Page 12 of Bones

“So, when do we get to meet this new hunk of yours?”

I glanced over my shoulder and was about to answer her when I spotted Wyatt standing in the doorway. I had no idea how long he’d been there, but his blank expression suggested that he’d been there long enough to hear what I didn’t want him to hear. His eyes never left mine as he started walking in my direction. My throat tightened, and my heart started to race, making it impossible for me to think, much less speak.

Of course, Lacy had no problem flashing her sexiest of smiles and saying, “Hey there, handsome. I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“Been busy.” He made his way over to the medicine cabinet, grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen, then turned and started back out of the room. “Have a good one.”

“Bye, Sugar. You let us know if you need anything.”

“Hm-hmm.”

Without saying anything more, he marched out of the room and disappeared into the hall. Once she was certain he was gone, Makayla turned to me and asked, “What was that all about?”

“No clue.”

I turned my attention back to the dishes in the sink, hoping that she’d get the hint that I didn’t want to talk about Wyatt or his bad mood, but no such luck. “Is it just me, or did he seem even more on edge than usual?”

I didn’t respond.

There was no point. They’d made it no secret that they’d often found Wyatt’s quiet demeanor to be too intense and off-putting. I tried explaining that he was just a guy who didn’t speak unless he had something to say, but they didn’t get it. They were used to the other brothers and their loud, boisterous personalities and didn’t know what to do with the quiet, brooding personality of Wyatt.

I like the quiet.

I usually found it comforting.

At least, I used to find it comforting.

Today was different.

Today, I got the feeling there was a reason behind his silence, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say it had something to do with me. But, then again, I had no real reason to think that. He’d had his chance. If he wanted to make a move, then he would’ve made it, and that was that.

I continued washing the dishes, and just as I’d hoped, it wasn’t long before Makayla changed the topic of the conversation. “You know Reagan’s birthday is next weekend.”

“That’s right. I forgot all about it.”

“Well, we’ve gotta do something special. She’s going to be twenty-one!”

“That’s right!” Excitement filled Lacy’s voice as she suggested, “We should go to the city and try out one of those dance clubs everyone’s been raving about.”

“That’s a great idea!”

“How about you, sourpuss?” Lacy bumped me with her hip. “You up for a big night in the city?”

“Yeah, going to the city sounds like fun.”

“That’s my girl!” Lacy whipped back around to Makayla. “You know, we should get a couple of hotel rooms. That way, we won’t need to designate a DD.”

“That’s a great idea.”

Makayla threw her hands up over her head and started dancing around the kitchen, and it wasn’t long before Lacy joined in. They were still twirling around when I finished washing dishes. I grabbed the drying cloth from the counter and tossed it at Lacy. “Those dishes aren’t going to dry themselves.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m on it.” She stopped dancing and started over to the sink. “Such a sourpuss.”

“But you love me anyway.”

“You got that right.”

I left Lacy and Makayla in the kitchen and headed down the hall to my room. I went over to my desk and got busy studying for my big Spanish test. I hadn’t been at it long when I stopped and took a quick look around my room. It looked so different than the day I first arrived at the clubhouse.

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