Relief cut through my confusion, though it did nothing to alleviate it. “Why didn’t you tell me Connor was back?” I asked Frank, trying not to let irritation pervade my tone.
He shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Gabi said we shouldn’t tell anyone.”
My gaze swung in her direction, silently demanding an explanation.
After a brief hesitation, she gave in. “He came home to spend time with his parents and get a break from people gawking at him. If word spreadsClayis back in town, everyone he ever met will descend on his doorstep claiming they were the best of friends.”
“Iwashis friend.” Up until the moment I kissed him, and almost ruined his friendship with Gabi. I’d called him once afterward, to apologise for the way I’d acted. He’d told me, in no uncertain terms, to fuck off. That had been the end of us. “At least, I thought we were friends, for a time.”
The mischief fled from Gabi’s eyes and her smile faltered. “I’m telling you now.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Two months after the fact?”
“Maybe I wanted to tell you in person, so I could enjoy your reaction, which was stellar by the way.” Her meaningful glance at the spreading wet spot on the table clearly alluded to the matching one on my pants that I’d managed to hide under the table.
I shook my head, grinning at her. “You are a cruel woman, Gabrielle Hannigan.”
“Only when it comes to you,” she replied with a throaty chuckle.
My jaw clenched as I stared at her, enthralled by the facets she could still surprise me with. The air between us thickened and she shifted in her chair, as if the connection made her uncomfortable but she couldn’t break away.
“Connor came home to see his parents, you say?” I asked. “Not anyone else. Like you, perhaps?”
She shrugged a single shoulder while sipping her wine. “Maybe, maybe not.”
“Gabi!” Caroline’s excited whisper broke the tension between us. “Did you and Connor Clayton used to have a thing?”
“No,” she said, a little too quickly. “We were only ever friends.” She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye before adding, “But who knows what the future will bring?”
Holy hell, she really was trying to kill me.
“Hang on a second,” Frank said. “I know the whole thing with Sean was an act, but I didn’t think it was that much of an act. Isn’t Connor into guys?”
“Not exclusively.” Gabi and I said the words in tandem, before she blinked at me in surprise. She’d continued to be friends with Connor, so it made sense she would know he’d dated both men and women over the years. I had no such excuse, unless I’d followed Connor’s life from afar. Which I had. A knowing smile curved Gabi’s mouth and I sighed, raking one hand through my hair. God damn I was obvious.
“So, he’s bisexual?” Caroline asked.
“Yes.” We answered together—again.
Caroline turned curious eyes on me. “And you’re bisexual.” Leaning closer, she cupped one hand around her mouth as she stage whispered, “Didyouand Connor have a thing?”
My gaze shifted to Gabi, who suddenly seemed fascinated with pushing food around on her plate, before I returned my attention to Caroline.
The relationship Connor and I had shared had been unexpected and confusing, but also intensely personal. We’d given each other access to feelings we hadn’t known were a part of us until they’d taken hold. We would forever be connected by the experience, even if it had ended badly.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. Denying the connection between Connor and myself felt wrong. But admitting it would have been wrong for Gabi, and I’d hurt her enough. “Connor and I never talked about that sort of stuff.” In fact, we’d never spoken a word to each other about the longings inside us, until the night it all fell apart. Then, we didn’t speak at all.
Caroline let out a disappointed sigh, even as Frank cut in with an exaggerated eye roll. “As if,” he scoffed. “It wasn’t Connor I caught Lawrence snogging in the kitchen pantry as if his life depended on it.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Frank,” Gabi cried in exasperation. “That happened one time—one!” She’d heard those words from Frank a million times. So had I. We’d scarred him for life, apparently, and he had no intention of letting either of us live it down.
“All I’m saying is, there were better ways to find out my best friend and my little sister were playing tonsil hockey with each other.”
“This beef is delicious.” Caroline held up her fork, effectively calling a halt to the conversation. Maybe she’d heard the story a million times, too. “Frank, you have to try this.”
The conversation veered back in the direction of the meals. I forced myself to pay attention to the food on my plate and the lunch continued for another arduous hour in which Connor’s name didn’t come up again.
* * *
