I stare into my empty wine glass. “I feel awful for Warner.”
Jo smiles halfway and tips her head side to side. “You can if you want to, but Warner probably doesn’t want your pity. He did what Haydens do. He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and moved on. Since then, he’s been everything for everybody. He doesn’t miss a soccer match, a school play, or a bake sale. He’s Wes’s second-in-command, and that’s not an easy job. It’s demanding, plus Wes can be an asshole.” She jokingly looks around the place. “Just don’t tell Dakota I said that.”
“He’s been nice to me every time I’ve been around him.”
“Reformed asshole.” Jo makes air quotes. “That’s what Dakota calls him.”
I laugh, but the sound is hollow. Much like everything else inside me. “Warner and I want different things. That’s why I left. My heart couldn’t take being with him and knowing I can never really have him the way I want him.”
Jo touches my hand. “Those Hayden boys can make a girl go crazy.”
“Personal experience?”
Something flashes in her eyes, and then she says, “I watched Dakota with Wes.”
I get the feeling that’s not all she’s referring to, but I drop it. “Are you dating anybody?”
“Actually, I am. He works at the bank. It’s only been a handful of dates, nothing major.” She waves her hands, downplaying the relationship.
I smile encouragingly. “I hope it works out in whatever way you want it to.”
She laughs softly. “I don’t sound excited, do I?”
My lips purse and my head shakes. Jo looks down the bar. Her attention snaps back to me and she eyes my empty wine glass. “Do you want another?”
I decline and glance at Calvin. Normally he prefers to command conversation, but he’s busy on his phone. “We have an early meeting with the director.” I elbow Calvin to make him look up.
He gives me a blank stare and I roll my eyes. He’d been fully immersed in the game. “Anyway,” I give Jo a look and she laughs. “We’d better get going.”
“No check. I owed you a drink.”
I thread my arm through my purse strap and stand up. “Thank you for the drink and the conversation.”
The ticket machine at the end of the bar starts printing an order. Jo smiles and waves at us and goes to read the ticket. I leave a generous tip, then walk out in front of Calvin. His nose stays stuck in his phone the entire drive back to the house, the light illuminating his features. He looks focused.
I tap the side of his phone when we pull up. “You’d think there are naked girls on the screen, not playing cards.”
“Poker is a skill, Tenley, and I like to win.”
“Okay, Calvin,” I say sarcastically and go inside. I’ve never known him to be much of a gambler, but then again, I didn’t realize it about my father either.
I’m in the kitchen pouring a glass of water when he walks in, sans phone.
“Oh look, I got my roommate back.”
He shoots me a dirty look. “Very cute.”
I touch his shoulder on my way out of the room. “Thanks for staying with me.”
Guilt flickers in his eyes. “Sorry I turned into a dud tonight.”
I shrug on my way out of the room. “I had Jo.” Just before I turn the corner, I glance back. Calvin has his knuckles pressed to his mouth and he’s looking down at the floor.
32
Warner
I can’t think,I can’t sit still, I can’t concentrate on a damn thing.
