“Let’s not forget how proud you were that you color coordinated your braces to your orange glasses,” a voice rumbles from behind us.
I instantly smile, tipping my head back to see Dylan, dressed in a gray pullover and jeans, staring down at me. “You’re only five minutes late. I think that might be a miracle.”
“Ha ha.” He smirks and then looks at Garrett. For a second, I think he might say something ugly, and my heart skips a beat. But instead, he offers his hand. “Happy Thanksgiving, man.”
Garrett eyes the extension of peace with the same leeriness as me but then takes his outstretched hand. “Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, exchanging a glance with Genna, who seemed to be in the same place as me. She didn’t witness what happened between the two when it went down, but I filled her in on all the details.
“You wanna play checkers while we wait to eat?” Dylan asks me as Garrett and Genna turn back to the TV to watch the parade. “Unless you’d rather watch the parade. I mean, I know how much you love a good Charlie Brown balloon, but—”
“But I love beating youwaymore,” I say, pushing to a standing position. I reach out and squeeze Garrett’s shoulder, whodoesn’t look away from the anchor on the screen. “I’m going to play some checkers. Are you good with that?”
“Sure.” He still doesn’t look at me.
I ignore the little pang of hurt in my chest and follow Dylan through the sitting room and into the small library off to the side, opposite the dining room. We step inside, and I breathe in the warm scent of cinnamon that seems to permeate the books on the shelf.
“Red or black?” Dylan muses as he takes a seat at the corner table, the checkerboard already in place.
“Red, obviously.”
He turns the board so the red pieces are on my side and we settle in, the familiar pattern of the game creating a comfortable bubble around us. I make my first move, pushing a red piece forward with confidence.
“Bold start,” Dylan comments, countering with his own move.
“Go big or go home.”
“Speaking of going home...” He glances toward the living room, where we can hear the faint sounds of the parade. “I’m surprised you brought Garrett this year after what happened at my party.”
“Yeah, well, it’s Thanksgiving.”
Dylan’s mouth twitches. “You’re telling me if it was Arbor Day, he wouldn’t make the cut?”
I roll my eyes, then concentrate on the board. “He apologized for what happened the other night. Said he was stressed about work.”
“Mmm.” Dylan sounds unconvinced as he captures one of my pieces. “And the Halloween breakup? Did he apologize for that too?”
“How’d you know about that?” I look up, surprised.
“I know things.” He taps his temple. “Big brother intelligence network.”
Genna told him.
I roll my eyes, trying to play it off casually while making my next move. “We worked it out. Couples fight, Dylan. It’s normal.”
“Is it? Because Kade and Ella don’t seem to need to break up every other month to make their relationship work.”
I fidget with one of the captured pieces, turning it over and over in my fingers. “That’s different. They’re ... they’re Kade and Ella. They’re perfect.”
“No one’s perfect, Chey.” His voice softens. “But they respect each other. Does Garrett respect you?”
“What is this, Dr. Phil? I thought we were playing checkers, not analyzing my love life,” I deflect, though the question hits closer to home than I’d like to admit.
Dylan shrugs before making his next move. “I’m just asking. As someone who cares about you, why are you still with that guy?”
I stare at the board, not really seeing it. Why am I still with Garrett? Because he’s successful and stable, and he pushes me to be more? Because when things are good between us, they’re really good? Because I’m twenty-seven, and the thought of starting over is terrifying? Because being alone sounds worse than being with someone who makes me feel ... what? Not quite happy, but not miserable either. Just ... less lonely.
“It’s ... complicated,” I finally say, knowing how lame it sounds.
