Game (Gentry Boys, #3)(46)
“So what did you have in mind?” I asked him ten minutes later as we sat on the floor of the kitchen and ate Truly’s leftover gumbo for breakfast.
He grabbed a bite of sausage and chewed thoughtfully. “I’ll run around today and find something. What time are you done this afternoon?”
I took a sip of coffee. “Three. And Truly texted me last night. I have an interview with her boss at Cluck This at 3:30.”
“Perfect. I haven’t eaten there in like a week. I miss chicken. I’ll meet you there at 4.” Chase brushed my hair back from my shoulder and gave me a sweet smile. “Sound good?”
“And then what?” I asked, scooting over to him on my knees. “Trick or treating?”
“Lots of tricks,” he promised, shoving the container of gumbo away so he could tackle me to the floor. “And a hell of a lot of treats.”
I shoved his chest but he was unmovable. “Let me up. It’s cold and hard down here.”
“Cold and hard,” he repeated, prying my legs open. “It’s like the pornographic anthem of the undead. Here, let me show you how I’m stiff all over.”
We were rolling around on the kitchen floor when Truly walked in. She gave us an odd look and we laughed.
Chase got to his feet and pretended like he was putting his dick away when really he hadn’t taken it out yet. Truly stared at me. I was still lying on the floor.
“Morning,” I waved. “We finished your gumbo. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No,” Truly said but she had a solemn look on her face. “You get my text last night?”
I let Chase pull me up and I headed in her direction. “Yes. I’ll be there. Thank you, Truly. You’re like the big sister I never had.” I hugged her. She seemed taken aback, especially when Chase ran over and wrapped both of us in an even tighter hug.
“As fun as this is,” he said, not letting go of us, “I’ve got to go.” Then he released Truly before picking me up, swinging me around in a circle and setting me down again.
“Bye, honey,” I said, kissing him. “I love you.”
His eyes - such a deep, distinctive shade of blue - turned intense. “I love you too.”
Even after Chase left, Truly was still standing in the living room. Dolly nudged her ankles and Truly picked her up. “Did Miss Stephanie remember to feed you last night?”
“No,” I admitted, feeling guilty. “I forgot. I’ll do it right now.”
Truly set the cat down with a sigh. “It’s all right. I’ll do it.”
I followed her into the kitchen and watched as she filled Dolly’s bowl. “How did Creed’s performance go last night?”
“Fine,” she said, flashing a quick smile. “He always does great.”
“Well, he’s got a hell of a voice,” I said, a little grudgingly because I was still pissed over the way he objected to my relationship with his brother. Yet I supposed I should let it go. He hadn’t said anything since then and even though he was distant I got the sense he was trying to be civil.
Truly faced me slowly. I could tell something was weighing on her mind.
“I’ll wash out the gumbo container,” I said, picking it up off the floor.
“Steph, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the container.” She chewed her lip and looked out the window. “Creed was upset last night.”
“I didn’t realize that was unusual.”
She shot me a look.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
Truly sighed. “He and Chase had an argument. He felt bad, said he’d said something he shouldn’t have and Chase was hurt.”
“It was about me, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “In a way.”
I crossed my arms over my body to deal with my rising anger toward Creed Gentry. “So what the hell did I ever do to him, Truly? What makes him think I’m this evil succubus out to ruin his brother?”
Truly looked startled. “Creedence said that to you?”
“No, not exactly. He just told me Chase and I weren’t good for each other.”
“Oh,” she said softly and looked out the window again.
“Truly?” I pressed her. “Do you agree with him?”
“No, sugar,” she answered quickly. “I’d never pass that kind of judgment.” Then a smile crossed her face. “You’re happy. I can see that. He’s happy.”
“Then what is it? What aren’t you saying?”
“You and Chase,” she sighed. “You’re so different, but whenever I see you together these days, it’s like you’re the same.”
I shook my head, feeling irritable. “I don’t understand what the hell you mean.”
She reached for me. “Stephanie. You’re both my precious friends. And honey, I’m glad you found each other. I am. No matter what Creed says. But I confess to being a little worried when I see how intense you’ve become.”
“He loves me,” I said with conviction. “And I love him.”
“I know. But sometimes love can turn into something else, a damaging power that drowns out reason. Love each other, Steph. But be careful not to lose yourselves.”
I went through the motions of the day, thinking about Chase, counting down the hours in my head until I would be with him again. I also thought about what Truly had said. I wasn’t losing myself. I was still me. It’s just that now I was happy. It had been a long time since I’d been happy.