Page 78 of Houston, We Have a Problem
Is he serious? “I’m dating Darcy.”
“You are apparently dating Tamlin too. How was La Bella, anyway? I’ve always wanted to go there.”
My jaw drops. “Did you look into me too? What the hell, Chad?”
“Language.”
“Shut up.”
“Hou, I’m just trying to—”
“You’re not my dad.” As soon as those words leave my mouth, I regret them. And not just because it makes me sound thirteen instead of twenty-eight. I’ve hurt him, even if he tries to play it off as nothing.
I swallow, my appetite gone. “I didn’t mean that. You’re a hundred times the man he is, and I know you’re trying to help me. But this is the first time I really feel like I’ve been in charge of my own life. I just need to figure this out on my own, okay?”
My dating life isn’t the only decision I need to make in my life right now, and Fujimura’s words echo in my head, giving me a headache. Why did all of this have to happen at once? Why couldn’t I have figured out my future andthenmet Darcy? Or Tamlin? Whichever one isn’t going to end up breaking my heart. As it stands right now, I might be the one to break my own heart if I keep being so confused about everything.
I’m not supposed to be interested in Tamlin, but every time I see her, it’s like I’m pulled closer in her orbit because I learn something new. I see more of the real woman beneath the perfect mask.
“You okay, Texas?”
“Probably not,” I admit. “It shouldn’t be possible to fall for two women at the same time, right?”
He almost smiles, which isn’t what I expected. “It’s unlikely,” he agrees.
“I like Darcy. A lot. I feel like I can be myself around her without any expectations, and she’s always been so genuine.” And then there’s the fact that I really like kissing her and can’t wait to do it again when I see her tomorrow night.
“But?”
I never thought I’d see the day when I went toChadfor dating advice. He dated the same awful woman for six years up until about seven months ago, and before that I rarely saw him go out. And yet here I sit, desperate for him to tell me what I should do.
I shove my hands into my hair. “But you might be right about the way I feel about Tamlin. I’m more excited to see her tomorrow than I realized. I thought we’d both decided that we would work better as friends, but I’m clearly not thinking of us as just friends.”
As he grabs a taco, Chad mutters something that sounds like, “You’re not the only one.”
And I go on high alert. “What is that supposed to mean?” I ask right as he stuffs the entire taco in his mouth.
He takes his time chewing, something I know he does on purpose because Chad is generally a vacuum cleaner, especially when it comes to good Mexican food. “I thought you wanted to figure things out on your own,” he finally says after swallowing.
Is he trying to drive me crazy? Because it’s working. “You are infuriating,” I grumble.
“I’m your brother. I’m supposed to be infuriating. Are you going to make me eat all of these on my own?”
“Definitely not. You’re fat enough as it is.”
We spend the next twenty minutes eating in silence and watching highlights from last night’s Lobos game, and a text comes in from Darcy right as we’re heading back to Chad’s truck.
Darcy: Twenty-eight more hours.
Warmth spreads through me knowing she’s counting down the hours like I am. But there’s a bit of unease churning in my stomach as well. (I’m hoping that’s just too much hot sauce and not actual foreboding.) A lot can happen in a day, and I’m going to be spending a good chunk of tomorrow with Tamlin.
Let’s hope I’m not as much of an idiot as I think I am, or I’m going to ruin everything by being indecisive.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Darcy
November 2
