Page 105 of When the Smoke Clears

Waiting for my dad to pass.

And catching feelings for the woman who made my life a living hell for years.

I could use a shrink.

Friendsgiving is bittersweet. These are my friends, but Everleigh should be here. I’m not proud of myself for anything I’ve done in recent months. Still, I do my best to enjoy the last evening of my break, but checking my phone every few minutes for a text from my mom or sister makes it hard to relax. Thinking about Everleigh doesn’t help either.

“Are you sleeping with Everleigh?” Jamie asks in the middle of a conversation about doulas and midwives.

We’re gathered around Jamie and Fitz’s reclaimed wood table, complete with candles and pumpkin decor.

I draw my head back, giving her a cringey grin. “No.”

“Oh my gosh, I wanted to ask the same thing,” Maren says, passing potatoes to Ozzy. Thankfully, Lola is spending the night at a friend’s house again, much to Ozzy and Maren’s displeasure. But they can’t tell her no.

“Perhaps it’s none of our business,” Ozzy says to Maren.

She shoots him a wrinkle-nosed expression, something between a scowl and a grin.

“You all seem to like her,” I say. “So I’m taking one for the team and letting bygones be bygones. I’ve got too much other shit going on to deal with grudges.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. I feel sorry for her, but at least you’re not actively hating her anymore,” Jamie says. “She still has the biggest crush on you, and it was heartbreaking seeing you act so cruelly toward her.” She pushes back in her chair. “I have to check on the pies, and I forgot the yams.”

“I’ll help you,” Maren says, following Jamie into the kitchen.

When they’re around the corner, Fitz points his fork at me. “Did you fuck her this weekend?”

I narrow my eyes at him for a second before looking at Ozzy. His unblinking gaze pings between Fitz and me. “Don’t get me involved.” Ozzy quickly shakes his head.

Fitz knows too much. There’s no fooling him.

“Semantics. Right?” Fitz says. “Jamie asked if you slept with Everleigh, and you have not closed your eyes and fallen asleep with her. Did you have sex with her this weekend?”

I chuckle and shake my head as if it’s a ridiculous question.

“It’s fine, Will. You can hate her and screw her. No one would blame you for needing a quick release. There is a lot of shit going on in your life.”

Instead of acknowledging Fitz, my attention returns to Ozzy for a few seconds. He holds up his hands and shakes his head. “Nope. Still not getting involved.”

I sigh when Ozzy refuses to offer any help.

“You and Jamie weren’t exactly best buddies at one point,” I remind Fitz.

He nods slowly. “True.”

“Sometimes the easiest way to deal with a problem is to . . .” I shrug.

“Stick your dick in it?” Fitz asks.

Ozzy coughs to hide his laugh.

“Well”—I shake my beer bottle, searching for even a few drops of alcohol, but it’s dry—“I don’t solve every problem with my dick. It’s not like I put out fires with it.”

Fitz cracks a smile. “Good to know, buddy.”

I like Maren and Jamie. Hell, I love them like sisters. But women feel the need to dissect everything until it’s ruined. Men skim the surface and move on. Fitz knows I had sex with Everleigh, and I didn’t have to say the words. And he won’t bring it up again. Diplomacy has its place, but so does bluntness.

Chapter Thirty-Four