The Homewreckers(114)
Hattie thought about that for a moment. “I think I might have broken the best friend commandment. Hoes before bros.”
“You kinda did,” Cass agreed.
“I just … got swept up in the moment,” Hattie said. “Literally swept off my feet.”
“I get it. Trae Bartholomew is a pretty irresistible force,” Cass said. “You know, if you like your guys tall and sexy and charming.”
“Ugh. What a lethal combination.” Hattie slipped a sliver of chicken to Ribsy.
“I take it the charm has worn off? Does Trae know?”
“No. I’m such a chickenshit. I avoided him as much as possible today.”
“Anything happen in particular?” Cass asked.
Hattie looked around the kitchen. For the first time she noticed the broom and dustpan standing in the corner of the room. Had Mo actually swept her floor the previous night, while she was passed out on the sofa?
“I think it was a combination of things. I won’t bore you with the details, but while we were sanding the floors last night, I drank a lot of really good champagne—way more than I meant to, and things got pretty steamy.”
“Oooh. How steamy?”
“Very. But then we were horsing around—did I mention I was totally drunk? And I kind of fell on top of Trae, and I might have screamed, really really loudly, and then the next thing we know, Mo charges in from nowhere, thinking I’m being murdered or something … which pisses off Trae. So he up and left.”
“Okay. You’ve lost me,” Cass said. “You were drunk. Was Trae also drunk?”
“Nope.”
“He just left you at the house? Drunk? How did you get home?”
“Mo drove me. I must have nodded off on the way, but he got me into the house and loaded me onto the sofa. I’m pretty hazy about the details, but I’m pretty sure that before he left, he leaned down and kissed me.”
“Like, a brotherly peck on the cheek?”
“Definitely not.”
“You’re sure you didn’t dream it?”
“Nuh-uh. I touched my lips and they were still damp.”
“You probably just drooled on yourself,” Cass reasoned. “You tend to do that when you pass out drunk.”
“I’m telling you, Mo kissed me,” Hattie insisted. “He was muttering about how Trae wasn’t a good guy. And then he kissed me and said he’d never do me that way. And he left. But first I think he maybe swept the kitchen floor.”
“What do you think that means?”
“The sweeping? Maybe Ribsy made a mess in here? Or he’s a clean freak?”
“You know I’m talking about the kiss,” Cass said.
Hattie sighed and looked away. “It was sweet. And … nice. I woke up thinking I wish I’d kissed him back.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Definitely not. I don’t need that kind of complication. Things are bad enough with Trae as it is. I can’t believe he deliberately tried to cover up that shitty wiring job.”
“That’s the least of what he did. While you were in town, Tug and I discovered a soggy spot in the new sink cabinet in the kitchen. Somehow, while they were installing the new dishwasher, someone punctured the drain line, and water’s been leaking into the cabinet. We caught it in time, or the whole cabinet would have had to be replaced. When one of the carpenters pointed out the leak, Trae told him it wasn’t that big a deal.”
“Oh, God.” Hattie pushed her plate away. “I feel sick. How could he do that?”
“As long as it looks good, and he looks good, Trae doesn’t care. He’s got no skin in the game. Tug started raising hell with him and Trae just laughed and walked away.”
“Did you guys find anything else he covered up?” Hattie asked.
“That was enough,” Cass said. “What are you going to do about Trae?”
“What can I do? I’ve got a contract. We’ve got four days to finish and then the show’s over, and Trae Bartholomew and I are history.”
“What if the show’s a hit and the network wants a second season?”
“I can’t think about that right now,” Hattie said.
“How do you think he’s going to take the news?”
“His heart’s not going to be broken. I’m pretty sure he never meant for me to be anything more than a summer fling. More like a drive-by fling.”
“Pretty sure?” Cass asked.
“Maybe I flattered myself—at first—that I was more than that to him. But now? The blinders are off.” Hattie tossed another piece of chicken to Ribsy, who leapt up and caught it in midair.
“You know what else? Trae never even called to see if I was okay.”
“He’s such a douche,” Cass said. “Mo, on the other hand…”
“I thought you didn’t like Mo.”
“It’s the damn house I don’t like. But you have to admit Mo is super bossy.”
“Takes one to know one,” Hattie said.
Cass got up and fetched a bottle of water from the fridge and sat back down again. “You still haven’t told me what freaked you out so bad today, back there at the house.”