“I said I’m fine,” she repeats with a look that makes me feel like I just might’ve grown a second head since stepping into this room.“Now, are you going to clean my teeth or not?”
I know what she’s doing.She wants me to drop it.To let go of whatever weird incident just unfolded in the waiting room, along with the venom in Ethan’s tone.Maybe I should.It’s none of my business, and Violet was right the other day.Lexie’s a big girl.She knows how to handle herself.She also knows she isn’t alone.
Doesn’t she?
Lips pursed, I motion to the dental chair, and she plops into it like a sack of potatoes.After snagging a pair of nitrile exam gloves, I set up the station for a cleaning, well aware I’ll have to sanitize the one I originally planned to use for her appointment in one of the open areas until I realized Ethan would be waiting for her in the front of the building.
“So, how was the auction?”Lexie asks.“You and Jeep, huh?”
Jeep.As in, Ford.
“It’s not like that,” I mutter.
“What do you mean?”
Oh, the things I could say.
“Yes, Ford bid on me,” I explain, “but I think he was kind of just messing with Bryan or whatever.You know how he is.”I wave my hand about.“And then Ethan made a comment to get under Ford’s skin.Ford threw down big money to make a point, and Bryan had to drop out, which is the only reason Ford won.”I snag a sterile pack of scalers, curettes, and a dental mirror from the drawer and open the package.Setting aside the scalers and curettes, since I won’t be needing those until I graduate, I snag the mirror and set it up on the small metal tray in front of me.
“What did Ethan say?”Lexie asks.
I nearly choke on my groan as I hold onto my indifference for dear life.“Nothing?—”
“June,” she pushes.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.
Putting a fresh straw on the suction, I murmur, “It was just a rude comment.”
“Of course, it was.”With a sigh, she mutters, “We don’t have to get into it, but I’m sorry he was being a jerk.At the auction and here.”
“You already apologized,” I remind her.“And it’s okay?—”
“It’s not,” she argues.“But I can’t control my brother any more than I can control the weather.”Her sigh feels heavy.Heavier than it should.As if she’s carrying the weight of the world on her pretty little shoulders.“If I had to guess what was going through his mind, he probably saw Jeep bid on you and figured the easiest way to piss off a Harden was to go after the people they care about, even if it’s a low blow.”
It’s the same thought I’ve had, no matter how much I don’t like the justification of his actions.What’s the saying again?Oh, right.If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.And to have a target painted on my back all because Jeep—I mean, Ford—likes to tease me every once in a while?I don’t know.It feels…hollow, somehow.
Unsure what to say, I offer, “Maybe.”
“Definitely,” Lexie counters.
I bite my tongue to keep from arguing with her.Besides, it’s no use.
“Thanks for…not taking my familial ties to him out on me,” she adds.
“It’s not your fault.”
She doesn’t believe me.I can see it plain as day.Seems we’re taking turns with the same sentiment.
“Doesn’t make it any easier when he’s being an ass,” she tells me.
Lexie’s right.It doesn’t.Ethan’s a jerk, and we all deserve better than being obligated to spend even a second of our time with the guy.But it’s easier for me than it is for her.At least I don’t live with him.Lexie, on the other hand?He won’t even let her leave his sight for a simple dental cleaning.
Reaching for the bib, I set it on Lexie’s chest to keep her shirt clean, then clip the opposite side to keep it in place.“Okay, what kind of toothpaste do you want?”
“What flavors do you have?”
Oh, the flavors I could name.
