Page 13 of As You Crave It

“Right. Your work trip.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to come?”

“Don’t think I wouldn’t rather do that than work.”

He laughed and handed her his cell phone. “Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll call you when I get back.”

She tapped her thumbs over the screen of his phone and handed it back.

“That’s not a fake number now, is it?” he asked, joking.

“I guess you won’t know until you get back,” she said playfully.

He hit the call button under her contact information. He heard nothing and looked at her. “I keep my phone on silent,” she told him. “I don’t think I’ve actually heard the ringer since 2014.”

“Super-helpful for people looking to contact you.”

“Oh, well, it’s helpful for me when I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

“Well, I’ll call you when I get back in town. As long as you aren’t screening.”

“I probably will be.”

Quin couldn’t help but laugh as he walked away. Even if he and Celia wouldn’t be lovers, having her back in his life, even as a friend, was good enough for him.

Because he’d walked to Celia’s the night before, he called a cab to take him home. But in the back of the car, instead of giving the driver his own address, he gave the man Reid’s address. He was starving and knew that like every Sunday, Reid and his girlfriend, Lila, would be hosting brunch.

The car pulled up outside Reid’s house and he paid the driver. He jogged up the stone walkway, noting the colorful flowers that lined it on both sides, and the vibrant decor that had been added recently to the porch. Lila’s influence, no doubt. Reid had been in the house for years and had nothing that wasn’t black or grey. But since the upbeat, colorful travel blogger had moved in, she’d made several positive changes, and not just to the decor, but in Reid’s life, as well.

Quin didn’t bother knocking and just walked inside, where he was greeted by the telltale aromas of brunch—bacon, pastries and, most importantly, more coffee.

“I hope you guys haven’t eaten yet,” he called from the hallway, finally alerting them to his presence.

“We’re just about to,” Lila yelled back from the kitchen. “You better hurry and get in here before your brother eats all the bacon.”

Quin walked into the kitchen and saw that his sister, Gemma, was there also. “Gang’s all here.”

Gemma handed him a mug of coffee, which he gratefully accepted. The cup he’d had a cup at Celia’s hadn’t been nearly enough to wake him up.

“You’re a little overdressed for brunch, aren’t you, Quin?” Lila asked. “If not also rumpled.”

His younger sibling sidled up next to Lila, tilted her head and looked at him, as well. “Weren’t those the clothes you were wearing at dinner yesterday?” she asked. He could feel Reid’s eyes on him also.

There was no point in lying to them or covering up what he’d been up to the night before. “Yeah,” he said, fixing himself a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. “These are the clothes I wore yesterday,” he confirmed.

Reid snickered. “So you had a good night.”

“I did. But it was a confusing one, too.”

“How so?” he asked.

“Do you guys remember Celia Evans?” he asked, taking a seat on the tall stool at the island.

Gemma seemed to think about it. “Your friend from college? That quiet girl?”

“That’s the one. She’s back in town and we saw each other at a club.”

“Oh, really?” Reid asked. “She left town pretty quickly after graduation. But then you barely mentioned her again. I thought you were good friends. What happened between you?”

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