“No, honey, no, it is not bad. I want that too. A big, strong man to cradle me to him to keep me safe. It’s a lovely fairytale, but we know it’s just that. A story. Not reality. No one can keep us safe but us, Ford.”
“I know. And we’re safe here.” I spun to face her, our eyes locking. “Aiden is safe.” She made a wary face. “He is. He’s Baker’s best friend. He’s a veterinarian. He’s safe. I like him. I trust him.”
“See, that’s what I’m worried about. Does he deserve your trust? What would you do if he made a move on you?”
“That willnothappen. Aiden is too smart and too good-looking to want to be with some idiot from Brooklyn who only got a job because his stepfather took pity on him. Like, how could a man with a college degree want to be with some loser like me?”
“You’re not a loser. You are the best and truest friend a sorrowful fuckup like me could ever ask for,” she whispered. I threw an arm around her. Pulling her a little closer, I could smell her hair, all fresh and flowery.
“You’re not a fuckup,” I said beside a petite ear with two small pearl studs. “You’re talented and beautiful and loving and filled with sunshine and butterscotch.”
That made her giggle gently. She kissed my cheek and sat back, my arm still resting around her thin neck.
“Yes, that’s me. Sweet as butterscotch and just as sticky.” I nodded. Yeah, I’d gotten stuck in the quagmire of my dearest friend’s poor choices, but I’d sooner be bound with her than without her. “Just be careful with Aiden. I know he’s charming and attractive, but he’s also a known…libertine.”
“You’ve been reading too many Jane Austen books again.”
“Guilty. Just be careful, please. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I’d have to kick him in the face if he used or abused you in any way.”
“That wouldn’t be ladylike.”
“Sometimes you have to remove your earrings to lay an asshole out.”
“Violent.” I chuckled. She gave me a peck on the cheek. “I’m a full-grown man.”
“I’m aware, but your heart isn’t as rough and tough as your exterior. Your heart is a tender bud that the wrong man could crush with ease.”
“Okay, I’ll protect my bud as long as you protect yours.” Her perfectly plucked brows knotted. “You know what I mean. Linc is crazy stupid over you.”
“Lincoln,” she whispered, her gaze softening. Then the dreamy look was gone, replaced by the mask she donned like she used to arrange those expensive wigs on her head nightly. “Neither of us is in any place to tumble into romance.”
That was true. We were living on borrowed time. Still, a little friendship with the sexiest man in blue overalls wouldn’t harm me. Everyone needed friends. Sometimes we all needed a little more.
***
“Is this the last box?” I asked Dodge as I toted an egg box filled with bricks by the feels.
“I think so. That goes in the kitchen. It’s some of the pots and pans I had in storage,” Dodge explained with a wave at Ollie’s kitchen area.
“Who stores pots and pans?” I grumbled while straining under the weight of what must be cement stockpots.
“People who don’t want to sell their set of Le Preset signature enameled cast iron set in soft lapis,” Dodge called over his shoulder.
“I don’t even know what lapis is,” I grunted, heaving the box to the counter and taking a second to catch my breath.
“It’s a shade of blue,” Linc replied while plucking a cold bottle of beer from Ollie’s fridge then offering it to me. I shook my head. Baker and Hanley strolled into the kitchen through the back door, looking pretty kissed out to me. Lips puffy, eyes glassy. “Nice of you two to join us.”
“We were taking shit into the garage,” Baker replied. Linc tossed a frosty bottle of Miller to him and then one to Hanley. I made do with cold water from the tap. Beer made my head foamy, like it was light as the suds on the top of a mug that could be blown off with ease. I disliked feeling foamy. Also, I was driving as soon as I got the go-ahead from Dodge.
“Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” Linc enquired, took a swig of beer, and glanced at Bella sweeping through with Ollie at her side.
“Hey, is that my beer?” Ollie asked before Bella tugged him to the living room where Dahn could be heard muttering about the poor internet signal.
“Are we done?” I asked. No one said a word. “I need to go.”
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Linc enquired before downing his beer in one long pull. Wow. Impressive. I’d not seen him drink much since we’d arrived. Mostly, he did tea infusions, mixes of rose petal, lavender, and something Egyptian blue lotus. All very chill, hippie, mellow stuff to aid in focus, self-reflection, and flower-power mind-cleansing liquid. Or was it colon cleansing? One of the two. He was really into meditation, tai chi, and yoga.
“I need to get to the vet clinic for a job interview,” I replied into my glass of tap water.
