“Why was flight attendant on that list?”
“A lot of people die while they’re in the air. Sometimes the attendants don’t bring attention to it, just drape a blanket over them like they’re sleeping.”
Riley looks a little green around the gills now. Guess he’s rethinking his choices. He eyes my uniform and says, “Why didn’t you add Army to that list? You shoot people, right?”
“Ihave,” I admit. “But it wasn’t to kill, and it entirely depends on what corps you’re part of. I’m a pilot, not infantry. I enlisted at seventeen and had my wings by the time I was nineteen. I’m almost thirty-two now, and I can tell you that in all that time, including some pretty hairy deployments, I’ve rarely seen a body of any kind. I don’t recommend that being the reason you sign your life away in service to your country.”
Riley jams his hands back into his pockets, shoulders back around his ears. “Noted.”
“Alright, so, I need to go look at some flowers at the florist in there”—I gesture at the plaza with my head—“and take a bunch of pictures for Grady.” Riley’s wide-eyed expression turns a little scared when I follow up with, “My mum’s gonna be there but don’t worry, she’s gonna love you.”
“Why are we looking at flowers?” he asks, following me into the air-conditioned space. Much nicer. The heat won’t last much longer, and I’m looking forward to that. My uniform is way easier to handle when it’s not forty degrees outside.
“Grady and I are getting married; we need flowers.” Apparently. The list of “must-haves” for a wedding seems excessive, but what do I know? I’ve never gotten married or even close to it.
Riley’s steps falter, and I’m forced to stop. “You two are really…?”
“Did the kiss not clue you in?” It’s not really how I greet all my friends. Wonder what Zach would do if I plant one on him the next time I see him? I’m tempted to do it just to find out.
“No, I mean, yeah, but—I thought they were saying it just to make me feel better.”
“Why would they—” Oh.Oh. “Because you’re into men?”
Riley nods stiffly.
“Those two are great guys, but they wouldn’t lie to someone just to make them feel better.” That could be a white lie? Do they do it to people they deal with at work? Say things to soften the blow when they deal with the hard stuff? No. I don’t think they’d be that cruel. As much as lying in the moment feels like the right thing, the truth always comes out, and then the barbs are that much sharper. “They’d find other ways to put you at ease. Well, Quinn would. Grady is…” Not less warm, because he has a heart that’s so much bigger than he lets on. He cares so much more than he wants anyone to know. But he’s a little sharper around the edges than Quinn. Two sides of the same coin, perfectly complementing each other. It’s obvious why they’re paired up at work.
“Surly?” Riley suggests with a dry smile.
“Good word choice.”
“You said you weren’t gay, though, so I don’t understand.”
“Technically I’m bisexual, but mostly I’m just Grady-sexual.”
“You’re what?”
I can’t help laughing at the expression on his face. “I was straight before I met him. Well, no, my sexual orientation didn’tchange, I just learned more about myself. He changed my whole world, and now he’s stuck with me.” I tap his elbow lightly. “C’mon, let’s see if we can get a look before my mum gets here and takes over. After that, you up for a hunting expedition?”
He eyes me warily. “Hunting for what?”
“Bells.”
Chapter eight
Grady
Workinglateisn’tanavoidance tactic. Not really. Not completely. Heading to Quinn’s after work instead of the house I share with Lake is also not an avoidance tactic. Quinn’s my best man for the wedding, and there’s probably something we need to talk about that we haven’t yet.
Quinn’s car isn’t out front, but Sebastian’s pretentious silver Lexus is. That doesn’t always mean anything; the five men who live here use each other’s vehicles whenever it suits them. Anyone could have been driving that today, and I didn’t see what Quinn parked at work.
The urge to scratch the paint as I stride past is strong, but I resist. Just.
Four pots are lined up beside the front door; I swear they weren’t there the last time I visited. The entire place keeps transforming every time I come here, like the domestication is setting in piece by piece. I might have been more disgusted by that if I hadn’t found Lake. I never got it before, even with other relationships. I get it now.
The door opens before I can knock, and the last person I want to see is on the other side of it. “Oh, it’s you.”
Sebastian grins, with a hint of cocky attitude in it that never fails to make me want to punch him in the face. Just because he’s with my best friend now doesn’t mean I don’t still want to. Frequently.
