Page 38 of The Heartbreak List

He hands me back the container and turns on Theo. “Are you homeless?”

Theo sits back and rattles off an address like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Only I don’t miss the coolness in his voice or the tightness around his eyes.

“Drug dealer?” EJ snaps.

“Holy shit. Can you not be so judgmental?” I flatten my cool palms to my overheated cheeks.

“Bartender.” Theo grows stiffer.

“If you must know, I was sick.” I plead with EJ to drop his interrogation. That’s the problem with having a lawyer in the family. They don’t sugarcoat their opinions and they have a lot of them. Throw in their ability to lead and win arguments and this is all going to go downhill fast. “I couldn’t sleep, and I was ravenous because dinner with Gray was a clusterfuck. So we got pancakes after Theo finished work.”

I leave out the part about Theo fighting and the Jameson. And that the first time we met he was definitely on something stronger than alcohol.

“And?” EJ’s gaze swings between the two of us like there’s some big conspiracy here.

“And I helped her get home,” Theo says. “I stuck around in case she ended up needing to go to the hospital. Fell asleep on the couch.”

EJ’s shoulders drop back to their normal position. “I guess I should thank you for being here then.”

“You’re welcome.” Theo snags another mouthful of macaroni and cheese. “This is really tasty, by the way. Compliments to the chef. I haven’t had a homecooked meal this delicious in years.”

“It’s Mom’s macaroni.” My mouth waters as I inhale the aroma of homemade macaroni and cheese with bits of bacon scattered through it and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Last night’s dinner was barely more than a mouthful and the pancakes Theo and I ate later didn’t stay in my stomach long. I grab two forks and hand one over to EJ. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Gray said you didn’t eat last night so Mom had to whip up a batch of your favorite.” EJ digs his fork into the cheesy pasta as I pop the first bite in my mouth. “I won’t tell him about the pancakes.”

“She didn’t keep them down anyway,” Theo says.

EJ frowns at Theo. “How did you two meet?”

“He was at the club where I had my bachelorette party.” I shrug. It was a good night…well, it was before the accident and everything that came after.

“Wasn’t that prior to your diagnosis?” EJ rubs his chin.

“Yeah. We bumped into each other a few times.” The pasta melts on my tongue. It’s better than sex. Well, better than any sex I’ve had recently. No, that’s not fair. Gray’s being careful with me. That’s all. And I’m being a bitch because I’m frustrated after our fight and because he has my brother checking up on me. Still, this macaroni is the best thing I’ve tasted in weeks. “Mmm. It’s like I’ve gone to Heaven.”

EJ turns ashen as he glances about the room. Anywhere, but at me. “Christ, Indy.”

“It never used to matter when I said things like that…” Now, it’s all a reminder that hurts my family. It wasn’t that long ago he was joking around with me. I asked him to behave as if nothing had changed, but still… “What happened to acting normal?”

“You have a tumor, Indy. Nothing is normal.” He sips the cup of coffee Theo made him. His jacket is slung over the back of the other stool.

I tuck into a few more comforting bites.

His lips set into a grim line. “Your behavior certainly isn’t normal for you.”

“So Gray told you about the tattoo?” My appetite goes as quickly as it came. He must have, right? For EJ to be putting on the big bro act. I put my fork in the sink while Theo keeps shoveling morsels into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in months.

“Yeah.” EJ huffs out a breath. “What were you thinking?”

I can’t believe this. Well, actually I can, because they’re best friends and it isn’t the first time they’ve ganged up on me. But if Gray had listened to one word I said last night, my brother wouldn’t be here to reinforce that I did something neither of them agree with.

I tug down the zipper on my sweatshirt and strip out of one side to show him the tattoo. My voice crackles as it grows louder. “It’s temporary. Temp-o-rary. Do you understand what that word means? No needles were used. There’s no ink under the skin. No breakage. No chance of infection. It’s a kid’s tattoo, only done by a real artist. Right, Theo?”

“You’re correct.” Theo smiles at me while he plays on his phone.

He is different from my brother and Gray. I knew he was more laid back, but it’s only as he sits here nonchalantly chewing through a pound of macaroni that it’s really obvious. They’re trying to hold onto me, but it feels like they’re smothering me. With Theo around I can breathe.

“I still don’t know who you are.” EJ narrows hard eyes on Theo. “Or what business it is of yours.”

---