Up in Flames
Page 33
Major loved himself. He talked about himself all the time. It drove me nuts. I had never noticed it before. I just smiled and agreed with him. Yes, his hair was getting longer. Yes, he did look good in blue. Yes, his biceps looked bigger. Blah blah blah. Ugh.
“Do you?” he asked, and I looked up at his perfect face and felt not one damn thing.
“Huh?” I asked, not sure what he had been saying. I could see the irritation on his face. Oops.
“Do you want to play a round of tennis after we finish our meal?” His words sounded clipped this time. My obvious lack of interest in the conversation was getting on his nerves.
“Not today. I think I’m going to go visit with my nephew this afternoon.” Which hadn’t originally been my plan, but I wanted to talk to my brother, and some time with Nate would make it better.
Major almost looked relieved. He’d been trying to entertain me and was failing.
I couldn’t focus on him or on life right now. Not with my dream replaying in my head. Was I obsessed with Gannon? Was that it? Had I gotten some strange fascination that was unhealthy?
“Dinner tonight? Maybe order out and watch a movie at your place?”
I wanted to say no again, but I felt guilty after all he’d done to get my attention this week. I might have been a different person, willing to be with him every moment, if that dream hadn’t reminded me why I was over him to begin with.
“Sure. I’ll be home and ready around six. You want me to order the food?” I asked, already knowing the answer. Major liked to be taken care of. He had to be exhausted after a week of catering to me.
“Yeah, great!” He beamed. Typical.
It was a date. Fantastic.
I let Rush know I was headed to his house. When I drove into their long driveway, I could see him standing on the back porch watching for me. I hadn’t called and asked if he was around to talk in a very long time . . . or possibly ever. He probably thought I had a terminal illness or I was pregnant. The concern etched on his face was obvious from one hundred feet away.
I parked and made my way toward him. He took a few steps down and met me halfway.
“What’s wrong?” were the first words out of his mouth.
“I can’t just want to come see my brother and visit with my nephew?” I asked, one eyebrow arched.
“No. I mean, sure, but you don’t ever do that anymore. You pick up Nate for play dates, but you don’t come to see me.”
He was right. I rarely hung around with the family and just visited. Nor did I ask to talk to Rush about anything serious. I updated him on my life via text and let him fill in the blanks. He normally got it right. “Just here to visit,” I assured him. “Nate still napping?”
Rush was studying me like he didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “With Blaire.”
“Want to walk down to the water?” I asked. That shot both his eyebrows up.
“Why? What is this about, Nan?” His stern tone made me smile.
“I’m not dying, and I’m not pregnant. Can we just go talk?”
His tension eased some, and he finally relaxed. “Sure.”
I asked about Nate and the pregnancy. As Rush began talking about his family, I wanted to stay focused, but my mind was wandering back to Gannon. Back to the time I’d spent with him. “When you met Blaire, did you know? That she’d change everything for you?” I asked when he fell silent.
“Yeah. Scared the shit out of me, but I knew.”
I figured as much. He had never been the same since the night she walked into his house. As much as I had hated her at the time, I saw the way she made his eyes light up. Was this how he had felt? Like I was feeling? Wanting someone you couldn’t have?
Major
I wasn’t sure what I’d done wrong, but I’d messed up somehow. Nan wasn’t mentally with me. She was off somewhere else, like she’d been all day today, and I didn’t know how to bring her back. The worst part was that I knew Cope could see us where we were currently sitting. He knew I was failing.
“Dinner was great. Thanks. I was going to pay for it, though,” I said, wondering if the fact that she’d paid for dinner was bothering her. She’d ordered it, and it had arrived before I did, so I wasn’t around to pay. It would be silly if that was her problem.
“No, that’s fine. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said with a forced smile, then turned her attention back to the movie.
It was something with guns and action. She’d chosen it for me, I was sure, and most of the time, I loved watching movies. Tonight, though, I was trying to romance Nan, and it wasn’t working. She wasn’t even trying to cuddle up to me like she used to do. I wasn’t used to this behavior.
I cut my eyes to the hidden camera pointed at us and felt like flicking the asshole off. Watching the movie here was a bad idea. It was like Cope was judging me.
“You enjoying the movie?” I asked, realizing it sounded stupid and pathetic to try to get her attention.
“Yeah, sure, its great,” she said, without even a glance my way this time.
It was like she was mentally counting down the minutes until I was gone. That stung like a stake through the heart. Damn, she was seriously not interested in me being around at all.
