Page 21 of Flirting With Fire
Meyer huffed. “You’re right. I don’t. I got here two days ago, and you haven’t climbed off ever since.”
“Ihaven’t?” The pitcher almost flew across the room when I flung my arms around. “You’re the one who was biting my head off the second I ran across you in the road, trudging along.”
Meyer’s eyes were fixed on the pitcher. “Calm down, cowboy. That’ll make a mess if you lose control of the reins.”
“Boys! You can hang out and chat later! My roast is getting cold.”
We both snorted simultaneously. If I weren’t so enraged, it would’ve been funny.
Meyer heaved a sigh. “Let’s drop it, okay?”
I grunted. “Consider it dropped.”
I sucked in a breath and charged ahead.He’d better not be staring at my ass. I couldn’t pretend like I wasn’t burning with curiosity about the ex. Or more importantly, about Meyer’s interests.
Lindy was slicing away at the roast when we arrived in the dining room. “Finally. I know you both have years of catching up to do, but the night is still young.”
Oh God. She was right. It wasn’t even six yet. We always ate early on Sundays. As a rancher, going to bed early was my norm,and she was used to that. But I doubt even she would believe I needed to be in bed at the stroke of eight.
Thankfully, once we settled at the table and started eating, Lindy had lots to say, so I was saved from having to converse with her precious son.
“This is wonderful, Lindy, as always,” I said. I figured it might be a good idea to start sowing the seeds of an early exit. “Not sure I’ll have room for cake after such an incredible meal, though.”
She waved her hand at me. “Then you’ll have to relax with us in the living room after dinner until you build back your appetite.”
Walked right into that one. I wanted to slap myself.
“Oh!” Lindy set down her fork as if she’d been struck by lightning. “I had a thought earlier and mentioned it to Meyer, but we got distracted by another topic. I told him you have a little guest house for rent.” She grinned. “Dex, wouldn’t it be incredible to have Meyer living with you at the ranch?”
I gasped, my food going down the wrong pipe, and I started choking and coughing. Was she crazy? I kept coughing, my thoughts ping-ponging between how to get out of renting my guesthouse to Meyer and trying to breathe.
“Oh my God, Meyer! Do something! He’s choking on meat!”
Laughing at her words was impossible, so I decided to save it for later should I survive. Meyer was already behind me, pounding on my back while I reached for a glass of lemonade. Before my fingers had a chance to curl around the glass, though, Meyer had me in a Heimlich hold and was squeezing the life out of me with short bursts of strength that left me more turned on than saved.
At last, with tears streaming down my face and a healthy dose of abject humiliation, I coughed up the offending piece of meat.
“T-thank you. I’m okay,” I rasped out before bolting from the table.
Locking myself in the bathroom seemed too much like a pouting teenager move, and I’d clearly already done that role to death, so I rushed into the kitchen instead. I needed some plain old water and a cool cloth for my face. Maybe I could use the near-death experience as a reason to leave. Silver lining, right?
“Oh, Dex.” Suddenly, Lindy was there, taking the cloth from my hand and placing it on my forehead. “Are you okay? I shouldn’t have said anything about your rental. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Meyer wasn’t with her, so I assumed he was still in the dining room. “Don’t apologize for that. I just swallowed wrong, that’s all.”
Her features were twisted, and now I felt bad that I’d madeherfeel bad.
“I assumed since you were both such good friends growing up that it would be nice to be near each other.” She gently placed her hand on my shoulder. “I thought it would be fun for you to have someone your own age to spend time with.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the lack of oxygen from almost dying, but did she actually say that Meyer and I weregood friends?
I shook my head in confusion. “Why did you think Meyer and I were so close in high school?”
Her stricken expression threw me off guard. I felt as though I were disappointing her somehow. She placed her palm over her chest.
“Well, because you were over here all the time having cokes and cookies after practice. You were always the first one here and the last to leave. And out of all the boys, you called or came by the most often to ask if Meyer was going to the park or…” She blinked her eyes several times as if she’d walked into the oncoming headlights and frozen.
I clasped her arm. “I’d forgotten about all that.”
