“This is diced turkey, leaner than chicken, but just as delicious and wholesome. I just need to be careful cooking it. It’s not as forgiving as chicken.”
Bending down, I inhaled. “It smells nice, sweet.”
“You think so?” She smiled in appreciation. “I think so too. Actually, I’m eager to try it,” she confessed. “You can eat it in lettuce wraps but also with steamed rice. It has some ginger in there, so possibly won’t mix with pasta, but wholegrain rice? You’ll be all set.”
“It’s for tonight?” I asked hopefully as she went to cover it back up.
“It is. I thought we could try it together.” She was looking away from me, but I saw her bite her lip as she waited for me to agree.
“Sounds good,” I answered. “Thanks.”
With a quick glance to see if I was being sincere, she seemed happy when she saw that I was. “You’re welcome.”
Gray came over then and hugged her from behind, his lips skimming the back of her neck. “Hey, beautiful, I missed you,” he told her softly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her hand cover his as she turned to look up at him. “You saw me three hours ago,” she teased him.
“You have no idea how long it was.” Gray kissed her nose. “Plus, you have no idea what’s happened since you left.”
“Tell me,” Quinn demanded as she turned completely in his hold, always eager to hear about our day.
“Ash,” Gray called. “I think you need to be the one to retell it.”
Turning, I forced myself to appear casual. What was wrong with me? He was my blood; I loved him. She was our friend, and I knew even though she wouldn’t admit it, she would have spent time finding this recipe. Time away from her studies, for me. I knew that, and I think that Quinn and I would probably be in a good place, soon. But the two of them together? It still stung.
I missed Red. Did I? Yeah, I did.
When she was here, I spent more time watching her than I did them. Was I using her? I didn’t think so, but I did appreciate that she provided me with a welcome distraction. Even if she was only rolling her eyes at the couples around us, we shared that common trait. Without her, I was the fifth wheel.
Ava had been a mix of dumbstruck and concerned when we told her about Red in the locker room. Quinn had winced several times throughout the retelling, and when Ava ran up the stairs to phone Red, Quinn had looked around at the three of us as she thought about it.
“I don’t think, even on my worst day with you guys, I could have had the sheer guts to do that.” She shook her head in admiration. “I mean, to walk into a full locker room and own it, she has balls.”
“She liked Ash’s balls, that’s for sure.” Jett snickered.
“Who told the freshman she wasn’t allowed to date?” Quinn asked suspiciously as her gaze landed on Gray.
“It was harmless.” He shrugged.
“You did it to test her,” Jett spoke up. “To prove a point, and she fell for it,” he added.
Gray popped a grape in his mouth as he grinned. “Hook, line and sinker.”
“You’re a dick,” I told him.
“I never claimed to be anything otherwise.”
“You pushing her to date someone isn’t the same thing,” Quinn scolded him. “Mia is not a slut, she really doesn’t sleep around, and you’re being an ass.”
“How do you know she doesn’t?” Gray countered. “You ask her past lays?” His face fell when Quinn looked at me guiltily before she replied.
“Yeah, actually I did.”
Even my mouth dropped open. “How do you even have that conversation?”
“Communication skills,” she responded tartly. “You would all benefit from learning them.”
“So, she what? Hooks up and talks them to sleep?” Gray asked jokingly, and then he paused and thought about it. “Actually, I can see that happening. She sure can talk.”
