“Why do you want to know?”
“Why can’t you just tell me?”
“Because you’re sketching me out,” she said. “Tell me why you want to know.”
“Because I want to wear something to complement her!” I shouted.
Only deafening silence greeted me.
“I mean—” I started as I scrambled to backtrack.
“Oh, no, Owen,” Amara said. “I don’t think so. You’re not getting out of explaining that.”
“I just…” I trailed off, then whispered, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Well, as long as you’re not going to fuck her over or fuck her up, I’ll tell you.”
“Never,” I promised.
I didn’t know what exactly I was agreeing to, but I knew I meant it. Amara seemed satisfied because she said, “She’s dressing up as an old Western brothel madame.”
Immediately, an idea came to mind. It wouldn’t even require me to go shopping because I already owned everything I needed.
“Thanks, Mar,” I said, intent on hanging up and going about my day, but she stopped me.
“I feel like I should warn you.”
“Warn me about what?”
“TJ.”
Unbidden, my blood pressure rose, and I gritted out, “Who is TJ?”
“This guy she’s been seeing.”
Wait, what?She’d been seeing someone and didn’t tell me? Then again…why would she? I was no one to her. Except, I thought our moment at the club had shifted something between us—hence this ridiculous phone call.
“And you’re telling me this, why?”
“Because he’ll be there. As her…date, I guess.”
“Don’t worry, Lawless,” Cal piped in. “You’re much better looking. That guy is a dweeb.”
“Ryder!” Amara protested, and I distantly heard the sound of a smack over the roaring in my ears.
“Just saying,” Cal added.
“Well, you’re not helping. TJ is…nice.”
“Nice,” I spat. “Delia doesn’t need a nice guy.”
“It’s not up to you to decide what Delia does or doesn’t need,” Amara scolded.
Inhaling deeply, I held the air in my lungs for five counts, then let it go slowly, allowing the action to ground me. “You’re right. Either way, I don’t care about…TJ.” I spat his name.
“You may not care about him, but you definitely care abouther,” Cal said with a chuckle. “The longer you deny it, the worse it’ll be on both of you.”
I hung up before either could say anything else to piss me off, though Cal’s parting words echoed in my head.
