them?”
“I know. She’s superhuman,” Julia said. “And this isn’t weird for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ve had guy roommates before. They told me all about the girls they were seeing and it was never awkward.” She didn’t mention that this was because she and Adam were married and two of his fraternity brothers lived with them in their first rented home. “It can be like that. You don’t have to tell me anything about your dates, unless you want to. And if I go to bed, I’ll leave a key under the mat. It’s no big deal.”
The truth was, she was dying of curiosity. How did a first date starting at seven end at one in the morning? He was sober, but disheveled. Julia had a sudden vision of Dave on the bench seat of his shiny red truck, some hot girl straddling his lap, steaming up the windows in an empty parking lot. She needed a life. Soon.
“So what’s the damage?”
“Sorry?”
“What time did you get home? You paid Elizabeth, I assume.”
“Oh, right. About an hour ago.”
He handed her a few crisp bills and tucked his wallet back into his pocket. “So.”
“So.”
“Guess I’ll go get the munchkin.”
“Right!” Julia said, stupidly. She’d almost forgotten Lyric. “Of course.”
Chapter Eight
Dave
“So, are they…like, dating-dating?” Lianne asked, her eyes wide. She sank onto a patio chair, forgetting a bag of hamburger buns. Dave had told them about his date with Betty Rubble the night before, but the news about Debbie and Aaron was far more scintillating. Lianne lowered her voice and glanced toward the house, where they could see Lyric and Cooper through the windows, playing restaurant. “That can’t be right. Is it possible Lyric misunderstood?”
“That was my first thought, too,” Dave said. “But he was definitely over there, drinking wine, and when I confronted her, she basically admitted it.”
“Basically admitted it?” Max had turned from the big gas grill where he was making burgers. “Do you think she was just messing with you? Maybe she was pissed that you broke into her house—total dick move, by the way.”
“Don’t you start with that,” Dave said. “I apologized to her. But wouldn’t you have done the same? It’s Aaron.”
Max whistled. “Man. Can’t believe sweet little Aaron had the balls.”
“But that’s totally wrong, don’t you think?” Lianne said. “Isn’t that against the bro code?”
“It’s against every code,” Dave said.
“I don’t know.” Max met Dave’s angry stare. “Never mind.” He turned back to the grill and unnecessarily adjusted the burgers with the spatula.
“What?” Dave and Lianne said simultaneously.
“Nothing.” Max faced them, his uncertain expression alternating between his wife and best friend. He looked uncomfortable. “It’s just…”
“You are not fucking serious.” Anger rose in Dave’s gut. “You are not about to defend him.”
“Honey, you can’t possibly think it would be okay for Aaron and Debbie to get involved.” Lianne got up to finish laying out buns and condiments. Dave had always, always liked Lianne.
“Babe, you haven’t been around as long. There’s more to it. You didn’t know us in college.”
“Un. Fucking. Believable.” Dave scowled. He took his empty beer bottle to the recycling bin Max kept in the corner of the patio under an awning, letting it clatter loudly against the plastic.
“I am not defending him,” Max said. “I’m just explaining to my lovely wife that it’s complicated. When we were at Georgia, and we first met Debbie and her friends, it was at a crush party with our fraternity and her sorority.”
Dave bit his lip to avoid interjecting, focusing instead on retrieving another beer from the cooler. How could something that happened almost twenty years ago have any relevance now?
“That was almost a year before Debbie and Dave started dating,” he said to Lianne. Then to Dave, “You were still seeing that
“I know. She’s superhuman,” Julia said. “And this isn’t weird for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ve had guy roommates before. They told me all about the girls they were seeing and it was never awkward.” She didn’t mention that this was because she and Adam were married and two of his fraternity brothers lived with them in their first rented home. “It can be like that. You don’t have to tell me anything about your dates, unless you want to. And if I go to bed, I’ll leave a key under the mat. It’s no big deal.”
The truth was, she was dying of curiosity. How did a first date starting at seven end at one in the morning? He was sober, but disheveled. Julia had a sudden vision of Dave on the bench seat of his shiny red truck, some hot girl straddling his lap, steaming up the windows in an empty parking lot. She needed a life. Soon.
“So what’s the damage?”
“Sorry?”
“What time did you get home? You paid Elizabeth, I assume.”
“Oh, right. About an hour ago.”
He handed her a few crisp bills and tucked his wallet back into his pocket. “So.”
“So.”
“Guess I’ll go get the munchkin.”
“Right!” Julia said, stupidly. She’d almost forgotten Lyric. “Of course.”
Chapter Eight
Dave
“So, are they…like, dating-dating?” Lianne asked, her eyes wide. She sank onto a patio chair, forgetting a bag of hamburger buns. Dave had told them about his date with Betty Rubble the night before, but the news about Debbie and Aaron was far more scintillating. Lianne lowered her voice and glanced toward the house, where they could see Lyric and Cooper through the windows, playing restaurant. “That can’t be right. Is it possible Lyric misunderstood?”
“That was my first thought, too,” Dave said. “But he was definitely over there, drinking wine, and when I confronted her, she basically admitted it.”
“Basically admitted it?” Max had turned from the big gas grill where he was making burgers. “Do you think she was just messing with you? Maybe she was pissed that you broke into her house—total dick move, by the way.”
“Don’t you start with that,” Dave said. “I apologized to her. But wouldn’t you have done the same? It’s Aaron.”
Max whistled. “Man. Can’t believe sweet little Aaron had the balls.”
“But that’s totally wrong, don’t you think?” Lianne said. “Isn’t that against the bro code?”
“It’s against every code,” Dave said.
“I don’t know.” Max met Dave’s angry stare. “Never mind.” He turned back to the grill and unnecessarily adjusted the burgers with the spatula.
“What?” Dave and Lianne said simultaneously.
“Nothing.” Max faced them, his uncertain expression alternating between his wife and best friend. He looked uncomfortable. “It’s just…”
“You are not fucking serious.” Anger rose in Dave’s gut. “You are not about to defend him.”
“Honey, you can’t possibly think it would be okay for Aaron and Debbie to get involved.” Lianne got up to finish laying out buns and condiments. Dave had always, always liked Lianne.
“Babe, you haven’t been around as long. There’s more to it. You didn’t know us in college.”
“Un. Fucking. Believable.” Dave scowled. He took his empty beer bottle to the recycling bin Max kept in the corner of the patio under an awning, letting it clatter loudly against the plastic.
“I am not defending him,” Max said. “I’m just explaining to my lovely wife that it’s complicated. When we were at Georgia, and we first met Debbie and her friends, it was at a crush party with our fraternity and her sorority.”
Dave bit his lip to avoid interjecting, focusing instead on retrieving another beer from the cooler. How could something that happened almost twenty years ago have any relevance now?
“That was almost a year before Debbie and Dave started dating,” he said to Lianne. Then to Dave, “You were still seeing that
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