Page 21 of Might as Well

“I think I need to get more familiar with this room,” he says as he ushers me into the bedroom, closing the door behind us.

“Maybe I’m not done working.”

“Might as well be,” he replies as he lays me down.

I can’t help but laugh at him using my own words against me. Zane explains that he’s leaving tomorrow for a road game and he wants to take advantage of the time he’s with me. How can I say no to that? One of the irresistible things about him is that Zane oozes comfort. I certainly don’t mind spending time with him in whatever way he wants.

In the back of my mind, though, I can’t help but feel like life is going too smoothly right now. When will the other shoe drop and ruin everything?

CHAPTER 6

ZANE

Ilove our California road trips. The warm weather welcomes us every time. Plus, we always take time to play a little beach volleyball, which unfortunately I’m not partaking in. My shoulder’s feeling a little off after practice, so I’ve been ordered to take it easy.

“Loser buys my dinner,” Marco taunts. It’s unfortunate that he tends to frequently be on the winning teams. It only adds to his confidence. Cal sits next to me, deciding to sit out and keep me company, I guess.

We watch the team play and at some point, Cal surprises me by breaking the silence.

“How’s it going with Violet?” he asks.

“Good, I think.”

“You happy to leave hookups behind?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t really care for those in the first place. You happy with Tori?”

Cal shrugs.

“You don’t know?” I ask incredulously.

“It’s easy being with her and that works for me right now.”

“Woo!” Marco hoots as his group takes the lead, distracting me for a moment.

“I thought it was supposed to be better,” Cal admits quietly.

“The girl might be the problem.”

He doesn’t say anything to that and I don’t add to it. Cal doesn’t normally talk about anything personal with me, so I don’t want to overstep or carry on if he really doesn’t want to talk.

“Shoulder feeling okay?” he asks, effectively changing the subject.

“Yeah; it’ll be fine.”

“Boys, I’m thinking steak and lobster,” Marco hollers with a laugh after scoring a point.

Even though I’m not actively playing, this is just another reminder of why I love my job. There’s not a lot better than camaraderie that comes with a job like ours. Combine that with getting to know everyone’s families too, and it feels like a ton of extended family at times. I can’t wait to show Violet more of this side of my life.

I’m a little concerned about Violet. It’s been three days since I’ve seen her or talked to her. I’ve called and texted, but no answer. Have I done something to upset her? I can’t imagine what. Things have been going well between us, surprisingly. It makes sense that something has gone wrong.

Her brother worries me too. He’s so hateful when he talks to her and it sounds like he’s relying on her income to live, which pisses me off like I’ve never felt before. He’s old enough to take care of himself; my parents’ love for me goes to the ends of the earth, but they had me working at sixteen. I appreciate that they did too. Graham, though…

He should not be mooching off of Violetandtreating her like shit. It took all I had not to knock him out the other day with how he was talking to her. I didn’t want to get involved, though. It’s clear he also doesn’t know anything that’s going on with his sister since he thinks I’m having an affair with her.

I might as well add fuel to whatever fire exists. Violet’s car is in her driveway, so she should be home. I’m grateful to see that Graham’s is not. I walk to the front door and knock. I test the doorbell, just in case it’s working again, but I don’t hear it. After a few minutes of no one coming to the door, I test the knob. Uneasiness fills me when it opens easily. He left and didn’t lock the door? What a fucking asshole.

Maybe everything is okay inside. Maybe she’s just having another migraine episode.

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