“Can’t wait,” I replied dead pan, as I glanced at Ethan for moral support.
Shaking something shiny and black in his hand, Flint said, “Don’t look so down, Princess. I’ve got a gift for you.”
Standing, I came to check out his unconventional peace offering. “You got me a phone?”
“Yup. One hundred percent untraceable and free of stalkers,” he jested as he handed it over.
It might not have all the bells and whistles of my last one, but it would certainly do the trick. “When did you have the time to get this?”
Flint shrugged. “I’m just that good. You’ll learn that soon enough.”
Rolling my eyes, I glanced at Ethan again. “Are you sure you can’t take me today?”
Chuckling, he pecked a quick kiss on my lips. “Have a good time at work,” he called over his shoulder before disappearing into the quiet and peace of his home study.
As always, my shift seemed to go by in fast forward. To his credit, I barely even noticed Flint’s presence as I scurried about filling people’s intricate drink and food orders. If it weren’t for my female coworkers gushing over him every five minutes, I would have forgotten his presence altogether.
As I climbed exhaustedly into his truck after my shift, I handed Flint several napkins.
“What are these for?” He asked with a confused expression written across his handsome face.
“They’re the phone numbers of all the women I worked with today. They were drooling over you and practically fighting over who was going to ask you out first. In order to keep the peace, I told them to write down their numbers and I’d let you decide who to call back,” I explained with a deep sigh.
Snorting, Flint folded the wad of napkins and stuffed them into his jacket pocket for later. “Thanks. Now if I get bored watching your spoiled ass, I can have a different date each day of the week.”
“Don’t be a pig,” I shot back, kicking off my shoes to let my feet breathe.
“Moi?” He retorted with mock shock. “I’m not the pig here. It’s the horny women at your place of employment who are chasing me like I’m just some delicious piece of meat.”
My brow hiked at his words. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s so distressing to you that a group of young, attractive women is fighting over who gets to see you naked.”
Flint shot an interested look my way. “They were fighting over me? Tell me more.”
Rolling my eyes, I ignored his question and asked one of my own. “Speaking of fighting with people, why do you and Stark argue so much?”
I knew it was rude and not my place to butt in, but that wasn’t going to stop me from doing it. Besides, Flint was the king of butting in. He wouldn’t have waited a single second to find out this information if the shoe was on the other foot, so I wasn’t feeling bad nosing into his private business for once.
His face sobering, Flint shrugged noncommittally. “Stark and I don’t always fight when we’re together. Just, like, ninety-five percent of the time.”
Holding back another eyeroll, I said, “What gives? I thought you Cascia House boys were all really tight?”
“We are.”
“Except when you’re at each other’s throats?”
Flint’s body posture became more rigid and his hands gripped the wheel. “We just don’t have much in common, is all.”
I frowned. “You actually have a ton in common. You both are in the same line of work. You both came from the same place. You both had similar childhoods. Seriously, try again: why are the two of you so contentious around one another?”
Remaining silent for a few seconds, Flint finally said, “I’m not sure what Ethan has told you about us, but Stark and I shared a room back in Alaska. I’d been there since I was three, and Stark showed up at fourteen.”
Ethan had only told me the bare bones about Flint’s stay at Cascia House. My stomach knotted at the thought of a three-year-old losing his whole family with no understanding of where everyone had gone. Not wanting to cause Flint any further upset though, I merely nodded to let him know I was listening.
“At first, Starky and I were great friends. Inseparable, really,” Flint continued. “Then, in our senior year, we met Heidi, a foreign exchange student from Holland.”
“Hold up. You’re telling me your close friendship ended over a girl?” I accused, disappointment heavily weighing down my tone.
“It didn’t end it, it just got complicated,” Flint hedged sheepishly.
