Page 23 of The Rebound
Sheesh. Hello, Mr. Grumpy Pants.
When Walker came back into my life and more or less saved my pregnant butt from financial ruin, I thought I was seeing a brand-new side of him. A kinder, gentler, more generous side. It was like he’d become a new man in the years we’d spent apart. Someone who had really gotten his life together and genuinely wanted to do right by his kid sister.
Now,thiscrabby old man?Thisis the Walker I remember from my childhood. Bossy. Dramatic. Protective to a fault.
“Well, thank you for the tea.”
“You’re welcome.”
It’s awkwardly silent for a few minutes while we wait for our drinks. Walker lets out a heavy sigh. He’s acting like such a child.
How do I convince him that I’m an adult who is capable of making her own decisions? I’ve been on my own for so long, I haven’t needed to prove my independence to anyone, except when Mom unexpectedly calls me and unloads all her pent-up judgment on my life. Then I feel like I have to defend all my life choices.
Gotta love family, right?
I tiptoe into this conversation like I’m dismantling a bomb. “So, do you want to talk about what your deal with Saint is, or—”
Walker turns to me, his eyes blazing. “Look, Kin, I don’t know how many ways I can say it. Saint is a bad guy.”
“I hear you, and I respect your position,” I say, feeling like I’m talking to a disgruntled client. Or an angry toddler? I really hope toddlers aren’t like this, since I’ll be raising one pretty soon. “But that’s just not been my experience with him.”
“Right. Yourexperience. And I’m sure you’ve had a whole lot of that in the, what ... three weeks you’ve lived here?” Walker shoots me a condescending look, and I glare at him in response.
No matter how utterly pissed off he is at me—at Saint, at thiswholesituation—I refuse to sink to his level and trade jabs with him.
“Can we please be adults here?”
“You’re the one fucking my teammate behind my back like we’re in high school again.”
“High school? Ineverfucked—”
“Large iced hibiscus?” a small voice says from behind the counter. The barista holds out my pink-and-purple drink with a pinched look of well-placed worry.
If I didn’t know Walker, I’d be worried about his behavior too. I look around to find the other customers side-eyeing us from the small tables and booths.
Okay, we’re definitely making a scene.Awesome.
I smile politely and thank the barista before heading to the farthest corner of the coffee shop to wait for Walker to join me. Maybe he’ll chill out once he’s had a little caffeine. I’m wiping the condensation off the sides of my icy drink when he slumps into the seat across from me.
Sure enough, after a few sips, he starts to mellow.
“I just don’t understand how this could have happened.” Walker sighs, abandoning his anger for something a little more exhausted.
I almost feel bad for him. He’s clearly distraught over this entire thing.
“We live in the same building, Walker. He found me trying to carry a heavy package and offered—”
“A package? I could have brought that up for you.”
“Oh, and then you were gonna fly back to the Gulf when you were done? Be realistic. I needed help in that moment, and Saint was there. There was nothing to it.”
“Nothing?” Walker narrows his eyes. “What I witnessed this morning didn’t look likenothing.It looked like a whole lot ofsomething.”
“You mean a fun night between two consenting adults? Then yeah, that was something.”
A very nice something, but I can’t let myself sink into the warm memories of Saint’s hands—or mouth—right now.
My brother visibly shudders. “Come on, Kinley. I don’t wanna hear about that.”
