Chapter Eleven
I had no idea why I’d accepted Roe’s invitation to come home with them. I had contracts to go through and phone calls to make. Appointments. The smart thing to do would’ve been to see them home, then go to bed.
I wasn’t that smart.
We reached their apartment complex, and Roe and I helped his mother out of the car. At this hour, not a soul walked around the complex, and the courtyard was deserted. The elevator door slid open, squealing in the quiet. Back at their apartment, Roe opened the door, and we steered her inside. He took her purse and placed it on the table, and she kicked off her shoes.
“Bye, Deborah.” I kissed his mother’s cheek. “Try and get some rest.”
“I’m so tired, I hope I can.”
I waited for Roe in the living room while he walked his mother to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. It was the two of us, alone once again.
“Want to come over for a drink, or do you have to go?”
“I know you could use one, and I’m not that person who’d let his friend drink alone.”
A tired smile tipped Roe’s lips upward. “You’re a hell of a guy.”
“Glad you see it now.”
Shaking his head, Roe opened the door, and we left his mother’s place.
Warmth flooded through me, and my heart kicked up.You’ve been given another chance. Don’t fuck it up.
He unlocked his door and tossed his keys into a glass bowl on the nearby table.
“Have a seat. Do you want a beer or something stronger?”
Following his lead, I also pretended nonchalance. “What’re you having?” It seemed incredible that after the terrible things we’d said to each other the last time we were in this room, we’d be here once again. The words remained between us, but all I wanted to do was hold him.
He met my gaze, unblinking. “I don’t think a bottle of Scotch would be able to put a dent in how I’m feeling right now, but I’m willing to give it a try. I’ve already canceled my class for later this morning since I’ll be going to the hospital.”
Well, then.
Uncertain if I was picking up mixed signals, I decided to go with the strange vibe flowing between us. “I’ll join you in that endeavor.” With a tired grunt, I sat on the comfortable sofa. Roe had decorated the apartment in soothing neutral colors, and I had the urge to kick off my shoes and stretch out but refrained.
He picked up a bottle and poured two healthy splashes into tumblers. “Ice, water, or straight?”
“The way I drink my Scotch is the only straight thing about me.”
Lips twitching, Roe handed me the glass and sat next to me. The liquor went down easily, creating a slow burn in my belly and releasing the knot of tension in my chest I was unaware of until that moment.
We sat in semidarkness, sipping our drinks. I drifted along in the silence, sleepy, wondering if I’d made a mistake being here with him.
Our glasses were half-empty before Roe spoke. “Thank you for everything tonight. It was nice having you there.” He made a face into his glass. “Niceseems like a silly, inadequate word. I’m not usually so inept at expressing emotion, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.” He blew out a breath. “It was important to me, and I appreciate it.”
I sneaked a glance at his profile. “I didn’t do anything a friend wouldn’t do.”
“Is that what we are now? Friends? Even after what happened?”
I set my glass down. One chance. I had this single moment in time to throw the broken pieces of our past up in the air and hope they’d realign.
“I’d like to be. I’m sorry for the way I spoke earlier. I don’t know what the truth is, but I shouldn’t have blown up at you like I did.” Nervous, I rubbed my hands against my thighs. “Especially now, I don’t want any animosity between us. I know how worried you are about Nettie, and I am as well.”
His glass joined mine on the table. “I shouldn’t have expected you to accept what I told you unequivocally. It wasn’t reasonable.”
The conversation I needed to have with my parents was something I preferred not to think about. “Your mother and grandmother told me the same thing you did. So I promise you, I will get to the bottom of what happened.”
