“You look different,” Lacey says when I sit in the chair across from her.
“He had sex,” Gary says. “Why do you think I whooped when he came in?”
“I did not have sex.” I feel bad lying about Jude, but I don’t want them thinking I’ve moved on from Patrick too quickly or something.
Gary snorts. “I can tell. Don’t lie to us.”
I glance away, studying the menu even though I already know everything on it.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it,” Juan says.
“Yeah, unlike you, who takes out a billboard every time a woman touches you,” Lacey teases.
Gary rolls his eyes and elbows my side. “Come on. You can tell us.”
“His name is Jude.” The words are out of me before I can tell myself this is a bad idea. What if they think two years isn’t long enough to be alone? They all knew and loved Patrick.
“Is that all you’re planning on giving us?” Lacey asks. “What’s he like?”
The genuine happiness in her voice makes me smile. “He drives a motorcycle.”
She holds up a hand. “Say no more.”
“No, say more,” Gary says. “Do it for those of us who haven’t had a date in weeks. We need to live vicariously through you.”
Juan shoots him a disapproving look.
Gary ignores him. “Where’d you meet Jude?”
“At the bar. He’s actually Rowan’s younger brother.” When I first realized who Jude was, it surprised me. Rowan frequently talked about him as if he were someone young and in need of protection. But Jude is so strong. It’s hard for me to see him as anything other than what he is today.
“Oh, that’s a really good idea,” Lacey starts but stops when the waiter comes by for our order. Once the waiter’s gone, she looks back at me. “I don’t know Rowan as well as you do, but he seemed rather…protective of Jude. You really think he’d be okay with you two sleeping together?”
“He doesn’t care. Well, he wouldn’t care if he knew. He and Jude barely speak to each other.”
Lacey exchanges a look with the other two, and it grates my nerves.
“If you have something to say, then you should say it.”
“We think—”
“You,” Gary interrupts. “You think. Juan and I are staying out of it.”
Lacey’s lips press together before she continues. “I think you should be careful, that’s all. We know how hard you love people. And we just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t really what I was expecting. “You’re not upset that I’m seeing someone else?”
“What?” Juan asks, leaning forward slightly. “Why would we be upset?”
I shrug because I’m not sure I can put it into words. I know they’re my friends and they love me, but I only met them because of Patrick. I don’t want them to see my dating Jude as a betrayal to the guy they loved so much.
“We’re not upset,” Lacey says when I don’t answer.
“Yeah, we were actually talking last week on shift about how it was time for you to get laid again,” Gary adds.
Someone kicks him under the table, and he grunts before saying, “Well, we were. But it was a classy discussion.”
My face warms at the idea that they were discussing my sex life. They all knew how in love with Patrick I was. We were all destroyed when he died, but it was different for me. I really never thought I’d meet someone after that. The weight of his death was so crushing. It took weeks before I was even turned on at the idea of being with a guy again.
