Not to mention, I’m not interested.
“We’re better off as friends. You know that.”
The phone in his pocket vibrated, alerting him to a text, and Matt pulled it out.
Liv: Sorry, I missed you earlier. Is now a good time to call?
After they left the hospital, he’d called Liv to give her an update. Unfortunately, he’d gotten her voicemail.
Covert wasn’t the optimal place to talk, but by the time he got home, it would be too late. He’d have to find a quiet place, or at least a relatively quiet one, to talk.
Matt: I’ll call you in a few.
Standing, he looked at his brother. “I need to call Liv. Be back in a bit.”
Aiden looked over at him long enough to nod before he turned his full attention back to Ellie.
Yeah, he wasn’t getting Aiden out of here anytime soon.
He’d frequented enough nightclubs to know the quietest area would be near the restrooms.
“How’s my girl?” Matt asked after Liv answered.
“Tired. I ended up covering the last half of Brenda’s lunch shift. Her daughter went into labor, and she wanted to be there. Then Phoebe and I went to the movies. I got home ten minutes ago.”
“See anything good?” He didn’t even know what was out right now.
“A Flower for Every Day. It came out last week.”
If he’d heard about it, he didn’t remember.
“It sounds like you didn’t talk Aiden out of going to the club.”
“I tried. I made a bet with him. If he won our golf game, we’d go to Covert. If I won, we’d go indoor rock climbing. He won. He failed to tell me he’s been taking private lessons.” One of these days, Matt would get even with him for that.
“How’s your mom?”
Matt backed farther into the corner and leaned against the wall. “She’s going home tomorrow.”
“That’s great. She must be happy.”
It was a toss-up as to who was happier, his mom or dad. “I’d say that’s an understatement. Did you check your calendar to see when we can go away?”
Now wasn’t the best time for a prolonged conversation, but although they’d been apart for less than a week, it felt much longer, and he wasn’t ready to let her go.
“Right now, the first week of October looks good.”
He’d hoped for something sooner, but he’d take what he could get. “We can start planning when I get back.”
Their destination didn’t matter to him, and Matt wanted their vacation to be a place she’d enjoy.
“Sounds good. Since your mom is going home tomorrow, does that mean you’ll be back soon?”
“Not as soon as I’d like. My agent called and wants to go over a few things. Since I’m out here, I figured I’d get it over with. I’m meeting with him on Wednesday afternoon. My plan is to fly back first thing Thursday morning.”
Silence followed his response. Matt was about to ask if she was still there when Liv spoke.
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Do you know what time you’ll be back?”
