Page 21 of Whatever Will Be

He’s quiet for a minute. He plucks the bottle from my hands and screws off the cap with an easy flick of his wrist. He takes a long sip before handing it back. “You heard right.”

I tip the bottle to my lips and try not to dwell on the fact that Trent’s lips were just in the same place. The taste of the beer is bitter enough to choke on.

“This is terrible,” I sputter and set the bottle on the ground.

“It’s shit,” he agrees.

“Everything is shit right now.” I rub my eyes. “Do you want to talk about why you’ve moved back to Lake Stuart?”

“No.”

“Still rude,” I mutter but discovering this is somehow a relief. “Some things don’t change.”

“Eh, and some things do.” He looks me up and down and laughs to himself.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’ve changed.”

I’m not sure what he’s getting at but I’m becoming grumpy. “And you know this thanks to all of our complex adult interactions.”

“I know it because you’re hot as fuck now and you didn’t used to be.”

If I was still holding the beer bottle I would have dropped it. I have no witty response ready to fire back. I’m startled and dazed.

And flattered.

Yes, I am definitely flattered. I’m a girl who was never called pretty as a child and now feels smug over being called pretty all the time.

Or hot as fuck.

Same thing.

Almost.

But he picked a strange moment to deliver vulgar flattery.

“Trent, I don’t know why you would say something like that at a time like this.”

He mulls that over. “It’s been a terrible day. Jules was one of the better people in this crappy world. Believe me, I’m damn sorry for you and for Danny and especially for those two little girls. But you’re still hot as fuck, Gretchen. I’m not taking that back.”

If Trent is on a mission to fluster me, he has succeeded.

“Does this act of yours charm the girls in Miami?” I sniff.

“Sometimes.”

“I’m sure you keep a small army of the most eager ones at your disposal.”

“You’re confusing me with your brother.”

“Oh, please,” I scoff. “Back in high school there was nothing unusual about walking into the girls’ bathroom and finding some heartbroken cheerleader wailing by the sink and cursing your name.”

“High school ended a while back.”

The hard clip in his voice is noticeable. It’s possible I’ve insulted him but I’m too tired to play this back and forth game anymore.

I wrap my arms around myself. “It’s so horrible being in the house without her. I can’t imagine how the girls feel.”

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