Delayed Call
Page 16
Her brows pulled together. “So? People are dumb, and love is complicated.”
“But sex is great,” Vaughn said before pointing at her.
“I can get sex without the love or even talking to anyone.”
“And she called me a playboy,” Vaughn muttered, and Jensen scoffed.
“You are,” they both said at the same time, which Vaughn glared at.
“If I am, then Wren is a slut.”
“She is not,” Jensen disagreed, but Wren shrugged.
“Hey, if that’s what you want to call someone who doesn’t want a relationship but loves to bang, then that’s me.”
Leaning on his hand, Vaughn held her gaze. “Then why don’t we bang?”
He could feel Jensen glaring but ignored him as Wren laughed. “Because, despite how I act otherwise, I care about you. I love you as a brother, and I wouldn’t ruin that with sex.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t sleep with you.”
“Yes, you would,” they both said, and Vaughn laughed.
“Probably.”
“Because you’re a playboy, just like Brie said,” Jensen said, and Vaughn was pretty sure he said it just as a jab. Jensen was tiptoeing the line of getting his ass beat by his best friend.
Wren’s ears perked up at the name as she looked to Vaughn. “Brie Soledad?”
“Yeah, I think she’s my new neighbor,” he grumbled and Jensen smiled.
“She doesn’t like him.”
Wren laughed. “I knew I loved that girl. She’s awesome.”
“She’s a bitch.”
“See, she’s my people.”
“He just doesn’t like that he likes her.”
Vaughn glared over at Jensen. “What the fuck, dude?”
“Aw, does Vaughny have a crush?”
He scowled at her teasing. “One, my name doesn’t sound good like that, and second, Wrenny, I don’t crush on anyone but you, my love.”
“Oh, shove it,” she snapped back, shaking her head. “Also, stay away from her. She’s a nice girl, and she does not need her heart broken by you.”
“I don’t think I’d sleep with you anymore.”
Laughing, she stuffed her napkin in her empty soup bowl as she stood. “Good, I’m already dying of something horrid, I don’t need an STD to go with it. I’m gonna go before I puke. I’ll see y’all at dinner with Wells.”
“That’s in like a month.”
She glanced at Jensen and nodded. “I know. This little meal will hold me over until then. Bye, guys.”
Without even a second glance, she turned and headed for the door. “Do you think she’s okay?” Jensen asked.
Shrugging, Vaughn watched as she went outside and then bent over, puking into a trash can. “She won’t die.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, maybe you’ll grow some balls and tell her you’re in love with her before then.”
“I got time.”
As he watched her body shake with her dry heaving, Vaughn grimaced, pushing his food away. Looking to his best friend, he shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I’d jump on that.”
“I will as soon as you do.”
He made a quizzical face. “Huh?”
“Make your move on Brie.”
Balking, Vaughn shook his head. “What the fuck? There is no move to make.”
Jensen scoffed. “Yeah, okay.”
“There isn’t!”
“Whatever you say, Vaughny.”
Glaring, he pointed his finger at his friend. “Don’t do that. Only I can do that.”
Nodding his head, he stuffed a fry in his mouth. “Whatever, man. Like I said, when you make a move, I will.”
“No move will be made.”
He shrugged. “Guess not.”
They held each other’s gazes until finally Jensen looked away. Vaughn sure as hell wasn’t going to. There really was no move to make. It wouldn’t even work. They hated each other. He might find her drop-dead gorgeous and enjoy staring at her, but she opened her mouth and shit went to the shitter. Nope, Brie Soledad wasn’t even on his radar.
Or at least, that’s what he was telling everyone.
And himself.
With her brows drawn in tight as she leaned against the counter outside of Rodney’s room, Brie tried to stay calm as the young nurse stared back at her. Not only was she young, but Rodney was completely in love with her and would kill Brie if she did anything to cause Chrissie not to adore him like she already did. “Explain to me how some man has been coming in to visit my brother without my permission.”
Chrissie’s little eyes widened as she held her hands up. “Ms. Soledad, I thought he had permission. He acted as if he and Rod were friends.”
“I have never met this man, nor has Rod before now.”
“See, I didn’t know that. He came in acting as if they were best friends, and Rod took right to him. They’ve been hanging out for weeks.”
“Weeks!” Brie screeched, her eyes taking up most of her face. “And I’m just now hearing about this? From Rod, no less, not the people who are paid to look after my brother.”
“Again, I’m sorry, but I assumed—”
“You what they say about assuming, right? Makes an ass out of you and me?” Brie retorted, and Chrissie snapped her mouth shut. “How do I know this man hasn’t been raping my brother?”
“Ms. Soledad! I would never let that happen.”
“But you let him into this facility, with no ID.”
“He gave me his card, and then I signed him in since he wasn’t on Rod’s family sheet. But nowhere did it say that he couldn’t visit. I didn’t know.”
“Then why didn’t you ask?”
“Ms. Soledad, like Chrissie said, Mr. Way and Rodney seemed to know each other. That’s the God’s honest truth,” Nurse Linda added, coming to Chrissie’s defense. “He’s a very nice man, and we thought maybe you’d sent him. Especially since you never said otherwise. Rodney never even said anything other than how much fun he was having with him. He just said that Mr. Way was his friend, and he got so excited when he would come to visit.”
