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“Fine. Then, how is it, having Landon as your boss?”
“Weird as fuck,” I admitted. “I mean, I know he’s a Wright, but we’re the same age. I’ve been doing this for six years, and he just dropped into the job.”
“Well, what do you expect when Jensen pulled strings for him?”
I shrugged. I hadn’t expected any different. “He’s doing fine, but it’s just…weird.”
“Weird because you’re into him or because of the whole situation?”
“Stop!” I groaned, flopping backward and staring up at the ceiling. “It’s because it’s Landon. You should get that.”
“I get it,” she agreed. “But, when you’re ready to tell me that you like him, I’ll be here to listen.” She stood and towered over me, which was a first, considering I was the giant and she was a shrimp.
“Whatever. I have a date tonight.”
“Oh, right,” Emery said, rolling her eyes. “Sounds fascinating. The wonderful, drool-worthy Nick.”
“You’re a shitty best friend.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve known you since kindergarten. I know when you’re playing along, and I know when you’re invested. You’re dating this Nick guy because Julia wants to have someone to hang out with her and Trevor.”
“But he is nice.” I sat up on my elbows.
“Nice? Gross,” she said, sticking her tongue out. “Whoever wanted nice? Try passion and fire and need. You can’t settle for someone who is nice. You want someone you can’t live without.”
“Thank you, Queen of Bad Relationships.”
Emery swatted at me. “Hey! I might have had some bad relationships in the past, but I give good advice.”
“So, you think I should cancel with Nick?”
“No!” she cried. “I think you should definitely go on a date with Nick. Then, you’ll realize what you don’t want. Because I already know it’s not him. You seem oblivious to it.”
I wasn’t oblivious to it. But he was a nice guy. I liked him just fine. There was absolutely nothing wrong with where our relationship was headed. But, as Emery had eloquently said, I could live without him. Very easily.
But that was also a problem with me as a person. I was resilient. After what had happened with my mom and then the shit that went down with my dad, I had to be. I didn’t need people. I could do everything on my own.
Emery was my real family. I loved her to pieces. She was the only person I’d ever come to say that I really needed. Because, without her, I didn’t know if I would have made it through those hard years.
But guys?
They could get in line. I was strong, and I could do without them. And that made me perfectly intimidating. A strong man should hold up a strong woman, not run from her.
I’d thought for a while that Landon Wright might be the kind of guy who did that. The kind of guy I couldn’t live without.
But I was wrong. I was carrying on without him.
Or maybe…I’d been wrong all along.
Maybe this was called survival…not living.
Chapter Twelve
Landon
A date.
Heidi had a fucking date.
