Page 73 of Learning to Run

Was it supposed to be a secret?

Was someone’s birthday coming up?

“You’ve got the weirdest expression.” Gareth frowned,studying my face instead of the tail end of the toy debate. “What did they do?”

My smart cutie.

Just as Brady and Jude came down the stairs, I gave Gareth aquick kiss. “I’ll tell you later. Nothing bad.”

He knew me so well.

Cashel did too because he sighed. “Brady or his family didsomething weird.”

Smart men were so sexy.

But there was no time to get distracted because our friendshad arrived. Well, Gareth and Cashel’s family and my interesting acquaintances.I wasn’t sure how they’d describe me yet, but I wasn’t betting on family.

Now Brady’s mother…she considered me family.

Hmm, maybe that was another reason we were driving Judenuts?

He didn’t have the best homelife growing up.

But I wasn’t supposed to know that, so I just smiled as theycame down, with Brady frowning and Jude looking frustrated.

Cashel and Gareth didn’t seem to know how to help, and I wassmart enough not to want to get involved in a toy debate with a little, so itwas slightly awkward until Gareth took one for the team. “I’m not sure you haveroom for more toys, dude. It’s just…well, your Daddy has a point.”

That got another dramatic sigh from Brady who clearly didn’tlike that answer. “Toys are very special things and not something that shouldbe taken away unless I’ve been really naughty.”

Gareth frowned, shrugging. “I don’t know, but if they tipover, you’ll probably die, so that might mean you have too many.”

His logic was on point.

Jude seemed to appreciate the backup, even if he hadn’t beenexpecting it, because his frown got noticeably less intense. “We’ll figure outsomething, but I’m not making any promises.”

Brady started to pout but then seemed to reconsider hisstrategy and turned to give Gareth and Cashel big smiles. “When are you movingin with Bates?”

I loved insane littles…and I was very glad not to have one.

Cashel was pulling a Jude and just frowned, but Gareth wasadorably Gareth and shrugged. “We’re working on that but not soon enough foryou to buy more toys. He’s finishing his master’s at the end of the year andhas to move out of the apartments and go live in the real world again.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” Brady was finally distracted by thetragedy of my move and seemed to forget the toys for a few seconds. “I’msorry.”

Aww.

Even Jude frowned like he felt bad for us. “What are yougoing to do?”

Cashel decided he didn’t mind the turn the conversation hadtaken and actually spoke up, probably to show Gareth and me that he wasn’tworried anymore. “We’re looking at apartments that we’ll all fit in for afterwe graduate, and for next year, we’re going to work on figuring out the bestway to handle it.”

Brady was still in the shocked and sad little phase but Judewas surprisingly helpful. “You might want to think about organizing yourclasses so you only have them four days a week. That way you can have three-dayweekends to spend with Bates.”

Oh.

Cartoon light bulbs probably went off over all our headsbased on the fact that Jude actually chuckled and shrugged. “I know I wouldn’tlike to be separated from Brady, so I thought that might give you moreoptions.”

Had he actually been thinking about ways to help us?

Maybe dinner wasn’t going to be that bad after all?

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