Page 99 of The Manny

He pushed his hands in his pockets, studying me. “We’ve known you a long time, boss. I’ve been with you since the beginning.”

“Yes.”

He shrugged. “I like you. I think I understand you. To me, that’s friendship.”

“I see.”

“I’ve had bosses in the past I didn’t care about. You’re a different kind of boss. You don’t share much of yourself, but you always take an interest in me and the boys. You have our backs. We notice that and want to have your back too.”

“Okay,” I said gruffly. “If that’s what friendship is, then I suppose we are friends.”

He laughed. “You look so uptight right now, I’m kind of sorry I brought any of this up. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We were simply curious if maybe Thomas was the reason you seemed happier. Apparently, we got that wrong.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry, Brody. Sorry I don’t know how to be more open.”

“You don’t have to apologize for how you are.” He gave a weak smile. “But thank you for saying you’re sorry. Means a lot, boss.”

I winced. “It’s the least I can do after biting your head off.Again. I’m not good at a lot of things, but getting people mad at me? Now that I can do without even trying.”

“Nah. We’re good.”

I was relieved he seemed okay with me. I really didn’t want to be at odds with Brody and the guys. I had enough of a problem waiting for me at home. Thomas would no doubt have something to say to me. He wasn’t one to hold his tongue for long, and it had been obvious he wasn’t happy when he’d left with Mia earlier.

I met Brody’s gaze and said, “You boys should take off. This is the last tent we need to break down. It’s been a long day. I’ll finish up.”

“It’s been a long day for you too.”

“Yeah, but, it’s my responsibility.”

He laughed. “Nice try. I’ll tell the guys they can go, but I’m not leaving till you do.”

“That’s silly. Go home. Seriously, this isn’t your problem.”

“I’m making it my problem.”

Trying not to smile at his stubbornness, I grumbled, “You’re like a damn collie, Brody. Loyal to a fault.”

“Yep.” He snorted a laugh. “Honestly, Brody wouldn’t be a bad name for a collie, right? Lassie. Laddie. Brody. They’re all kind of similar.”

I shook my head. “Maybe I’ll buy you a ham bone on the way home, as a reward.”

“Sounds awesome.” He smirked. “Just don’t get rawhide. It makes me gassy.”

I grinned and went back to work. Maybe I didn’t understand the ins and outs of friendship, but this connection I had with Brody and the guys was nice. Comforting. I needed to treat it more carefully in the future because I didn’t want to lose it.

****

By the time I got home, Mia was asleep and, since Thomas wasn’t around, I assumed he was too. To be honest, I was relieved. I was afraid he’d want to have a serious conversation, and I wasn’t sure I had it in me. I was extremely confused about my feelings toward Thomas at the moment. I doubted I’d know how to articulate anything worth hearing.

Exhausted from socializing all day, I just wanted a shower, a beer, and some food before I fell into bed. I decided the shower should come first, so I headed into the master bathroom. I took a long hot shower, trying to relax and let go of the stress of the day. Once I’d toweled off and dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, I felt human again.

When I entered the kitchen, I found a note from Thomas on the coffeemaker, telling me he’d made spaghetti and that it was in the fridge. I heated a generous portion for myself, and then sat at the kitchen table with a beer and my steaming plate of food. I’d been pretty good about eating dinner with Mia and Thomas the last month and a half, so it was oddly lonely eating by myself. Considering I’d spent most of my life alone, I wasn’t sure why I even noticed.

Once I’d polished off my food, I rinsed the dish and then grabbed another beer. I went out to the back patio and sat down, staring up at the stars. I wanted to clear my mind of everything stressful, yet Gus’ toxic words circled my brain.

Are you enjoying how… hands-on… Thomas is, Jack?

“Asshole,” I growled, taking a big gulp of beer. Since I had no interest in a relationship with Thomas, or anyone for that matter, I couldn’t understand why I was so pissed off by what Gus had said. Why did I care if Thomas was a slut or not? Perhaps I simply didn’t like the fact that he’d fooled me? Thomas had said he didn’t sleep around. That he wasn’t promiscuous. If he’d lied, then he’d played me. Maybe my pride was what had me so riled up.

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