Page 36 of Drifting Hearts
“Yeah?”
“It’s a date.” I opened the bathroom door and peeked out to make sure that no one would see us leave the room together.
“What about your truck?” Clay asked, following me out into the living room.
“Barbeque. Burned to a crisp.”
“Shit, that sucks.”
“But I got a car and it’s better on fuel.” We paused at the back door and I looked at Clay. “Maybe I’ll take it on a road trip sometime soon.”
Asking him to go with me was on the tip of my tongue, but now wasn’t the time for that. Right now, I had to pretend that Clay was just Clay and not my Clay. I had to sit across from my brother and Clay’s former best friend and pretend that I didn’t feel for him all the tangled and wonderful things I felt for him.
Until I sorted out what those feelings were and what I was willing to do to keep Clay in my life, or even if he wanted to be, it was best not to say anything. I didn’t know what this thing between us was yet and until I did, there was no sense in rocking the boat.
The atmosphere shifted when we stepped out the back door and I swear the temperature dropped ten degrees.
“Clay, you look lovely today,” Mom said to him, wrapping her acceptance and love around him like a protective shield. “Come sit.”
He stepped away and it was then I noticed the walking boot was nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, you got the all clear?” I asked.
Shane and Archer had yet to say anything to him, but that didn’t mean I was going to sit there and ignore his existence.
Clay nodded. “I’m not going to be going on long walks by the beach anytime soon. And the cast comes off Monday.” He wiggled his fingers.
“Will you still be able to draw and shit?” Archer asked.
The color drained from Clay’s face and he stared at Archer with a blank expression on his face like he was carefully folding up the horror that had jumped out of him at the question and tucking it back inside where it was secret and safe and his.
It was hard to tell if Archer’s question was meant to be malicious or if it was an accident, but after the initial shock, Clay seemed determined to take it in stride.
“The prognosis is good.” His voice was strained and his mouth was pressed into a thin, sharp line.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Archer nod, and I thought maybe he hadn’t meant to be an asshole, but his lingering pain made his edges sharper than normal. I’d always thought Archer to be a bit like a porcupine.
The back door swung open and Tia, one of the girls who’d recently lived in the shelter, came out. Her dark hair was piled up on top of her head, contrasting against the bright yellow dress she wore.
“Tia, dear.” Mom stood and embraced her. “You came. How are you?”
Tia had moved out when Clay had needed to move in, but she was ready to go anyway. We weren’t always privy to the girls’ pasts or what they were escaping, or who, when they came to the shelter, but Tia had been open about her abusive relationship. Not every person who came through Mom’s ended up becoming part of the family. Some were only there for a night while they arranged to go stay with family. Others stayed longer, as long as they needed, to get back on their feet.
Tia had stayed for a couple of months before moving in with her sister. Their relationship hadn’t been the best and though Tia insisted she’d be fine with her, Mom convinced her to stay until she was certain Tia would be okay there.
Another familiar face appeared a moment later. Josie had once upon a time stayed with Mom. She now worked at Bennett’s as a waitress, meaning I saw her frequently. We were friendly, but had never bridged that gap to an actual friendship.
“What is that?” Clay asked her, referring to the plant she carried. But it wasn’t a plant. It was a tree. A small, potted tree.
Josie grinned. “It’s a lemon tree. It’s a gift from Taylor.”
Shane leaned back and let out a bellowing laugh. “That little shit. You better accept the plant, Mom, or he’ll break into your house and you’ll wake up in a jungle.”
I quirked an eyebrow at Shane. “What?”
“He’s some sort of plant-growing prodigy. He’s plant-bombed his brother’s houses. Their jobs. He even managed to convince his dad to help him plant-bomb my office a few weeks ago. I am now the proud owner of some sort of green thing. I put Vivian in charge of keeping it alive. I don’t want to explain to Taylor that I killed one of his plant babies.”
The arrival of Tia and Julie lightened the atmosphere. The extra buffers between Clay and Archer made it seem like a normal family gathering. A bit of laughter, a bit of tension, and the promise of Mom’s homemade apple pie for dessert.
