Page 13 of Kiss and Tell

He shrugged. “No reason.”

Joey, the tenacious fucker, was too damn good at smelling Miles’s bullshit. “Why not?” he asked again. “I know you, man. Shared too many hotel rooms with you. You sleep like the dead every fucking night and start snoring within a minute of putting your head on the pillow.”

“I don’t snore.” Miles’s response was uttered in rote, the snoring debate a common one between them.

“I’m going to record you one night with my phone,” Joey threatened, also not for the first time.

Miles glanced at his room once more.

“Forget it,” Joey barked. “I’m not letting you escape. Sit down and talk to me. Because whatever this attitude is needs to pass before the cameras start rolling.”

Joey had a point. Miles wasn’t great at hiding his mood, something that had revealed itself during the filming of the episode with the guest who wouldn’t talk. Miles’s frustration had grown to the point where he’d only been shown sporadically in the early scenes that were salvaged because his resting bitch face had been out in full force.

“Rhiannon texted me.”

Joey frowned. “Your ex-girlfriend Rhiannon?”

“No. Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon,” he snapped. “How many Rhiannons do you think I know?”

Joey raised his hands in surrender. “Take it easy, dude. You just caught me by surprise. I mean…when was the last time you talked to her?”

Weariness won the day.

Miles crossed the living room, dropping down into a large, overstuffed chair. He and Rhiannon had split up shortly before he and Joey met and started filming the first season ofManPower. He’d talked about her a few times, but just in broad strokes, mentioning she’d been a former girlfriend, that she’d been his first love, shit like that. He’d placed those little nuggets into conversations with Joey during the early days, when they were getting to know each other and their friendship was growing.

“A few weeks before we started working onManPower,” Miles replied.

“Nothing since then?”

Miles shook his head.

“So why now?”

Miles ran his hand over his head, leaning it back against the cushion. “It’s been over two and a half years. She was due.”

Joey frowned. “What’s that mean?”

Miles looked at his friend, and he suddenly regretted never truly opening up to Joey about Rhiannon. If he had, he’d have said all the shitty stuff when he wasn’t feeling quite so…

He couldn’t figure out how he felt. He hated the wordsvulnerableandweak, but he couldn’t deny those seemed the best descriptions.

“Rhiannon has a way of reappearing in my life just when I think I’ve got my shit together,” he admitted.

“And she ruins it?” Joey asked.

“Not intentionally. That’s the problem. Rhiannon isn’t a bad person. She’s not vindictive or mean, and I understand why she called me last night.”

“Fuck.” Joey rose from the couch. “Something tells me this chat needs alcohol.” He opened the fridge, reaching in to pull out two bottles of Rain or Shine Brewery beer. Joey popped the caps on them, handing Miles the Rainy Day IPA he’d liked best at the tasting, while keeping the Lightning Lu’s Honey Lager for himself. Figured the idiot would prefer the one with Lucy’s name on it.

Miles didn’t miss the way Joey had given Lucy a kiss on the cheek and called her honey in the truck. His friend was smitten, something Miles had never seen before. Joey had accused Miles of being a different guy today, but the truth was, the way Joey acted around Lucy was out of the norm too.

If Miles wasn’t feeling so out of sorts, he would ask his best friend what the hell was going on. He’d seen Joey flirt with countless women over the last two and a half years, but it was like he’d turned up the charm to full volume around Lucy.

No. That wasn’t right, because Joey’s actions were less charm and flirting and more like genuine affection.

For a stranger.

Every time Miles thought he’d finally broken the Joey code and figured out his best friend, Joey pulled the rug from under him, showing him something new.

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