Mom smiled. I don’t think anyone had ever called her that, and I could tell she liked it.
“When will the bucket truck be ready to rent out?” Dad asked Clay.
They went back and forth over repair issues, and I tuned them out until Denver nudged my arm. “Clay works with you?”
“Yep.”
“I see.”
I’m sure he did. Denver was a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them.
“Are you ready?” I asked, noticing his empty pie plate. He hadn’t left a crumb.
We said our goodbyes right there at the table, and I took our two dessert plates into the kitchen to rinse before we walked out. Denver followed me to my truck and opened my door for me before going around and getting in the passenger side. He pulled out his phone and stared at it for several minutes while I drove.
I actually jumped when he finally spoke. “It’s really hard to read you, Lauren. And I’m good with just hanging out, but not if you’re secretly hooking up with some guy from work on the side. That’s too complicated for me.”
“I’m not… I’ve never hooked up with anyone.” I thought he knew that about me, even though I’d never come out and said it.
He put his phone down and looked at me for several beats. “And I’m so good with that. Good for you. But that dude’s not your brother. I was relieved when you said he wasn’t. There was like, so much sexual tension there when I walked up.”
I blinked, trying to focus on the road. “I’m sorry. I just put you through the worst date ever. You were such a good sport, and I made a fool of myself.” I pulled at my collar, knowing my apology didn’t even begin to cut it. I turned and caught Denver smiling at me.
“They don’t know, do they? Your family?”
“Know what?”
“That you and Clay have somethin-somethin going on.” He saw my look and immediately corrected himself. “That you two wish you had somethin-somethin going on.”
I let out a huge sigh. “I don’t think they know. But nothing’s happened with me and Clay. Ever.”
“Nothing?”
“You don’t want to hear this, Denver.”
“Yeah, I do. I just got friend-zoned. So no more giving me the vault every time I ask about your life.”
He still wanted to be friends with me? I didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended. I hadn’t broken his heart. Not even a little bit. In fact, I had a feeling he had a list of girls to call when he got home. I wished I could conjure up just a little bit of jealousy over that, but I felt only disappointment.
“Nothing is going to happen between me and Clay. We work together, and he’s my brother’s best friend. They’ve always had each other’s backs. If Clay had to pick, he’d choose his friendship with my brother over a relationship with me all day, every day. And that includes giving me a hard time, because that’s what Parker likes to do.”
“That’s messed up.”
“Yeah. I think Clay could be a decent guy if he tried, but he doesn’t. I’m at peace with that.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.” I smiled.
We’d reached Denver’s house, the one he shared with several roommates. He leaned over and gave me a hug before hopping out and slamming the passenger door. I would have thought he was angry with me if I wasn’t already familiar with his passion for slamming doors to make sure they shut. The truck window was down, and he leaned in, resting his arms on the door frame. “I’ll call you, sometime. I don’t know when.”
“Okay.” I loved his honesty. Everything with Denver was open and real. I’d never get that with anyone else, least of all Clay, and that was why my mission when I returned to my parents’ house was damage control. When I was done, not only would Clay be convinced I was indifferent to him, but everyone else would be, too.
11
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Clay
