Page 5 of Push

“Yes. All the time.”

Ian couldn’t be serious. On paper, maybe he was smarter than me. He hadn’t needed Gwen’s patient tutoring to barely scrape through the entrance exams for dental school like I had, but how many times had I saved his ass over the last twenty years? Too many. He shot his mouth off and picked fights he couldn’t win, knowing I was there to back him up.

“You’ve let me down literally hundreds of times!” I said.

His odd smile returned. “Not this time.”

Ian was out the door, and I’d barely picked my jaw off the floor when Kayleigh flew into the living room with a trash bag stuffed with cans and bottles bumping along behind her.

She smiled. “Thanks for staying.”

Not for long. “Kay, have you seen my phone?”

“Oh, um…no.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I don’t think so.”

Screw this whole night.

I fumbled in the gaps of the couch, lifted fuzzy fur pillows, and peered under the coffee table. Kayleigh weaved between my search, collecting more empty bottles to toss in the bag, and chirping about the party… I think. I wasn’t listening. I nodded sometimes and offered the occasional “Oh, yeah?” but I just wanted to find my phone and get the hell out of there.

Eventually, I found it wedged between two books about chakras and manifesting your heart’s desire.Huh.I guess when I was drunk, I tried to conjure new ways of getting Gwen to notice me. Push-ups had worked when we were sixteen. She’d pretended she wasn’t peeking, but I’d seen those adorable pink cheeks. No one else could make my ice princess blush like I did.

Sighing, I tapped my phone screen and thumped the button a couple of times. Nothing. Out of battery.

“Kay, do you have a charger?”

“Maybe… I have a different phone, but…” She pointed at the kitchen cabinets. “Check the top drawer. All my random junk’s in there.”

I had a drawer like that at home—filled to the brim with junk like the lawn mower manual, different screwdrivers, and a mess of cords, but who knew what they charged anymore? I rummaged around in Kayleigh’s mess. I didn’t realize she’d padded beside me until I felt her hand on my back.

“Find one?” she said.

“You’ve got a deck of cards and a stack of old takeaway menus.” I grinned down at her. “But no charger.”

Her lips curved into a slow smile. She seemed…closer… “You disappeared for a long time. Feeling better?” Her fingertips grazed my forearm. “Want me to make you a coffee?”

And make this night last even longer? No thanks. “I’m good.” I forced a smile.

“You sure?” Kayleigh’s hand slipped down my back and rested just above my belt. “I have your favorite.”

Every muscle in my body went rigid. A pile of loose batteries fell from my fingers with athunkinto the drawer.

This was…wrong.

Kayleigh tipped her head to the side. “You look different tonight…even if you are all messy.” She reached up to brush my hair off my forehead, but I stepped back.

“I’m the same old me,” I said. “I’m just…you know…” A strained laugh escaped. “Toby the Dentist.” My eyes darted to the door, and I edged back another step to create more space.

This wasallwrong.

“You’ve never beenjustToby. Not to me.” Her fingers skipped up the buttons of my shirt, and she inched closer. “You’recaring…and funny…and….” She giggled against my neck. “So hot.”

My nerves scrambling, I took another step back, but there was nowhere to go this time. I hit the fridge.

“Uh, Kay.” My palm landed on her shoulder, and I jolted her back to a safer distance. “I think you’ve misunderstood.”

Her voice lowered to a silky purr when she said, “I understand.”

“I really don’t think you do—”

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