“A little. My family’s some kind of famous—or infamous, maybe?—because of the fire, and truly, Griff’s our current most famous resident. He’s the first baseball player from here to hit the big leagues.”
“And your roommate?”
“She can relate a lot.”
“I recall you saying something about her coming from a family that runs—some kind of large business. Appliances? Why am I picturing her leaping out of a fridge?”
I’m smiling as I hand him a glass of tea. “Probably for a good reason. But her family runs hotels. One of the largest chains.”
“And she was disinherited?”
“Yep.” Our fingers brush, and I tell my entire central nervous system toknock it the fuck off.
He’s a guy.
Just a guy.
And not one who’ll be around for long.
He keeps leaning against the sink as he sips his tea.
And smiles.
Of freaking course he does.
“This is delightful.”
He’s like a giant puppy.This makes me happy! That makes me happy! Oh, look, a new toy! A new friend! The sun came up! Everything is wonderful!
No,delightful.
I like that he uses words likedelightful.
“Are you honestly always this happy?” I’ve asked him before, but I still don’t believe it.
And unlike every other time I’ve asked, this time, he cringes a little behind the smile.
It’s so odd.
He’s happily cringing.
“Usually it’s easy, but—you were correct when you said that I have gaps in my memory of our evening together last night, and I’m afraid I may have been less than happy then.”
And here we go.
I nod. “You want to know what you said.”
“I suspect I said a few things that I rarely confess aloud, and I—well, possibly some things that aren’t true as well.”
“Like that your parents used you somehow while they cheated on each other?”
Yep.
We’re going for that elephant in the room too.
And he isnotsmiling anymore. “I said that? Exactly that?”
“You did. And that you didn’t like me because I pretty much did the same thing to you with Jake last night. Putting you between us.”
