“You two are ridiculous.”
“Hey, if you don’t like it, then I guess you need to stop hiding your relationship.”
“Oof.” Olivia lets out a breath. “There’s no recovering from that.”
I glare at her, and she instantly holds her palms up before shifting into Warrior II. “Hey, I’m not the one who dished it out. I’m just acknowledging it was good.”
Two furballs bustle our way as they try to bite the back of each other’s necks. They pause for a brief moment when one of them knocks into Callie’s leg, and she immediately drops to the ground with them.
“I don’t know how I can possibly tell you two anything with the way this conversation has gone so far. It’s like herding cats.”
“I promise I’m still listening.” Callie says from her spot on the floor, legs spread out so the two puppies can roughhouse between them.
Ms. Easton leads us through a sequence of cobra pose to downward dog, and the chocolate-brown furball from earlier returns to me, nibbling on my ear. I try to shrug her off, but end up cross-legged on the floor with her in my lap after about thirty seconds.
I take the opportunity to move a little closer to Callie and Olivia, lowering my voice once again as I fill them in on my weekend. Every once in a while, my story is punctuated with an “Aww” or “Oh my god.”
“I know you two are trying to keep things a secret, but are you officiallydating now?”
I wince. “I don’t know. I’m kind of torn between really liking… Voldemort”—I glance to the girls for their approval before continuing—“versus being absolutely terrified to trust someone with my heart again. And in a way, it being him makes it that much harder because he’s never done a real relationship before. What makes me special?”
“I felt the same way with Rhett when he finally opened up to me,” Olivia says. “He hadn’t shown so much as an inkling of interest in a woman since he came to Roots, and that was years before I stepped foot in this town. I didn’t get what made me special. But ultimately, I pushed away my fears and decided to trust him, and now I’m dating my best friend. Rhett has never given me a reason to doubt him.” Olivia shifts back into cobra pose. “Sometimes you just have to take a chance and trust that someone’s past doesn’t dictate their future.”
Callie nods emphatically. “She’s right. When my parents left Roots, I kept my guard up for a little while. I was afraid to let anyone love me because it seemed like everyone who did just leaves, but that will lead you to a pretty lonely place. If you shut everyone out because of a few bad apples, you’ll have no one.” She scoops up the puppy at her feet. “Has Voldemort given you any reason not to trust him since you two expressed your feelings for one another?”
I shake my head.
“Then you have to give him a chance. They call it falling in love for a reason. It means you give up control. When I stopped guarding my heart, I found wonderful people like Ms. Easton, Rhett, and you two. You have to open your heart fully, or you won’t stand a chance. You’ll end up with the exact thing you’re trying to avoid.”
“Thank you.” I continue stroking the puppy in my lap,who has now fallen asleep. I’m thankful for her calming presence.
Callie watches me with a smile while Olivia leans over to pet the top of her head. “I hope you know you’re taking this sweet girl home soon.”
“I don’t think so.”
Olivia presses her lips together. “Whatever you say.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jax
My phone ringsas I haul groceries for my date with Lauren into the house. I had to buy the wine separately, on the other end of town, because I didn’t want anyone asking questions. I didn’t realize how complicated keeping up the ruse would be, and it’s only been about five days.
I fish my phone from my pocket and answer the FaceTime call. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“You look busy,” Charlie notes. “Am I calling at a bad time?”
“No, I have about an hour,” I say, setting the bag down on the counter.
“Where are you going?” He tilts the phone as if that will help him see a different angle on his screen.
“Nowhere.”
“Is that a bottle of wine?”
“Oh, yeah.” I fold the bag over so that he can’t see therest of the contents. “My mom and Aunt Carol asked me to pick one up. I’m having dinner with them.”
“I thought you said you weren’t going anywhere.” He furrows his brow. “Also, none of you drink. If you did, we would’ve gotten into way more trouble in high school.” His smile is big, but only until he remembers what’s going on. “Wait, are you going to see a girl?”
