Page 13 of Heart Strain

“Oh no, she totally did it out of spite.” I shoot him a grin before going through the green light. “We had another cat that was actually really sweet, but Butterball ruined all cats for me.”

“Butterball?”

“Don’t look at me, that was all Hendrix’s doing. He named her Butterball because she had a little chubby belly when we got her.”

“How old were you guys?”

“Um, maybe eight? Something like that.”

“And you still wanted to work with animals after that?”

I shrug. “I love animals. We had a dog growing up named Raven and she was awesome.” More like she was my best friend since I didn’t have any other friends growing up. “Actually, you might’ve met her back in high school.”

He thought about it for a few seconds. “Was she black and medium-sized?”

“Yep.”

“What kind of dog was she?”

“A mutt. We rescued her when I was in first grade. She actually slept in my bed her whole life.”

He’s quiet for a moment, then softly asks, “She died when we were seniors, didn’t she?”

I nod and sigh. “Yep.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shoot him a sad smile. “Thanks. It was a long time ago.” I pull into the parking lot of the restaurant and change the subject. “I can’t believe how hungry I am. I didn’t really eat lunch.”

“Why not?”

That’s an innocent enough question, but I don’t think answering with I was scared of being left alone since Gavin was leaving and I didn’t want to puke on him at the airport is really something he needs to know, so I shrug and ignore the question. “This is one of my favorite restaurants.”

“Really? Mine too.”

I smile at him after I put the car in park. “Awesome. Then you won’t think it’s weird when I order a meal to go so I have it for tomorrow night, too.”

He chuckles as we get out of the car. “I’ll still think it’s weird.”

“Hey, where else can you get the best teriyaki and tacos?”

He shakes his head as he laughs, and we walk into the restaurant together. Luckily, it’s a weekday, so we get seated right away, and when the waitress takes our drink order, I ask for an order of chips and salsa because I hadn’t been lying, I was freaking starving.

“We should definitely get dessert, too,” I say as I eye the chocolatey thing on the menu.

He grins at me. “Are you planning ahead so you don’t eat too much of your meal?”

“No way. I’m eating everything. That was just a warning that you might be stuck with me for a while.”

He snorts out a laugh without looking up from his menu, so I take the opportunity to look him over. The years have been kind to him. Who am I kidding? He’s even sexier now than he was back in high school, and that’s saying something. Even when he’s tired and stressed, he looks good with his soft green eyes and chiseled jaw covered in scruff. His lips are plump, and I bet they’re soft and would feel remarkable on my skin. The way his lips keep tugging down in the corners makes me want to make them smile. Even with his short-cropped hair a little on the messy side—like he’d run his hands through it a few times—he looks stunning. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone look so sexy without knowing how sexy he is. Jameson doesn’t put off that vibe that he thinks he’s hot, yet he’s the hottest guy I’ve seen since coming back.

When I finally pull my eyes up from his lips, I realize I’ve been caught staring. Shit. Way to blow it with your brother’s straight partner, Holden. Now he’s going to avoid you even more than he already was.

I clear my throat and look down at my own menu, avoiding eye contact as my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I can’t believe he just caught me ogling him. Of course, I had to go and make it awkward the first time I get him to talk to me again. I’m a jerk.

“Do you know what you’re getting?” Jameson asks, making me snap my eyes back up to him. Surprisingly, he’s looking me in the eyes and not avoiding the gay dude’s gaze.

“Um… the tofu tacos, I think. I might order the enchiladas with tofu to go later.” He’s still holding eye contact, so maybe I didn’t mess up as badly as I thought. Or maybe he’s just good at ignoring things. Either way, I’ll take it since he’s the only person I even remotely want to be around in this town other than my brother.

He shoots me a grin. “I forgot you’re a vegetarian. I’m surprised you like this place.”

“They have a lot of things I can eat, and they always substitute with tofu if I ask, so they actually have more than a lot of places around here.”

“That’s good.”

When his eyes sweep down at his menu again, it takes me a full minute to realize I’m staring—again—and I end up jerking my head back and glancing around the restaurant. I’m pretty sure he didn’t see me being creepy that time. At least, I hope not. God, I hope he didn’t notice. I don’t need to keep making the only person I like in this place uncomfortable. Jesus, Holds, get your act together or you’ll be all alone again.

I try to avoid watching him, but for some reason, I can’t seem to help it. His eyes keep surveying the room, but I don’t think he’s really focusing on anything in front of him. He just seems so disheartened and I have a feeling it’s more than Drix being in the hospital that’s making those frown lines appear on his face. And yeah, okay, I like looking at him because, well, hot damn.

God, Hendrix is gonna kill me when he wakes up and notices how much I like ogling his partner.

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