working on your kitchen lately. And he’s pretty damned territorial over the thing if you ask me. Something about pressed tin ceilings and industrial grade appliances.”
I felt my temper start to rise at the news. I’d all but had the thing sold and out of my hair. I’d been okay with never setting eyes on it again—not even to get my belongings from the inside.
“If the house is so great why didn’t Jack mention it when I told him I was going to sell it earlier?” I steamed.
“I don’t know,” Vaughn shrugged. “Maybe it has something to do with being stupid in love with you.”
“That’s ridiculous. Especially since Jack has loved a majority of the women in the state of Virginia.”
“Are you really that blind? Never mind—” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I can see that you are when it comes to him. Let me impart some wisdom on you, my friend. When a man is friends, especially best friends, with a woman, it’s because he has an ulterior motive. I don’t care what they say.”
“Jack isn’t my only guy friend. How do you explain that?”
Vaughn propped his elbows on the table and held up one finger. “Easy. Take the four of us and analyze, young Jedi. Dickie is in love with himself, and he’s a snob, so he isn’t going to be thinking of the male/female dynamic when choosing his friends. Not to mention, he’s kind of a pain in the ass at times so he’s lucky we all put up with him.” He held up a second finger. “My reason is obvious. If you were a dude, those two dates we had in high school wouldn’t have been quite so awkward.”
“Maybe for you,” I said.
“Yes, well.” He held up a third finger. “Eddie was the wild card. He’s the quiet one, but he’s a nurturer by nature. He might have held a torch for you when we were younger, but he’s a smart guy and knew you and Jack had something special, so he went and found a perfectly nice wife who he’d never stray from.”
“This is ridiculous.” I felt the heat in my cheeks and was sure my face was red with embarrassment.
“Now let’s take Jack,” he said. “Jack’s got something special. We’ve all seen it. And I’ve wished more than once he was my type instead of yours, but that would just make things awkward because he’s definitely batting for your team. He hasn’t been nearly asoutgoingas he’d like you to believe. I’m not saying the man’s been a monk all these years, but his reputation has been overblown a little. He was just waiting for you to come around and notice the spark. Me and Dickey and Eddie have had a bet going for years. Do me a favor and hold out a couple of months longer. I could use the extra money. Though maybe I should tell Dickie to fork over the cash now before he has to give it to Candy in the divorce.” Vaughn shrugged and looked at me apologetically. “Dickie’s the cynical one. He thinks you’ll turn Jack down because you’re a scaredy cat. His words, not mine.”
“Wh—what?” I asked, completely dazed. I felt like a truck had just run me over and left me flattened in the middle of the street. “Maybe I really am dead,” I said. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Good grief, Jaye. You know the man loves you. It’s no secret anymore. Not since before you left. We could all see the change between you.”
“Of course I know he loves me. All of you love me. What’s not to love? And I love you guys back, even though you’re a pain in the ass.”
I had the sudden urge to be doing anything else but having this particular conversation. I jerked open the refrigerator and stared into the empty space. There wasn’t even a bottle of ketchup inside. I slammed it closed and stood with my back to Vaughn.
“J.J.,” he said with a sigh. “You’re running scared. Let me tell you from experience that love should never be ignored or neglected. It’s too rare and precious.” His voice choked up and I lay my head against the refrigerator door at the emotion in his voice. It was hard to listen to.
“You know what I came from,” I said. “How the hell do I know what love really is? And why would I subject anyone to what happens after? Why am I alive, Vaughn? Everyone in my family is dead. Do you realize that in the past six generations of my family, not one of my relatives has lived past the age of fifty? That honor belonged to my parents. Everyone before them died much younger. Not to mention I have a gene pool that would make Satan run away screaming.”
