Page 10 of More Trouble
“I have no idea. We’re going to have to work together.” It was the truth. I couldn’t exactly tell Michel what the issue was.Oh, Michel, you know the new girl? Well, I screwed her and her sister during one night of drunken spring break debauchery back in senior year and I don’t think I can work with her. Can you make sure we’re not rostered on at the same time?He’d laugh in my face and tell me to suck it up.
“Is she still hot?” asked Maddox.
I balled up a napkin and threw it at his face. “You’re dating my sister and I’m only just coming to terms with it. Asking me if the girl I slept with six years ago is still hot makes me want to smash your face in again.”
He threw up his hands in apology. “Sorry, buddy. It just slipped out.”
“Well, don’t let Lyla hear you talk like that. She’s got a mean right hook.” I rubbed my jaw where she’d slapped me the other night. “And if you mess things up with her, I’ll knock you into next week.”
He nodded. “Got it. Don’t intend on messing things up though.”
“Good to hear.”
While we finished eating, we talked about sports and how Maddox was getting on restoring the car of his dreams. It was still hard to believe Lyla had found it for him. There was so much about my sister I didn’t know any more. I never even realized she was into cars herself. Probably a hefty chunk of that interest came from Maddox.
After Adriana had cleared away our plates and brought fresh beers, I sat back in the booth and turned to Wes.
“You said you had big news, man. Are you going to keep us in suspense much longer?”
Wes grinned. “It’s about time you knew, Scarlett said she was going to tell Willa today.”
At the mention of Willa’s name, my insides went funny. It had to be something major if Scarlett was telling Willa too.
“We’re having a baby!”
“Wes! Seriously?” I leaned across the table and slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s fantastic news!”
“He or she is going to have the best two uncles in the world.”
I noticed Maddox didn’t look as shocked as me. “What’s up, buddy? Aren’t you happy for them?”
He twisted his napkin in his hands, looking awkward. “I kind of knew already. Wes told me the other day.”
Even though I was happy about Wes’ news, I was disappointed he’d told Maddox first.
“I had to say something to convince him to make a go of things with Lyla,” explained Wes. “Sorry, Andre, it wasn’t personal.”
I shrugged. “It’s fine, I’m being a dick. Today kicked my ass and I don’t know what to do about Jessy.”
“There is something else both of you get to find out at the same time though.” Wes reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square-shaped velvet box. “I only decided this afternoon when I saw this in the jewelry store.” He flipped open the lid. Nestled inside was a beautifully simple solitaire diamond ring.
Both Maddox and I drew breath. It was absolutely perfect for Scarlett and she would love it.
My chest hitched. Whether it was everything that had happened over the weekend, finding out about Maddox and Lyla, then seeing Jessy again, I didn’t know. I swallowed hard. “Wes, she’s going to love it. When are you going to ask her?”
“No time like the present. If I hadn’t have agreed to seeing you guys for food, I’d have asked her already.”
“Wes, I’m pretty sure she’s going to say yes.” Maddox laughed, although he looked every bit as emotional as I did.
“I hope so, man, I really hope so.” Wes pushed his way out of the booth.
“Did you tell Jack?” I asked, watching as Maddox’s face turned to a grimace. I still didn’t get what went wrong between them.
“You heard about his accident, right?”
I nodded. Jack Cairney was our other best friend. There was some footage on YouTube of the incident. Jack’s bike squirrelled up the track and spat him off on a corner at some ridiculous speed. As far as I knew, his injuries were serious, although not life-threatening. I’d tried to contact him but, unsurprisingly, hadn’t heard anything back. “Yeah, I don’t know how he is though.”
“Heard he was still in the hospital, might even be coming back to Cali Cross as his season’s over.” Wes shook his head. “I’ve messaged him a couple of times.”
