are yours,” I say . “So why leave them?”
“Your mom was so happy to see you,” she says.
“Stellar job changing the subject, Linney.” I wink at her. I don’t press, though, because Linney has never had a problem talking to me so I know she will when she’s ready. And I’ll be here when she is.
I pull into a parking spot in the Little Five Points district and rush around the car to open Linney’s door for her.
“Some things never change, Ben,” she says, smiling at the gesture.
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that you are, and have always been , the biggest gentlemen I know.”
“Guess Ma raised me right,” I say with a goofy smile , remembering Mom’s comment back at the house. “No big deal.”
Linney stops in the middle of the crosswalk and looks up at me. “You have no idea what a big deal it is, Ben.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, so I just put my hand on her back and lead the rest of the way across the street. I feel like she’s trying to tell me something that I’m just too freaking dense to get.
“Tell you what, I’ve been up all night and I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, well, unless you count two bites of Salisbury steak. Anyway, what do you think about getting lunch first?”
“Fine by me.”
We decide on Fellini’s because the pizza is good, and Quinn and I have never eaten there together, and I feel like if I can avoid places that I’ve been with Quinn, maybe I won’t feel like such an asshole about being here without telling .
“You want to find us a table and I’ll order the pizza?” I ask.
“Table or booth?” Caroline says, grabbing plastic forks and napkins from the edge of the counter. “Wait,” she says, tapping a fork on my forearm. “You always prefer a table so you have more leg—”
“Well, hey there.” The voice rings in my ears and I can’t help the instantaneous hope that I’ve imagined it.
I turn away from the counter , toward the voice. But it’s not in my head. It’s real.
Shayna and Carter are standing three feet away from Caroline and I.
“Hey,” I reply.
Carter has his arms crossed over h is chest, and the normally laid- back vibe he exudes has evaporated. He always shakes my hand when he sees me. I mock him about it, because I imagine that he does it all day long in the office when he greets clients. But he doesn’t uncross his arms to reach for my hand this time. And I know it’s because of me. I guess I should expect that : he’s close and protective of Quinn .H e and I have always had that in common.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to make it home? Change of plans?” Carter asks.
Fuck.
“Yeah, decided to come see my folks after all.”
Shayna scoffs. “Does Quinn know that?”
She’s looking directly at Caroline when she asks. And I can’t help but worry about Caroline even more right now, because , unlike Shayna, confrontation is not Linney’s strong suit on a good day, and whatever she’s going through right now has definitely made her even more timid.
“No, no, not yet. Last minute thing, you know?”
“Right,” Shayna says, puckering her mouth like she’s tasted something
“Your mom was so happy to see you,” she says.
“Stellar job changing the subject, Linney.” I wink at her. I don’t press, though, because Linney has never had a problem talking to me so I know she will when she’s ready. And I’ll be here when she is.
I pull into a parking spot in the Little Five Points district and rush around the car to open Linney’s door for her.
“Some things never change, Ben,” she says, smiling at the gesture.
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that you are, and have always been , the biggest gentlemen I know.”
“Guess Ma raised me right,” I say with a goofy smile , remembering Mom’s comment back at the house. “No big deal.”
Linney stops in the middle of the crosswalk and looks up at me. “You have no idea what a big deal it is, Ben.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, so I just put my hand on her back and lead the rest of the way across the street. I feel like she’s trying to tell me something that I’m just too freaking dense to get.
“Tell you what, I’ve been up all night and I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday, well, unless you count two bites of Salisbury steak. Anyway, what do you think about getting lunch first?”
“Fine by me.”
We decide on Fellini’s because the pizza is good, and Quinn and I have never eaten there together, and I feel like if I can avoid places that I’ve been with Quinn, maybe I won’t feel like such an asshole about being here without telling .
“You want to find us a table and I’ll order the pizza?” I ask.
“Table or booth?” Caroline says, grabbing plastic forks and napkins from the edge of the counter. “Wait,” she says, tapping a fork on my forearm. “You always prefer a table so you have more leg—”
“Well, hey there.” The voice rings in my ears and I can’t help the instantaneous hope that I’ve imagined it.
I turn away from the counter , toward the voice. But it’s not in my head. It’s real.
Shayna and Carter are standing three feet away from Caroline and I.
“Hey,” I reply.
Carter has his arms crossed over h is chest, and the normally laid- back vibe he exudes has evaporated. He always shakes my hand when he sees me. I mock him about it, because I imagine that he does it all day long in the office when he greets clients. But he doesn’t uncross his arms to reach for my hand this time. And I know it’s because of me. I guess I should expect that : he’s close and protective of Quinn .H e and I have always had that in common.
“I thought you said you weren’t going to make it home? Change of plans?” Carter asks.
Fuck.
“Yeah, decided to come see my folks after all.”
Shayna scoffs. “Does Quinn know that?”
She’s looking directly at Caroline when she asks. And I can’t help but worry about Caroline even more right now, because , unlike Shayna, confrontation is not Linney’s strong suit on a good day, and whatever she’s going through right now has definitely made her even more timid.
“No, no, not yet. Last minute thing, you know?”
“Right,” Shayna says, puckering her mouth like she’s tasted something
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