“But I do not know this man, and I feel that no one should come in here without my permission.”
“But sex is great,” Vaughn said before pointing at her.
“I can get sex without the love or even talking to anyone.”
“And she called me a playboy,” Vaughn muttered, and Jensen scoffed.
“You are,” they both said at the same time, which Vaughn glared at.
“If I am, then Wren is a slut.”
“She is not,” Jensen disagreed, but Wren shrugged.
“Hey, if that’s what you want to call someone who doesn’t want a relationship but loves to bang, then that’s me.”
Leaning on his hand, Vaughn held her gaze. “Then why don’t we bang?”
He could feel Jensen glaring but ignored him as Wren laughed. “Because, despite how I act otherwise, I care about you. I love you as a brother, and I wouldn’t ruin that with sex.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t sleep with you.”
“Yes, you would,” they both said, and Vaughn laughed.
“Probably.”
“Because you’re a playboy, just like Brie said,” Jensen said, and Vaughn was pretty sure he said it just as a jab. Jensen was tiptoeing the line of getting his ass beat by his best friend.
Wren’s ears perked up at the name as she looked to Vaughn. “Brie Soledad?”
“Yeah, I think she’s my new neighbor,” he grumbled and Jensen smiled.
“She doesn’t like him.”
Wren laughed. “I knew I loved that girl. She’s awesome.”
“She’s a bitch.”
“See, she’s my people.”
“He just doesn’t like that he likes her.”
Vaughn glared over at Jensen. “What the fuck, dude?”
“Aw, does Vaughny have a crush?”
He scowled at her teasing. “One, my name doesn’t sound good like that, and second, Wrenny, I don’t crush on anyone but you, my love.”
“Oh, shove it,” she snapped back, shaking her head. “Also, stay away from her. She’s a nice girl, and she does not need her heart broken by you.”
“I don’t think I’d sleep with you anymore.”
Laughing, she stuffed her napkin in her empty soup bowl as she stood. “Good, I’m already dying of something horrid, I don’t need an STD to go with it. I’m gonna go before I puke. I’ll see y’all at dinner with Wells.”
“That’s in like a month.”
She glanced at Jensen and nodded. “I know. This little meal will hold me over until then. Bye, guys.”
Without even a second glance, she turned and headed for the door. “Do you think she’s okay?” Jensen asked.
Shrugging, Vaughn watched as she went outside and then bent over, puking into a trash can. “She won’t die.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, maybe you’ll grow some balls and tell her you’re in love with her before then.”
“I got time.”
As he watched her body shake with her dry heaving, Vaughn grimaced, pushing his food away. Looking to his best friend, he shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I’d jump on that.”
“I will as soon as you do.”
He made a quizzical face. “Huh?”
“Make your move on Brie.”
Balking, Vaughn shook his head. “What the fuck? There is no move to make.”
Jensen scoffed. “Yeah, okay.”
“There isn’t!”
“Whatever you say, Vaughny.”
Glaring, he pointed his finger at his friend. “Don’t do that. Only I can do that.”
Nodding his head, he stuffed a fry in his mouth. “Whatever, man. Like I said, when you make a move, I will.”
“No move will be made.”
He shrugged. “Guess not.”
They held each other’s gazes until finally Jensen looked away. Vaughn sure as hell wasn’t going to. There really was no move to make. It wouldn’t even work. They hated each other. He might find her drop-dead gorgeous and enjoy staring at her, but she opened her mouth and shit went to the shitter. Nope, Brie Soledad wasn’t even on his radar.
Or at least, that’s what he was telling everyone.
And himself.
With her brows drawn in tight as she leaned against the counter outside of Rodney’s room, Brie tried to stay calm as the young nurse stared back at her. Not only was she young, but Rodney was completely in love with her and would kill Brie if she did anything to cause Chrissie not to adore him like she already did. “Explain to me how some man has been coming in to visit my brother without my permission.”
Chrissie’s little eyes widened as she held her hands up. “Ms. Soledad, I thought he had permission. He acted as if he and Rod were friends.”
“I have never met this man, nor has Rod before now.”
“See, I didn’t know that. He came in acting as if they were best friends, and Rod took right to him. They’ve been hanging out for weeks.”
“Weeks!” Brie screeched, her eyes taking up most of her face. “And I’m just now hearing about this? From Rod, no less, not the people who are paid to look after my brother.”
“Again, I’m sorry, but I assumed—”
“You what they say about assuming, right? Makes an ass out of you and me?” Brie retorted, and Chrissie snapped her mouth shut. “How do I know this man hasn’t been raping my brother?”
“Ms. Soledad! I would never let that happen.”
“But you let him into this facility, with no ID.”
“He gave me his card, and then I signed him in since he wasn’t on Rod’s family sheet. But nowhere did it say that he couldn’t visit. I didn’t know.”
“Then why didn’t you ask?”
“Ms. Soledad, like Chrissie said, Mr. Way and Rodney seemed to know each other. That’s the God’s honest truth,” Nurse Linda added, coming to Chrissie’s defense. “He’s a very nice man, and we thought maybe you’d sent him. Especially since you never said otherwise. Rodney never even said anything other than how much fun he was having with him. He just said that Mr. Way was his friend, and he got so excited when he would come to visit.”
“But I do not know this man, and I feel that no one should come in here without my permission.”
