Page 38 of Count On Me

The waitress places our drinks and the dessert menu Angie requested on the table, and I’m pretty sure I hear her snort as she walks away.

“Can we cut the crap, Jaxson? You want to take Edie with you, you want her to dress up, but what you don’t want is for someone else to swoop in and steal her away from you because you haven’t got balls big enough to make her more than your friend.”

I splutter my tea a little and she cackles in response.

“What the fuck?” I shoot her an exasperated look, but she just grins around the rim of her cup.

She takes a sip, closes her eyes and moans in delight.

“I’m right though, and you know it.”

“She’s my best friend.” I’m gonna die on this damn hill, alone and Edie-less, because Angie is one-hundred percent right—Idon’t have big enough balls. I’m not ready to be the man I need to be to take my relationship with Edie to the next level.

She heaves a sigh out and I avoid her gaze. “The waitress is cute. Why don’t you get her number? Ask her out? She’s been shooting looks over since we ordered.”

I’m thrown a little by the sudden change in direction and I quickly glance over to see the waitress grinning at me. I look away with a frown on my face and catch Angie’s smirk.

“I don’t wanna.” Again I sound like a petulant child, but I can’t help it. I want to shout from the rooftops that I love Edie, that I want her, but I’m also fucking terrified. So instead, I sulk. Not my best moment, I know.

“Fucking idiot,” Angie murmurs against her cup and grabs the dessert menu. After several seconds of silence, she clears her throat and declares, “I’m getting the chocolate fudge cake with two scoops of ice cream. Want one?” She stands from her chair, brow raised in question, and I nod in response. “I’ll order it at the counter so the waitress doesn’t come over again, you big baby.”

I should be taking offence, but she grins and I know she means it in a friendly way. As she strides away, I blow out a breath and get my head straight. Before I know it, she's back and she's very business-like.

“So. You want an idea that says couple, but also isn’t too slutty for her. What about something fairytale like. You know she loves all that crap.Beauty and The Beast,Cinderella,Red Riding Hood… that kind of thing?”

I sit up straighter and smile. My dimples popping and my whole mood taking on another level. Less grumpy and more enthusiastic. “That could work very well. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Oh our cakes are coming.”

A different waiter brings two plates over. He places Angie’s huge piece of chocolate cake in front of her, with three scoopsof vanilla ice cream next to it. She dances in her seat and I have to admit my mouth’s watering at the sight of all that decadence. As the waiter places my plate in front of me, I look up at him, forlorn.

“Um, excuse me? There seems to be a mistake. My cake is a quarter the size of hers and I don’t have any ice cream.” What is it with people skimping on my fucking ice cream? First Penny, and now this place. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Angie was in cahoots with my sister but they couldn’t be… could they?

“I’m sorry, sir, this is all we have. Enjoy.” He winks at Angie and turns on his heels.

“This is absolute bullshit. Let me have one of your scoops of ice cream.” I lean over the table, my spoon ready to take a scoop, when she bats it away with her own spoon.

“Touch my ice cream and die, Brady. You have your own,” she scolds with a smirk on her face. A similar smirk that Penny used to have when she underscooped me back home.

“Have you been talking with Penny?”

A chuckle falls from her lips and she shakes her head. “No idea what you’re talking about.” She dips her spoon into her ice cream and groans in pleasure.

“You two would get along so well. You’re both evil.” I take a huge bite of my cake and frown at her and she giggles with her mouth full of cake and ice cream.

After both plates are cleared, we head out. But before we leave, the waiter approaches Angie and I manage to catch the words, ‘did it work? Was it okay? He isn’t going to complain is he?’ and realise I’ve been set up.

“You sneaky witch. You set me up.” I tuck my hands into my pockets and grin at her.

“Maybe it was punishment for being a douche. Maybe I just like messing with you. You’ll never know.” She pats my shoulderas she leaves the café, and I thank God Penny and Angie live so dang far apart.

22

EDIE

“Red Riding Hood! Is he kidding me? Red fucking Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf is who he wants us to dress up as?” I shriek down the phone at Angie whilst on the bus to my clients house.

A client who wants me to design a nursery for her unborn son and is very particular about what language is said around him whilst he’s in the womb as, apparently, babies can absorb bad language. I wanted to tell her that babies can indeed absorb sounds whilst in utero, but I highly doubt they differentiate between bad words and good. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and smiled politely. She’s paying way too much for me to be a smart arse to her.

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