Page 27 of Relief Pitcher

“That it was, but at least I didn’t get murdered in the woods. Have you ever heard a tree fall? That shit’s terrifying.”

“Cooper seems cool,” Seth said.

“He is. So is ice cream.”

Ethan, the touchy-feelyist of our group, snaked his arm around mine. “It’s okay if you want to see him again,” he hedged.

I was trapped by well-intentioned busybodies. I wanted to bolt.

My stomach twisted. “There’s no reason to see him again. We hung out for a weekend while I was stuck there. No big deal.”

“Just hung out?” Dom’s thick eyebrows arched.

“Yeah. Watched TV. Shot the shit.” For a reason I didn’t want to explore, I didn’t want to admit to sleeping with Cooper. I’d never been shy about sharing sex details with them. What the hell did that mean?

“Anyone who can put up with you for a whole weekend must be decent,” Seth said.

“There’s a difference between hanging out for a weekend and having to grin and bear my presence. I can be good company.”

“I bet you can.” Ethan waggled his eyebrows.

“Gross. Aim that look at your boyfriend.”

Austin dropped his head on his hand and looked at me. “Are you going to see him again?”

“For what?”

“Hang out, go on a date, fuck. I don’t know.”

“You all know I don’t date.”

“But you could,” he insisted.

I had no interest in dating Cooper, but fucking him again? That idea intrigued me, but nothing more than that did.

“He’s a widower. The guy has enough shit to deal with.”

“That’s tragic.” Ethan’s face fell. “But probably a good idea. If he’s a widower, he doesn’t need to get fucked around. No offense.”

“Um, a hundred percent offense taken. I don’t ‘fuck around.’ I have consensual one-time sex with men.”

Ethan patted my shoulder. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“Thank you.”

“What if you set him up with Seth?” Ethan waggled his eyebrows at my brother.

Why did that idea make me want to throw something? The idea of double-dipping with Seth was gross. That had to be it.

Time for a foolproof subject change. I turned and looked at Ethan. “Big news about Parker, huh? Moving back to town. That’s exciting.” Ethan smiled so widely that his jaw nearly unhinged.

Ethan caught me up on what I’d missed after I disconnected from yesterday’s brunch on FaceTime. I was glad Ethan had found someone he seemed to fit with well, and Parker could hang with the rest of us. It wasn’t awkward, which was a relief. It could have been much worse with Austin’s and Ethan’s boyfriends, but they’d found guys who didn’t alter our group dynamic. I’d known Parker peripherally in high school since I’d played baseball with his brother, and he’d always been a good guy.

“Should we place bets on how long it’ll be until Ethan moves in with Parker?” I suggested.

“Maybe I can turn his room into a gym.” We knew Dom well enough to tell his gruff-serious tone from his gruff-joking one, and he was joking, but something in his eyes perked up at that prospect.

“Now there’s an idea. I want one of those yoga swings,” I said.

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