“Thanks. I tried to get them to leave me be, but they insisted on spending it with Ellie and me, so here we are.”
“A day out on the lake is always fun,” she says, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m imagining the disappointment in her voice or if it’s really there. “Ellie will love it, and it’s good to have friends like that. No one should be alone on their birthday. Not even you.” Her sarcasm falters halfway through the sentence, and now I know I’m not imagining it.
“Did you want to come?” I ask, knowing that nothing is worse than being an afterthought, but I didn’t think she would be interested.
“I have to work.” The sound of gravel crunching under Tom’s tires sounds from behind me. “Have fun,” she says, while my attention is turned to the truck.
“Thanks,” I say, my voice cutting out at the end as I turn my attention back to her, only to find that she’s no longer here. The click of her door shutting is all I’m left with before Tom beeps his horn and Billy starts shouting.
“Oh, Captain, my Captain!” Billy calls, half hanging out the window.
I roll my eyes and shake it off, grabbing everything Ellie and I will need for the day before hopping into the truck. We drive off, but I give one last glance back at Tris’s door, swearing I can still feel her eyes on me.
At the dock, we load up the boat and wait for everyone to arrive.
“Alright, that’s everyone, let’s go,” Caiden shouts. “Sorry, Levi, today I’m the Captain.”
A bunch of ominous “oooos” chime from all around, so I lift a brow, acting like I’m angry, making everyone on the boat nervous. I try to hold character, but wind up breaking when Tom’s head dips in my direction. I laugh and watch as everyone around me relaxes.
“Aye Aye, Captain Caiden.” I raise my hat to Caiden, and he nods, draping his arm around his girlfriend Della.
Callie wraps her arms around Tom like a woman completely in love.
“Do you think my mom will care if Sunny spends the night?” she asks him. “I think we could use one for ourselves.”
“That sounds good to me, Sunshine,” he says, placing a kiss on her cheek. “As long as you promise not to lose any more keys to my handcuffs.”
“Ew!” Emma shouts.
“I concur. We can hear you,” I add. Shaking my head and pretending to be grossed out by their affections when I couldn’t be happier.
Billy and Mark are talking back and forth across from me when I notice they didn’t bring anyone.
“Billy, what happened? Both your girls stand you up?” I joke, referring to Rory, who’s become his best “girl” friend, and Ainsley, the woman we all know he’s pining over.
“Ha, funny,” he says sarcastically, throwing a towel at my head.
Luckily, I catch it before it has a chance to fall out of the pontoon.
“Nah, man. They had to work today.”
My brows furrow. “Work? I thought after the holiday weekend, they’re each supposed to get some time off.”
“Yeah, they are. But today is Tris’s day off, and they didn’t want to ask her to give it up or switch since she covered for them both last week so they could attend the funeral.” Billy mistakes my look of shock and confusion for me being upset that the girls couldn’t come instead of what it’s really for. “Sucks, I know. They would have had a great time today. This weather is perfect. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to be out here.”
I’m. An. Asshole.
I should have asked her sooner instead of at the last minute. Of course she’d lie to me. Hell, I’d have lied to me too. One of two things is true. She either lied because she really did want to come, and I made her feel like we didn’t want her here by not even remembering to ask her to begin with. Or she lied because she didn’t want to hang out with me and everyone else here.
I already know the answer.
As much as I wish it were the latter, I know Tris. She has no problem telling all of us to get lost and leave her alone. Which means, once again, I’ve hurt her feelings, but this time she didn’t want me to know. It’s like a punch straight to the gut. I messed up, and she didn’t want to risk being vulnerable with me. Shelied.
Ellie sits on the seat next to me, but her head keeps bobbing around like she’s looking for someone... not someone... Tris. When she doesn’t see her, she rests her head on the top of the seat with a sigh, like even she knows she should have been here.
“Whatever it is that’s bothering you, let it go. At least for today. You deserve a day off,” Tom says, leaning in so only I can hear before squeezing my shoulder.
I nod my head at him and force a smile, knowing damn well the last thing I want to think about is whatIbelieve Ideserve.
