Monroe
The bell above the door rings as Claire breezes into Animal Haven.
“Mom said you were working late,” she says, holding up two containers of Chinese food. “Thought you could use some fuel, and selfishly, I was bored at home by myself.”
“I’m starving,” I groan, reaching for one of the containers she sets on my desk. “I hope you brought some forks.”
She digs around in her purse. “I came prepared.” She tosses me a set of utensils, and I tear through the plastic and open the container.
The scent of pepper steak makes my mouth water. “You are too good to me,” I say.
She sighs as she takes her first bite.
The door flies open again and Rhett walks in, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung Wranglers and brown boots. His cell is wedged between his shoulder and ear, and beads of sweat drip down his chest. Ruby is a few steps behind him. Her arthritic hips make it hard to keep up, but if Rhett’s around, she wants to be next to him.
Can’t say I blame her.
“I want to lick him,” Claire whispers.
“I have licked him.”
“Bitch.”
I grin and take another bite. Claire and I eat silently as Rhett finishes his call. He tucks his cell in his pocket and gives us an easy smile.
I swallow hard. This man is going to be the death of me, and Claire too, for that matter.
She clears her throat. “I didn’t know you were here or I would’ve brought more food.”
“That’s okay.” He pulls out the shirt he had tucked in the back of his jeans and wipes it over his face. “I’m going to have dinner with Trevor and Coop. It’s Thursday, which means five-dollar wings.”
Claire perks up at the mention of Trevor, and I make a mental note to ask her about that after Rhett leaves.
“You ladies are more than welcome to join us, if you’d like.”
“Woof!”
Rhett looks down at Ruby and smiles. “Don’t worry, pretty girl, I’ll bring you left overs.”
Ruby’s tail thumps against the floor as Rhett pats her head.
“Where is Pickles?” he asks, looking around the room.
I shrug. “Who knows? He’s been in feline heaven since I gave him free reign of the place. Knowing him, he’s probably in the back prancing in front the dogs, taunting them.”
“So, he’s officially an Animal Haven house pet?” Claire asks.
“For now, unless he does something wrong. I warned him that he’s on a ninety-day probation period.”
Claire grins. “I’m sure you did.”
“So, what do you say, wings tonight?” Rhett asks.
“We’d love to,” Claire answers immediately.
What I wouldn’t give for the freedom to say yes. But that’s not my reality. “I can’t.”
“What?” Claire pouts. “Why not?”
“Come on, Claire. You know I can’t leave my dad by himself.”
“My mom will stay with him, or we can call my aunt. You know they won’t mind.”
I shake my head. “It’s not fair to ask them to do more than they already do. But you should still go.” I hate the idea of her going without me. It’s silly. I know she doesn’t really have a thing for Rhett, but that doesn’t make it any easier knowing she gets to spend time him while I’m stuck at home.
Stuck at home.
Fuck.
I’ve got to stop thinking like this, or I’ll drive myself insane.
“That’s okay,” Rhett offers. “I don’t even have to go. I’d much rather hang out with you anyway.”
“Awwww,” Claire croons.
“No. You should go,” I tell him. “You haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with Trevor.”
He tilts his head. “You sure? I can come by afterward.”
“I’d like that.”
“I’ll call you when I’m on my way.” He leans down to give me a kiss and looks at Claire. “Dirty Dicks at seven, if you’d like to come.”
“Thanks for the invite, but I was only going if Mo went.”
I could kiss her.
“Your loss,” Rhett says, turning toward the front door.
“Tell me about it,” Claire mumbles.
She drops onto her chair as Rhett walks out the door. “He really is gorgeous.”
“Don’t I know it.”
We lean our heads to the left, watching the way his jeans hug his ass as he walks to his truck.
“Please tell me his ass is as tight as it looks.”
“Tighter.”
“I hate you.”
“We need to get you laid.”
She takes another bite. “Tell me about it.”
“Maybe you could get laid by Trevor.”
Claire sputters, inhaling a chunk of her food. I slap her back when she starts coughing, and I can’t help but laugh.
“You do want to get laid by Trevor, don’t you?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Really? Every time his name is mentioned, you get this dreamy look in your eyes. I can practically see cartoon hearts floating above your head.”
“I do not.”
“Do too. And I guarantee I’m not the only one who’s noticed.”
“I don’t have a thing for Trevor Allen. That would just be silly.”
“Why? Trevor is a great guy.”
“He’s also four years younger than I am.”
“So?”
“Plus, he’s a firefighter. I don’t date firefighters.”
Claire’s father ran into a burning building and never came back out.
“Well, if you did date him, no one would blame you.”
“I’m not going to date him. Can we not talk about my love life, or lack thereof? Tell me what’s going on between you and Rhett, and don’t leave out a single juicy detail.”
“There isn’t much to tell,” I lie.
“Have you slept with him?”
“Three times, although he would call it making love.”
Her fork drops on the desk. She fans her face and lets out a dreamy sigh. “Of course he would. And there is so much to tell. Spill your guts, you lucky bitch.”
So I do.
We spend the next hour laughing as I give her a rundown of all the sweet things Rhett has said and done. I even give her a hint of the sexy stuff—but not too much, because those memories are mine.
Claire picks up the empty containers and her napkin and dumps them in the trash. “I’m happy for you, Mo. Just take things slow, okay? You’ve got a lot going on in your life, and I don’t want to you see you get derailed when he leaves.”
“I told him I love him.”
She freezes. Her eyes widen, and she lowers herself back into the chair. “Well, that’s not taking things slow.”
“I couldn’t not tell him,” I admonish. “I don’t want any regrets where he’s concerned. We were in the moment, and it felt right, so I just said it.”
“And…”
“He didn’t say it back.”
Claire furrows her brow. “Did you expect him to?”
“Yes… No.” I shake my head. “I don’t know. I mean, of course I hoped he would, but I should’ve known he might not be there.”
“After everything you’ve told me, it sounds like he still has feelings for you.”
I nod. “I think so too. He didn’t give me the words, but I could feel it—he still cares about me.”
“Of course he does; you two have been through a lot together. Does it bother you that he didn’t say he loved you?”
I take a breath and think for a second. “No. He’ll say it when he’s ready—when the time is right. Things are still fresh between us, and I told him I love him because I promised myself I’d always be honest with my feelings.”
“What if he doesn’t get there? What if this thing between you crashes and burns?”
“Well, geez, thanks for the vote of confidence, Claire.”
“What? I’m just trying to help you think this through. You two just got back together, and you’re throwing yourself into it full force because that’s what you do—and I love that about you—but you’re my best friend, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
I place a hand on her arm. “I’m doing this the only way I know how. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
“How do you know?”
“I can’t explain it, Claire. I can just feel it. When I’m with Rhett, it’s like the stars align and there’s a calm to my world I haven’t felt since we were together before.”
“It’s called lust.”
“It’s called love.” I laugh. I love Claire, and I adore her even more for looking out for me. “You’ve never felt it, so I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
She scoffs. “I’ve been in love before.”
I roll my eyes. “Noah Cunningham doesn’t count. We were in seventh grade.”
She pouts. “He gave me his dessert every day for a year.”
“And when you fall in love, that man will give you his heart every day for life.”
The easy look on her face fades. “Rhett hasn’t given you his heart.”
“I think he will. Just you wait and see.”