She smiles. “You look perplexed. What’s up?”
I swallow. “I kissed Carly.”
Her eyes widen, and she leans closer to the camera. “Wait. What? Seriously? When?”
“Last night. I…I don’t know what to do. I…have serious feelings for her, but…” I trail off and stare at my oldest friend. The little girl who made the class bully stop teasing me because I had crooked baby teeth. We don’t talk as much as we used to, but every month we chat for an hour or so. She catches me up on all the hometown gossip.
Lanie levels a stare at me. “You have got to get over me being sick thirty years ago. For real, Bray. I’m fine. I know it was scary for you. It was scary for me and everyone who knew me. But I lived. I’m fine. I went on to have a great life. Not everyone is going to get sick, and most people aren’t going to up and die on you.”
“Lanie, I see people die every week,” I say, deadpanned.
She rolls her eyes. “You literally work in an emergency room. Your entire job is trying to save the sickest and most injured people. So, of course, you’re going to see people die. But your pool of people might be a little skewed.”
I hate that she’s not wrong. “Yeah, but what if I’m too overprotective? What if something does happen to Ava or Carly?”
“Jesus, pull it together. What if nothing happens to them? What if you marry Carly and grow old with her and die when you’re both one hundred years old? You can’t control everything, Bray.” She pauses. “Would you rather never have the chance to be with her? Would you rather watch another man come in and swoop her up and marry her?”
“No,” I grumble.
“Then, she’s worth a risk. She’s worth all the risks. Don’t lose her because you’re afraid. Will you at least try?” Lanie says.
I swallow hard. “I…I’ll think about it. I mean, I want to,” I state.
She sighs. “You’re a stubborn ass, you know that?”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
“Maybe you should call your mom. She’s great at this stuff,” Lanie says.
I shake my head. “No way. She’ll just tell me to marry her and make her grandbabies.”
Lanie giggles. “I mean, you aren’t wrong. But seriously, call your mom soon. She was bitching to my mom that you never call.”
Sighing, I nod. “Fine. But I’ll do it when I get back.” I haven’t spoken to my brother or parents in a hot minute. Our schedules are all so busy. Lanie’s statement makes me feel like a shit son. Apparently, there are a lot of things I need to do better in life.
She laughs. “OK, enough pep talking. I need to sleep. Seriously, though, don’t lose her because you won’t take a risk. That’s the dumbest reason ever not to be with her. I’ve heard you talk about her for literal years. You love that woman and her daughter. So, stop telling yourself you don’t want to be with her.”
“I do love them, but…maybe I shouldn’t be with her like that,” I say.
“Well, I strongly disagree. You have every reason to be with her and no good reasons not to,” she states like the lawyer she is.
“I hate when you lawyer me,” I say with narrowed eyes.
She grins. “You love it, and you know it. Goodnight, or should I say good morning, Bray,” she adds with a wave.
“Go to bed, Lanie-painie,” I say.
She ends the call, and I lean back on the chair and stare up at the early morning sky. The sun isn’t quite over the horizon yet.
“What in God’s name are you doing up so early?” Margie asks, and I jump. Turning, I find Cornelia and Margie walking toward me with cups of coffee in their hands.
“I could ask the same of you,” I say.
“Oh, well, Lorenzo and Enzo had to leave early. They have work today. Such a bummer, we had hoped they would be our plus-ones, but alas, it wasn’t in the cards,” Cornelia says with a huff. “I could have used another night of good Italian dicking.”
I choke on my saliva. “Seriously, Cornelia?”
She shrugs. “I’m old, Brayden. Not dead.”