My ego was nonexistent at this point. I couldn’t keep this up. I needed another plan. If Nan wouldn’t talk to me casually, she sure as hell wasn’t going to chat with me about her past boyfriends.
“Do you?” he asked, and I looked up at his perfect face and felt not one damn thing.
“Huh?” I asked, not sure what he had been saying. I could see the irritation on his face. Oops.
“Do you want to play a round of tennis after we finish our meal?” His words sounded clipped this time. My obvious lack of interest in the conversation was getting on his nerves.
“Not today. I think I’m going to go visit with my nephew this afternoon.” Which hadn’t originally been my plan, but I wanted to talk to my brother, and some time with Nate would make it better.
Major almost looked relieved. He’d been trying to entertain me and was failing.
I couldn’t focus on him or on life right now. Not with my dream replaying in my head. Was I obsessed with Gannon? Was that it? Had I gotten some strange fascination that was unhealthy?
“Dinner tonight? Maybe order out and watch a movie at your place?”
I wanted to say no again, but I felt guilty after all he’d done to get my attention this week. I might have been a different person, willing to be with him every moment, if that dream hadn’t reminded me why I was over him to begin with.
“Sure. I’ll be home and ready around six. You want me to order the food?” I asked, already knowing the answer. Major liked to be taken care of. He had to be exhausted after a week of catering to me.
“Yeah, great!” He beamed. Typical.
It was a date. Fantastic.
I let Rush know I was headed to his house. When I drove into their long driveway, I could see him standing on the back porch watching for me. I hadn’t called and asked if he was around to talk in a very long time . . . or possibly ever. He probably thought I had a terminal illness or I was pregnant. The concern etched on his face was obvious from one hundred feet away.
I parked and made my way toward him. He took a few steps down and met me halfway.
“What’s wrong?” were the first words out of his mouth.
“I can’t just want to come see my brother and visit with my nephew?” I asked, one eyebrow arched.
“No. I mean, sure, but you don’t ever do that anymore. You pick up Nate for play dates, but you don’t come to see me.”
He was right. I rarely hung around with the family and just visited. Nor did I ask to talk to Rush about anything serious. I updated him on my life via text and let him fill in the blanks. He normally got it right. “Just here to visit,” I assured him. “Nate still napping?”
Rush was studying me like he didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “With Blaire.”
“Want to walk down to the water?” I asked. That shot both his eyebrows up.
“Why? What is this about, Nan?” His stern tone made me smile.
“I’m not dying, and I’m not pregnant. Can we just go talk?”
His tension eased some, and he finally relaxed. “Sure.”
I asked about Nate and the pregnancy. As Rush began talking about his family, I wanted to stay focused, but my mind was wandering back to Gannon. Back to the time I’d spent with him. “When you met Blaire, did you know? That she’d change everything for you?” I asked when he fell silent.
“Yeah. Scared the shit out of me, but I knew.”
I figured as much. He had never been the same since the night she walked into his house. As much as I had hated her at the time, I saw the way she made his eyes light up. Was this how he had felt? Like I was feeling? Wanting someone you couldn’t have?
Major
I wasn’t sure what I’d done wrong, but I’d messed up somehow. Nan wasn’t mentally with me. She was off somewhere else, like she’d been all day today, and I didn’t know how to bring her back. The worst part was that I knew Cope could see us where we were currently sitting. He knew I was failing.
“Dinner was great. Thanks. I was going to pay for it, though,” I said, wondering if the fact that she’d paid for dinner was bothering her. She’d ordered it, and it had arrived before I did, so I wasn’t around to pay. It would be silly if that was her problem.
“No, that’s fine. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said with a forced smile, then turned her attention back to the movie.
It was something with guns and action. She’d chosen it for me, I was sure, and most of the time, I loved watching movies. Tonight, though, I was trying to romance Nan, and it wasn’t working. She wasn’t even trying to cuddle up to me like she used to do. I wasn’t used to this behavior.
I cut my eyes to the hidden camera pointed at us and felt like flicking the asshole off. Watching the movie here was a bad idea. It was like Cope was judging me.
“You enjoying the movie?” I asked, realizing it sounded stupid and pathetic to try to get her attention.
“Yeah, sure, its great,” she said, without even a glance my way this time.
It was like she was mentally counting down the minutes until I was gone. That stung like a stake through the heart. Damn, she was seriously not interested in me being around at all.
My ego was nonexistent at this point. I couldn’t keep this up. I needed another plan. If Nan wouldn’t talk to me casually, she sure as hell wasn’t going to chat with me about her past boyfriends.
