Page 34 of The Problem with Fire
I shook my head. “No. Today is his first day off on this rotation,” I told her. “He’s back to work on Tuesday.”
She looked at her watch. “Give me your phone,” she demanded.
“No,” I scowled. “Why?”
“Goddamn it,” she growled, and snatched it from my hand. I watched as her fingers flew across the screen at record pace.
“What are you doing? What did you do?” I asked, snatching my phone back. When I looked at my texts, I almost fell off my chair.
Me:Cum over and prove it.
My eyes flew towards her, and she was already on the phone with Vernon. “I’m drunk,” she announced. “I need you to come get me and while I pass out, I need you to take the kids to Sequoia’s.” Sequoia’s was an arcade that catered to older kids, and it was Leta’s and Jennifer’s favorite place to go.
Karma was the fucking best. But before I could tell her so, my phone dinged again.
Sayer:Leaving my parents’ house now.
Karma hung up her phone and grinned at me. “What’d he say?”
“He’s on his way over,” I replied, grinning like a drunken loon.
She pointed a finger at me. “That smile, right there, is what tells me you’re already in love with the guy, Monroe.” It was on the tip of my tongue to automatically deny it, but I couldn’t. I had no idea what I was feeling.
But if it was love, I’d know it soon enough.
Chapter 18
Sayer~
Pretty sure I was in love. Like full-blown, can’t-stop-thinking-about-her, ain’t-no-sunshine-when-she’s-gone, actually-letting-Jake-plan-our-wedding in love with Monroe Stewart. I was pretty sure I was in love with her best friend, Karma, too.
When I had arrived at Monroe’s Saturday, she had drunkenly informed me that Karma was keeping Leta occupied, so that we could get in a quickie. I’d had some serious reservations about screwing Monroe while she’d been drinking, but she had gotten me to comply by explaining that it would only be taking advantage of her if we hadn’t already fucked. I hadn’t necessarily agreed with that viewpoint, but I was a weak man when it came to Monroe Stewart. Our quickie had turned into two hours of hard, rough fucking before Monroe had sobered up completely and threw me out of her house because Leta would be home soon.
Now it was only goddamn Wednesday, and I wasn’t going to be able to see her until Saturday at the neighborhood barbecue, where I was hoping we’ll be able to come clean with everyone. This keeping our relationship a secret was killing me.
“Hayes!” I turned when I heard Demarcus’ voice. “You got a visitor.”
My stomach dipped at the idea that Monroe might be visiting me at work. I mean, who else could it be? I suppose it could be Gideon or one of my parents, but they’d call or text first to make sure I wasn’t busy.
When I walked out of the recreation room, I found motherfucking Thomas Burns standing near the man door of the truck garage.
What. The. Fuck?
I walked towards him, my stomach dipping for another reason altogether. When I stopped in front of him, I made sure I was clear on where I stood. “Is Monroe okay?”
Thomas scowled. “Well…yes. Why wouldn’t she be?”
I was a couple of inches taller than Thomas and I enjoyed that like an insecure teenage jerk. “Well, I can’t see any other reason why you’d be here unless something was wrong with Monroe.” Which reminded me, we were going to have to update our emergency contact lists. A little too soon? Maybe. But then, it was too soon to plan a wedding, but that wasn’t stopping anyone.
Thomas bristled as he straightened to his full height-which was two inches shorter than me-and replied, “I came here to tell you to stay away from my family.”
I barked out a laugh.
I couldn’t help it.
Was this dude for real?
And just to be an asshole…“Well, seeing as how we’re neighbors, that’d be kind of hard,” I smirked.
