Page 58 of Give In To Love
“Does Jimmy know I moved back?” I spluttered.
“He knows I hired aThomasSullivan. He doesn’t know I’m aware you’re his TJ.”
I wasn’thisanything. Not anymore.
“Did you orchestrate this whole bonfire thing?”
“Nah. We do these about once a month until the weather gets too cold. But I did make sure Jimmy was invited.”
“You’re pretty proud of yourself, aren’t you?” She was, in fact, looking very smug.
“Listen, you two idiots were taking too long. All I did was put you in each other’s paths. But like I said, I didn’t know the dumbass boyfriend was going to be here.”
I wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or grateful. I also had a lot of questions, but Jimmy spotted me before I could ask them.
Our eyes locked and held as the firelight cast shadows that danced along the side of his face. His boyfriend tapped him on the arm, but when Jimmy didn’t turn to acknowledge him, the guy’s eyes darted to where I was standing. He took in the sight of me, and then his eyes narrowed, flickering back and forth between the two of us. It shook me out of my stupor and I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, leaving Drea to trail behind.
“Hey, sunshine. It’s good to see you.”
“Um, hi.” His voice was small, reminding me of the way he’d been when we first met, before he’d found his confidence. I didn’t like it.
Steven cleared his throat pointedly. Jimmy’s eyes widened as if he’d just remembered Steven was there, and he scrambled to make introductions.
“Steven, this is TJ. Or Thomas, I guess. And this is my boyfriend, Steven.”
“You can still call me TJ.”
Because Ma had taught me good manners, I offered my hand to shake, though the childish side of me didn’t want to. Steven hesitated, then finally took my hand, giving it a loose shake before quickly releasing it with a scowl. His hand was clammy, and I barely refrained from wiping mine on my pants, though I managed to keep a friendly smile plastered on my face.
An awkward silence descended as everyone tried to figure out what to say. Finally, Jimmy broke it. “How’s Gram? I heard she was having some health issues.”
“She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s last spring. She has some mobility issues, but she’s still just as feisty as ever.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. She’s such a neat lady.”
“Gram’s too stubborn to let it get her down, but I’m staying with her now so I can help her.”
“Oh, so you’re here in Astaire?”
“Yep. You should come by. Gram would love to see you.”
“Maybe. I?—”
“Babe,” Steven interjected. “I have a headache.”
Jimmy turned to look at him, almost like he’d forgotten he was there.
“I have some ibuprofen in my car. Let’s go get it,” Drea chimed in, her tone almost comically chipper.
“Oh no, that’s okay,” Steven protested. “I think we should just go?—”
“No, really, it’s no big deal at all. Follow me.” Before he could respond, Drea grabbed his arm and dragged him across the sand toward the parking lot, leaving Jimmy and me alone. It wasn’t even a little bit subtle, but I was grateful for the chance to speak to Jimmy without his annoying boyfriend around.
“So, how are you? Are you teaching now?”
“I’m the middle school librarian here in town. I never felt very comfortable in the classroom and pretty quickly went back to school for my librarian endorsement.”
“That’s great. Sounds perfect for you.”
