Page 28 of In Your Wake

I reach for my plastic spoon, chucking it at him, but he dodges it with a laugh.

“All right, I get it. He’s all yours. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

“He’s not mine,” I insist, tugging my feet out of his lap and sitting up. “He’s never been mine,” I add under my breath.

“But he could be.”

I chortle. “Oh, my dear Zayne. Even if I didn’t hate his guts, which I do, it’s all dead and buried.” I tidy the table, wiping away crumbs and stray spills. “Are you done?” I ask over my shoulder.

He nods, stacking his empty bowl on mine. “You’re telling me that if you two could be more than enemies, you wouldn’t take it?”

“I’m saying that we had a great friendship once, but we were kids. I’m saying he left all that behind without a second thought.”

“You mean he left you behind?”

I jam our trash into the garbage can with a little more force than necessary, trying to ignore the ball of emotions crawling up my throat. “Yeah, I guess he did that, too.”

Zayne sidles up beside me, but I can’t bring myself to look up at him. “You should probably forgive him for that. You know why he did it.”

“We’re beyond all that now.”

I hate nothing more than remembering those days and the events leading up to Mitch leaving. All it does is sour my stomach and fill me with self-loathing. And I promised myself years ago that I wouldn’t keep blaming myself. That I’d moved on.

“It’s not just that he left.” I run my hands through my hair and pace the room. “I hurt him, Zayne. A lot. And I can tell he’s not over it. How could he be?”

“Because he cares about you and it’s been ages?” he offers. “I think you two should talk.”

Though Zayne is usually right, I refuse to even consider what he’s suggesting. “I’m not saying that will ever happen, but until then, he’s not laying a finger on this place. It’s a sinking ship and we should abandon it.” I reach over, grip Zayne’s shoulder, and shake him. “Hurry, Zee. Get into a lifeboat. Save yourself!”

My joke falls flat as his face remains blank, the seriousness in his gaze stinging. “Nah, something isn’t right.” He takes my hands and holds them. “You’re giving up way too easily. That’s not like you.”

“If Bill… dies,” the word sticks in my throat and I choke it out, “then what’s the point? If they’re leaving it to us, then they care less than I do.”

“But what about Mr. Thick Hockey Player?” he asks, crossing his arms. “If he has the cash and wants to chip in, don’t you think you’d be stupid to refuse? I mean, this is his family’s business, after all.”

“Oh, right, you mean the family he barely speaks to? The one I’ve been closer to? Sure, he cares.” I shove my tongue into my cheek and frown. “This isn’t about Mitchell wanting to help, Zee. This is because I’m included in his inheritance and he hates sharing.” I raise both hands and resume pacing. “No, Mr. Mitchell Adams has to get involved and keep an eye on me because God forbid, I do something without him!”

“Take it easy, babe.” Zayne reaches out, stopping me in my steps, and strokes my arms tenderly. “Clearly, you both have some shit to settle. And I’m not implying he needs to be your best friend, but if he’s open-minded about this, no matter the reason, I’m sure you can do the same.”

I nibble my lip, hating that he’s right, then release a long sigh, dropping my head to his chest.

“I’ll take that as a maybe,” he says, wrapping me in a hug.

“It’s a maybe, but I won’t be happy about it,” I add, glancing up.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect you to.” He smirks. “But you can take what you need from him,” he adds with a wink.

My phone alarm rings and I squeeze my eyes shut. “Shit. I have to go.” I find my purse, but catch Zayne’s coy grin as I’m leaving the room. “What?”

“Did you two ever…?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

I raise a hand to stop him. “Goodnight, Zee. There’s a scheduled five a.m. wake-up call.”

“You mean we have guests?” He places a hand on his chest and pretends to be shocked.

“We have a guest,” I clarify with a laugh.

“Still, that’s a good sign.” His wide, beautiful grin reaches into me and lifts my mood, if only a bit. “Have a good night, babe.”