Page 111 of Just One of the Groomsmen
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Since every male ever always claimed Hooter’s simply had the best wings, Addie stifled her comment about them not being that good—the ones at the Old Firehouse definitely tasted better.
But then she’d be the girl, and not only did she feel like the girl tonight, she felt like the bitter, jealous girlfriend.
Which was also stupid because she would’ve felt left out if they hadn’t brought her along.
Watching the waitresses flirt with Tucker had been akin to torture, and it sucked she couldn’t just loop her arm over his shoulders, kiss his cheek, and make it clear they’d better back the hell off.
If I land the job, I’ll be gone a lot, and with how many pretty women hit on Tucker…
Her insecurities flared and she bit the inside of her cheek to redirect the ache in her chest. Who wanted a relationship with someone who needed constant reassurance?
At the same time, how many times had she been left behind once those types of girls stepped onto the scene?
They wrapped up dinner, and then Tucker and Easton helped Shep into Ford’s truck. Addie tugged off his dirt-crusted shoe, gently palpated around the outside of the ankle to check the swelling, and rolled it through a series of movements to check his range of motion.
“Elevate it as much as you can, take some more ibuprofen as soon as you get home, and ice it again before you go to bed. You’ll need to stay off it as much as you can the next few days.”
Shep saluted her, the smart-ass. “Got it, doc.”
“What she said,” Ford so helpfully added.
She rolled her eyes but then noticed something was off about Ford. He was distracted and subdued—rare for the guy with the larger-than-life personality.
Instead of climbing into the truck, she held back. “What’s up? Did you not get the waitress’s phone number?”
“I got it,” he said, his voice monotone. She didn’t even know he could do monotone.
“You’re usually happier after something like that. I feel like if I lifted my hand for a high five, you’d leave me hanging.”
He opened his mouth, clearly trying to summon some of that Ford charm, but then he sighed. “I know. I’ve been off my game lately. It’s not a big deal.”
When she focused on their past few interactions and tried to pinpoint when things had shifted, a lightbulb went off in her head. He’d gone down south to help after a storm had flooded several towns. “Did something happen on your last job?”
“It was definitely one of my rougher jobs. Saw more devastation than usual and… I’ve held people’s lives in my hands before, but this time, with this certain woman…” Some kind of emotion flickered in his eyes before he shut it down, so quickly she couldn’t read it—she almost wished for a deck of cards, because she could read him easier when it came to poker. “Things just feel different now is all.”
She gave him her most seriousspill-itlook and he returned his obstinateain’t-gonnaone. “Fine. I can’t pretend I’ve experienced anything like that, but lemme know if you need to talk about it. I know I’m not the best with emotions, but—”
“I appreciate it, Murph,” he said, patting her on the back and effectively ending that conversation.
She tried not to let it bother her. Usually she was the first to hear about his ventures, mostly because they turned into medical talk and the rest of the guys tended to tune out the “boring” or “disturbing” details.
When things got heavy, like with a hiker his team found on the brink of starvation, he came to her as well.
While she desperately wanted to dig, she respected his boundaries and wouldn’t push—not unless it grew worse. Instead she’d watch him and reiterate he could talk to her anytime, about anything.
After one last look to convey that, and a nod from him, Addie climbed into the back of the truck along with Tucker and Easton so Shep could stretch out his ankle. His mostly silent cousin sat in the middle of the front seat, and Addie wondered if they’d traumatized him or if he was always that quiet.
Or maybe he had a lot on his mind. Now that she had a moment to think, her brain started bringing up all the things weighing on it, and concern over Ford tumbled into the rest of the messy mix.
What if she left andheneeded her? The rest of the guys would be there for him no matter what, but he’d never open up to them the way she might eventually force him to open up to her—their macho egos would get in the way of admitting any kind of weakness.
Not that she was much better…
What if she rushed things with Tucker because of her possible job opportunity and they weren’t ready for the big talk? Why couldn’t they simply enjoy the beginning stage? When things were light and fun?
Because you know each other too well and you have to be a grown-up, even if it sometimes sucks.
