Page 70 of Someday You Learn

Penn laughs as he pops a fry in his mouth. “Women are fascinating creatures, that’s for sure. What did she do?”

I spend the next few minutes telling the guys about the unplugging of the appliances, her giving me shit about ironing my socks, the kiss, and this morning’s little bra-removal incident.

“You iron your fucking socks?” Grady asks from beside me as Dallas hands him his burger.

Penn and Dallas throw their heads back in laughter. “You have to understand something about our little brother,” Dallas says. “Parker is what they call anal-retentive.” Grady nearly chokes on the bite he just took. “He has a system for everything. And if you mess with them, he blows a fucking gasket.”

“I’m notthatbad,” I mumble around a french fry.

“Um, yes you are,” Penn adds as he clasps a hand on my shoulder. “But we love you in spite of it.”

“Gee, thanks.” I look up at the ceiling. “I’m so glad I took time out of my day to have lunch with y’all just to get roasted.”

Dallas flicks me in the forehead. “Oh, calm down.”

I blink up at him. “Did you just…flick me?”

Grady chuckles and pats me on the back. “I’m sorry. That little segue was my fault. Back to Cashlynn. You said she kissed you and stripped off her bra in front of you?”

I shoot him a glare that I wish could singe off his chest hair. “Yes, and if you haven’t noticed, the woman is fucking gorgeous. I’m in quite the predicament.”

Grady shakes his head. “I’m wondering if maybe…she’stryingto drive you crazy?”

Dallas furrows his brow as all three of us look over at Grady. “What do you mean?”

“I could be way off base here, but I remember Scottie telling me about this romance novel her mom and grandma roped her into reading. The guy and girl were roommates for some odd reason, and she knew he liked her, but he wouldn’t act on it. So she did all kinds of shit to push him over the edge.”

I stare at the half-empty Coke in front of me. “Do you really think she’d do that?”

Penn clears his throat. “I mean, none of us know her as well as you do, but at the gallery that day, she had this look in her eyes when she was speaking to you.” He darts his eyes to Dallas and then back to me. “And I hate to say it, but I saw it from you too.”

“What kind of look?’ Grady asks.

“The kind that if Willow and I weren’t in the building with them, they probably would have been naked and fucking up against the wall.”

I shake my head. “You didn’t see shit,” I grumble, even as my mind unhelpfully replays that exact fantasy.

He shoves my shoulder. “Parker, it’s okay to fucking like her.”

I turn to face Penn. “This isn’t grade school. This is my fucking life.”

Dallas decides it’s time to chime in. “Yes, it is, and you’ve been wallowing and stomping through it for four fucking years, Parker.”

Penn shoves my shoulder again. “You have a woman living under your roof who you’ve already slept with, you know you have a connection with, and who is genuinely trying to help you while helping herself. You’d be a fool not to explore more with her.”

“She does give you those googly eyes,” Dallas adds. “I bet she fuckingwantsyou and is trying to get you to make a move.”

“Then why not just tell me?”

All three of them laugh. “Oh yeah, because you’re so open to talking about your feelings,” Penn says mockingly.

“Let’s be real—none of us are. The only way Willow can get me to open up is if we have sex first,” Dallas admits.

Grady turns to him. “That’s weird. I always feel like talking about my feelings and shit after Scottie and I have sex too.”

“Fuck, me too,” Penn says as all three of them stare at one another.

And then a lightbulb clicks on in Dallas’s eyes. “Holy shit. Has Cashlynn been hanging out with the girls?”

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