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“I’m not sureIunderstand our fascination with serial killers.” I take my ball cap off and set it down beside me and crack open the menu out of habit.
After the server takes our order, Savy stuffs her back to the corner and crosses her arms, raising a snarky eyebrow. “I heard Scarlett went on a date.”
“Yep.” I pretend to be engrossed in a deep groove etched onto the black-speckled tabletop.
“And? Did it go well?” Her voice is hesitant.
I hoist a shoulder. “She said it did.”
“But you’re not happy about it?” She touches my shoulder and I bring my gaze to her knowing one.
I swallow and lean back against the vinyl seat, pretending to watch as a few more cars pull into the diner’s gravel lot. “I have to be, don’t I? She deserves someone to take care of her. Not sure it’s Kellen, but what can I do?”
“Tell her how you really feel for once?” Savy huffs, quirking her expressive eyebrow.
I stare at my friend for what feels like hours. She stares right back, her candidly observant hazel eyes never wavering.
“It’s complicated,” I muse. Telling her about the kiss isn’t going to happen. She’d take that nugget of information and detail every facet of our wedding and each anniversary after.
“Is that on your Facebook profile?” she teases, twirling her finger in my face.
“Sure, right under my profile picture of your cow.” I argue right as our food arrives, my stomach growling in anticipation as the scent of melted cheese and toasted bread rolls past my nose.
“Hey, don’t bring Milkdud into this. She’s an innocent bystander in your complicated love life.” Laughter bursts from her chest as she reaches for the ketchup.
“Does everyone know I have a thing for my son’s mother? I wasn’t advertising it.”
“No, not everyone. You’re just terrible at hiding it when you’re around her. Your eyes light up and your entire body orients toward her.” She points a finger, greasy with oil, at me.
I slump back into the booth, tossing back a fry, the acid from the ketchup catching in my throat. “Well, I need it to stop because I can’t tell her how I feel. And before you ask why not, you should understand now that you have kids. Could you risk it if it involved Alistair? Or the twins?”
It was her turn to gaze out the window, biting her bottom lip. Swinging her furrowed brows back to me, she says, “Honestly, I don’t know. I believe life is loaded with risks and some are worth it more than others. But you’re right, kids complicate it.”
“So, I rest my case. I’ll leave it alone. Let her find her happy ending.” The cruel tang of misery tacks to my tongue.
“Christ on a cracker. I wasn’t finished, Greyson Andrew Lee.” She tosses a balled-up napkin in my face, her shoulders bent in laughter. “You ever wonder why Turtle’s always had a string of bad dates?”
“Because men suck?” My shoulders touch my ears, my question serious and not serious at the same time.
“Because she’s searching for someone like you. You two wouldn’t be as close as you are if there wasn’t some connection on a deeper level. I’m willing to bet if she really listened to herself, she’d figure it out, too. And that would be worth the risk because the friendship you two have is one of the strongest I’ve seen.”
Savy angles her head, chewing before continuing. “You know her better than anyone, better than Preston ever did. Beautiful relationships happen when the couple are friends first. It’s the rawest connection one can have. Theo’s a good kid. He can handle it, so don’t let that stop you.”
The sharp prick of caustic reality burns in my chest. I love my friend, more like a sister than anything else, but she lives in an idealistic world. As much as I want to take this next step with Scarlett, I’d have to be one hundred percent sure she had the same feelings. From her interactions with Kellen, and obvious dismissal of an accidental kiss, it would seem I’m still just her best friend. So, I have to be content with what we have, even if it shreds me into tiny ribbons on the inside.
“I’d rather be her friend than not have her at all, Sav. I can handle the disappointment, just might take me some time.”
She huffs out an annoyed breath. “I swear. The Lee brothers are the most stubborn men out there.”
“Being stubborn has helped me out a lot.”
“Oh yeah, how so?” She crosses her arms, and her eyebrows ride the skyline.
“When I think of the many reasons, I’ll let you know.” I bark out a laugh when she shakes her head at me and flips me off.
Taking a sip of my tea, my face breaks out into a bigger smile when Lynn pops her fiery red head out of the back kitchen and waves to Savy and I. I point to the food and give her a thumbs up which she returns before dashing back through the door.
Maybe all I need is right here. My friends. SoS. Theo. And Scarlett, because no matter what happens or who she may pair off with, she’ll always be a part of my life.
