Page 42 of Hot Mess Express
“Jimmy’s big stunt after you took his prom date from him. Oh, I remember I could’ve spit fire when anyone mentioned yours or Jazzy’s names.” She chuckles as she digs through her cup of pens, choosing a different one to twirl around. “I keep finding myself wondering why I’m so quick to judge people. Cody, just from what I heard. You, also from what I heard, how you did Jimmy wrong—”
“There’s a lot more to that story,” I cut her off, “and it was ages ago, besides. All of that’s in the past. Even Mrs. Strong loves me now. Why else would she invite me to make a fool of myself at that crazy bachelor circus?”
“No, no, that’s the point, that’s what I’m getting at.” She sets her pens aside. “How many more scandals is it gonna take before I realize all I got to do to see the truth is use my gullible ears a little less and my trusty eyes a little more? Cody isn’t bad. He’s a saint. And maybe you’re not so bad either, Mr. Myers.”
I huff. “Well, about time someone around here realizes that.”
She laughs, finding that funny, I guess. Then she stops. “You know what? I’ve got a friend who’s about your age, and she just finished up college last spring and may settle down here for a year or two. Oh, I think you both would be justperfecttogether! More I look at you, more I can see it. You two’d make the cutest babies.” Suddenly she’s on her feet. “This is just what my boring life needs.Pleaselet me set you up! I wanna be a maid of honor someday!”
I laugh that off. “Carly, hey, hey, calm down—”
“Carla.”
“I’m not lookin’ for nothin’ with nobody, thanks. I just need to see Trey, and preferably before you start ringin’ my ownwedding bells before I even picked out a tux.”
“Just one date, would you? One little date? I’ll pay for it. Even go to Nadine’s if you want, out in Fairview, fancy Nadine’s.”
The restaurant Juniper and I were sent to on an all-expenses-paid date after she won me at the auction, when we laughed too much, disturbed everyone, and couldn’t take anything seriously. I dropped my knife six times. She drove the waiter crazy asking for two whole bottles of wine that she nearly downed herself—it was damned impressive. We must’ve been there for two whole hours. Even the head chef Mario Tucci himself came out twice to ask—in a stuffy voice I think he was hoping came off polite—if we needed anything else before leaving. After that door hit our drunk asses on the way out, I’m sure we were placed on a secret blacklist.
“Unless it’s that you aren’t into women?”
I come out of it. “Huh?”
“Did I get you all wrong?” Carla lifts her eyebrows. “Oh, would you’ve been more excited if it’d been a guy friend of mine?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t. Some people don’t. They say it with theireyes.” She winks at me. “Is that what this is? Are you telling it to me with your eyes, Mr. Myers?”
I’m not sure why her question has my heart dancing around in a full panic. Nor why it made me suddenly hug the jacket to my chest even tighter.
Then I see Bridger in this jacket.
A flash of his face right in front of mine. On the church floor.
Kissing.
What the fuck?
“Anthony?” calls Trey’s voice from behind.
I turn my head so fast, it pops. He’s at the front door tothe clinic. “Trey!” I leave the front desk—and Carla’s annoyingly giddy eyes like she just struck gossip gold—and that random-ass vision of Bridger I just had and won’t even attempt to explain—and come right up to him. “I thought you went out to lunch or something.”
“Forgot my wallet, of all things.” Trey chuckles and shakes his head, then smiles. “Thanks for fixing all the lights, by the way. The annex is nice n’ bright for Cody’s trauma group and my dad’s book club meetings. No weird, dark, buzzing spots.”
I stare at him, confused for a second. All the lights? I barely began fixing the first one before I fell off the ladder. There must’ve been six or seven problem lights on that cursed-ass ceiling.
“You’re … Y-You’re welcome,” I decide to say, still at a loss.
“May still go through with my plan to paint the annex green—I love green, got a thing for it. But even once you’ve picked a color, it’s all abouttones. Never in my life did I realize there could be so many damnedgreens. But once I settle on one, would you be up for the job? Oh.” He lifts his eyebrows. “Sorry, I didn’t even ask what you came here for! Are you okay? I’m sorry about what happened at Gran’s. I hope you didn’t get in trouble for it or anything.”
I’m still trying to figure out the light thing. “Uh …”
“Shoot, itwasbad, huh? Don’t worry,” he quickly tells me, “I’ll have a talk with Gran. Bridger’s totally fine. Even laughed it off.”
“He … laughed it off?”
“Yeah, said next time he won’t order a well-done anything. He didn’t even care about the A1/habanero mix-up, either. Said he likes spicy food and wished he could have enjoyed it more, had he not been so hasty and choked on that bite.”
