“I’ll be at the restaurant for most of the day,” I say, buttoning the last of my shirt. “If you’re bored, you can always come by.”
Clark laughs. “That’s not where I usually go if I’m bored. I’ll just go see Jessa.”
Jealousy burns through me. I rarely care that Clark isn’t my bachelor buddy anymore, but I’ve been wanting what he has more and more in the last week.
A picture of Laney pops into my head. It’s not because of her, but then again, it’s notnotbecause of her.
“Didn’t Jessa fly with the hockey team?” I ask.
Clark shakes his head. “No, they hired someone to help them with their social media, so she won’t have to travel as much. The guy took this one, and she’ll have to travel another time.”
He looks like he doesn’t love that idea, and I give him a small smile. “The life of the working couple.”
“Yeah. It’s not ideal, but at least it’s something. I wouldn’t want to go back to the way things were before Jessa came into my life.”
The two met long ago because Clark played lacrosse with Jessa’s brother in high school. She moved out here for a job and ended up making a big impact on the organization, changing a bunch of things. She’d even risked losing her job to be in a relationship with Clark.
“I need to find myself one of those,” I say.
“One of those, what?” Clark asks, giving me a small smile.
“Someone who’s willing to put up with me.”Again, I think of Laney, but meeting three times and texting a bit doesn’t equate to a relationship.
“I’m sure you’ll figure that out soon enough. Did you get what you needed from Laney?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I’d asked him for Laney’s number the night before to make sure she’d made it to Florida but had used the guise of asking about a running workout I could try. I still need to ask her about that part, so it isn’t a lie.
I nod, trying to keep a neutral expression. Texting her had been more fun than I’d expected.
“She’s cool,” Clark says, studying my face for a reaction.
“She’s definitely fun.”
“Well, maybe you should ask her on a date.” He folds his arms over his chest and looks at me, waiting for a response. We’re only months apart in age, but this look makes me feel like I’m fifteen years old and in trouble.
I shake my head. “Season is about to start, and I’ve got a lot going on.”
“Life will never be perfect. Why not take a chance now and see where it goes?”
I roll my eyes and turn around, looking for my keys. I find them and pick up my apron before walking toward the door.
“I’m late for work. Good luck today on, well, whatever.”
Am I a horrible roommate for not asking him what he has going on? Sure, but I didn’t think he’d already start pushing me to date Laney.
I don’t need to be pushed. I’m a grown man and can take care of myself, figure out what I need to do on my own.
It takes two tries to get the truck to start this morning, but it finally roars to life, taking me down the road toward the freeway.
As I turn onto the on-ramp, my phone rings. Connie, my oldest sister. I love talking to her, but I don’t know if she’ll finish up by the time I make it to the restaurant. But if I don’t answer, she’ll call me again.
“Hey, sis, what’s up?” I say, putting her on speakerphone.
“Just checking in, little bro. How are things in Utah?”
“They’re good,” I say, trying to make my voice sound as convincing as possible. I love my sister, but she’s the definition of an eldest daughter and eldest sibling. She’s practically perfect at everything she does, like she has the golden touch or something. I used to call her Connie Poppins when I was a kid.
“Good.” There’s a bark in the background, and I smile.
