Page 22 of Control Line

Their plates were crumbs but his was full next to Zee, so he sat and ate, even though he was no longer hungry for food. Zee turned, giving him a smile and a quick pat on the knee before her walls went back up. He could hear each brick click into place. Practically see the reconstruction. It was like watching an implosion of a building in reverse.

Emerson, with Norman on her shoulder, grabbed her and Grant’s plate. Zee stood, scooping up hers and scraping crumbs off the table with her napkin onto it, before turning and heading to the sink.

Barney felt lucky she’d gifted him a smile and small touch that were genuine and unencumbered. But he was a greedy man, he wanted more. A lot more. When the voice in his head said I want it all, it rocked him back in his chair.

Did he want to start something,start something,with Zee? Saying neither one was in an optimum place in life was the understatement of the century.

She was still processing her previous relationship and Barney was still dead. How was this going to work? When Yogi Patrol ended, if he still hadn’t found his proof of life, so to speak, where would that leave them? Him living in her tiny cabin with her with just his buddies scraping off the top of their pay and nothing else. Zee would take all the risks financially since she was the only one with a credit rating.

Could he do that to a woman? He’d been raised in a traditional household with traditional gender roles. Could he buck the system if their relationship went anywhere? It wasn’t like he wouldn’t be bringing in an income, but everything would have to be in her name.

Barney was mindlessly eating when a chip got lodged in his throat. The coughing fit brought him back to reality at least. Hell, he’d dropped so far down the rabbit hole, he saw the Mad Hatter. He was getting way,wayahead of himself. They were barely friends. From that to mortgage and shared debt was a hell of a long way off.

He wasn’t even sure why his mind went down that road. Maybe he just really needed to get laid and solve his personal shit, fast. It was messing with his mind.

“I know that look.” Grant had a smug mien. Barney turned to see where the women were before he answered.

“What look, Grant?”

“That one.” Grant indicated Barney in general. “You look like Zee might be a little more than a conquest to you. Is that so?” At first, he sounded amused, but when he asked the last question, he sounded more like his dad.

Barney let his sandwich fall to the plate and pushed it away. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Why are you asking anything now? Saturday you warned me away and assumed I was trying to get in her pants. Now you’re acting like my answer matters.”

Grant sighed and Barney could tell he’d struck the heart of the matter. Grant was a good friend, one of his best he’d venture to say, but he never felt it went both ways. “You’ve always thought the worst of me, so why should I even bother to respond? You’re going to believe what you want.”

Barney was good and worked up now. He was itching to get away from this complete bullshit so he could think straight.

“Barnes, it’s not like that.”

“Really? So, what’s it like then?”

There was a moment he felt sorry for his friend, but it evaporated. “Let’s be honest, you earned the reputation. Hell, you revel in it, except now. Which is how I know something I didn’t know Saturday. You care about her, at least on some level. Or you want to.”

The upward inflection at the end told Barney Grant was unsure where he stood and was trying to root it out. Barney was a dick and didn’t give him anything.

Grant couldn’t take it anymore. “Seriously, man. I know I warned you off because, well. . .” He let his words trail off as he swigged some water. Still, Barney sat with his arms crossed and waited. A twinge of guilt needled him at letting his friend twist in the wind, especially when he was only looking out for Zee.

“So, have you two, um, gotten to know each other?”

“If you’re asking if I fucked her, the answer is no.”

“Not just physically, you jackass. I mean have you shared anything with her other than your cocky smile and douchebag attitude.”

Barney grinned at the description. Grant knew him well.

“Maybe. At least I started to, but we haven’t had a lot of time together. I did learn some things about her, though.” Barney omitted the part that it was through a door after listening to her touch herself.

The shocked look on Grant’s face made his day.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Little Barney is growing up before my very eyes.” Grant laughed and Barney joined him.

Maybe there was more to Zee than he thought. He was looking forward to eight o’clock even more now that he’d opened his mind to the possibility.

As soon as he settled his death, he might just go for more than he ever wanted before.

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