At a glance, it looks easy enough.
“You and Trevor...” Alex says under his breath, watching Trevor and Teyonna advance in our direction.
“Are adorable,” I finish for him.
“I’d love to know how that came to be.”
“Well, I’ve always been adorable. Trevor grew into it quite recently.” He lowers his head, gazing at me dead-on in that probingYou will tell me all of your dark secretsway that he has, and I remind myself I have no reason to be flustered. I can lie to this man easy peasy. “We work together. Over time, we fell for each other.”
“He’s your boss. Seems unethical.”
“Colleague. Not boss.”
“Wouldn’t have pegged him as your type.” As in,How could you possibly want anyone who isn’t me?The arrogance is astounding.
“I’ve changed a lot since we knew each other,” I reply, allowing acid to coat my words. “And I don’t have a type. I like all sorts of men, not just ones who wear leather bracelets.” A quick glance at his bare arms informs me that he isn’t that type anymore. Italso informs me that he isn’t married. No tan line where a wedding ring might ordinarily be, either.
His expression is indecipherable. I used to be able to guess his thoughts easily, but he’s gotten good at screening them.
“How’s it going, elder bro?” Trevor asks Alex, seeking my hand. He grabs it like it’s an apple he’s picked out of a supermarket bin. “How’s business?”
“Fine.”
“Fall into any bushes lately?”
Alex scowls. “I’ve never fallen into bushes. I’ve never fallen, period.”
“I don’t believe that.”
I feel my face scrunch. “Why would he fall into bushes?”
“Isn’t that a common hazard of the job?”
I bark a laugh. “Of being a neurologist?”
Alex is watching me with a strange expression, like he almost wants to smile. As if he thinks he might have misheard me, and what he imagined I said is hilarious. “I can’t believe you still remember.”
My mouth opens.
“I’m a roofer,” he clarifies. “Not a neurologist. Didn’t make it a full year through med school.”
I have nothing to say. He nods as though my stunned silence confirms a hunch.
“Isn’t that wild?” Trevor exclaims. “Dude could’ve been rolling in money. How much do you make a year? Forty-five thousand?”
“Be nice.” Teyonna elbows him. He elbows her back, that goofy smile returning to his face.
Alex rolls his eyes. “How much doyoumake? Curious to know what it pulls, pretending to be witches.”
I try not to smirk. Ooooohh, thatbothershim.
“Oh, I’m not a witch,” Trevor replies. “I just support the witches. Let them do their witchy thing, while I run all the marketing. Which I am amazing at, thank you.”
I lean against him. “Soamazing. And supportive. Hands down, the most reliable, dependable man I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Isn’t that nice,” Alex says flatly.
“What she does is legit,” Trevor tells him. “You staple shingles. How’s that more valuable than bringing true loves together?”
