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“Boy, don’t sit there telling me fibs. I think after all these years I can tell when something is bothering you.”
I throw my hands up in defeat then nervously rub them up and down my jean clad thighs. “Okay. Well…after you told Lori about my parents, I decided to take her to the Red Rose.”
Gram’s eyes widen, the rocking of her chair momentarily pausing. “Wow, that’s a big deal. She’s the first girl you’ve ever taken there, isn’t she?”
I nod. “Yeah, she is.”
“I think that’s wonderful. What’s the problem?”
“Lori isn’t the person I should be sharing those things with. She shouldn’t be the person I want to share them with, but she is.”
“Who says she shouldn’t be?”
“Gram, I know you know Lori and I aren’t dating. I’m dating her best friend, Cat. That’s who I should be sharing this stuff with.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. You do have a choice in the matter.”
She has no clue how wrong she is. Lori never gave me the choice, and I’m pretty sure I have less of one now. But even if I had one, I’m still not sure I even know what it would be. My connection with Lori is undeniable, but my relationship with Cat is good—easy.
“It’s not that simple. And I think I might have freaked Lori out. Maybe telling her everything was too much.”
“Oh, nonsense. That girl cares about you, I could see it in her eyes. The way she looked at you with a softness in her stare was very telling.” Hope blooms in my chest from her words, but it’s rooted with guilt. “If you want to know how she’s feeling, you should talk to her about it, not me.”
* * *
An hour later, I’m back home, playing catch with Elvis in the backyard, my thoughts still occupied with Lori. I decide to take my grandmother’s advice and pull my phone from my back pocket, dialing Lori’s number.
By the time the third ring ends and I’m about to give up, Lori answers. “Hello.”
I’m momentarily distracted by her panting, my blood heating as I shake my head to clear out the inappropriate thoughts floating through it.
“You sound a little out of breath,” I say, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
She scoffs. “No, I left my phone in the bedroom to charge. When I heard it ringing, I ran in here to answer it, thinking it was Julianna calling me back.”
“Julianna? Is everything okay?”
“Oh yeah, she’s fine. She just found out that prick ex-husband of hers didn’t sign the divorce papers, so she asked me to go up there with her to confront him.”
“What? Eric told me the divorce was done.”
“Shit. I probably shouldn’t have told you all of that. She doesn’t want Eric to know because she doesn’t want him to worry. Promise me you won’t tell him. Julianna will kill me, and she’s finally starting to trust me.”
Sighing, I rub the back of my neck and shake my head. Eric called me the other day with some ex-drama of his own and asked me to keep a secret. Now, it would seem I’m keeping a secret for both of them. I think they would both be better off if they were honest with each other.
“I won’t tell him.”
“Thank you.”
The line goes quiet, but it doesn’t feel like an awkward silence.
“Wait a minute, the two of you aren’t planning to go up there to deal with that asshole alone, are you?”
She huffs. “Don’t even go there.”
She’s trying to sound annoyed, but I can hear the humor in her tone.
“So, that’s a yes. I’m not sure that’s the best idea. From what Eric’s told me about the guy, he’s bad news. If you want, I can go with you.”
