Page 10 of When We Met

Inside the shop, I run into Lillian first, trying to avoid her as I rip the repair orders off the counter and twist toward the door.

“Barron?” she calls out.

Fuuuuuck. I spin around on my heel to face her, regretting it instantly. I don’t like people crying. I have two girls, so it’s a daily occurrence, but it doesn’t make it any easier for me. They work me over with tears too. Get anything they want with a shake of their chin and glossy eyes. Don’t believe me? I stopped for that damn bear on my way here. Its dirty, limp body is sitting on Camdyn’s booster seat, waiting for her.

“Hey, mornin’ Lil,”Please don’t want to talk about it.I stare at her, waiting. She says nothing as she sips her coffee. “Well, I’ll be in the shop.”

“Hey,” she begins, and I cringe. I hate girl talk. It drives me crazy. Like I want to pull my hair out. Also, don’t confide in me. I don’t want to know things. I might tell someone, and I don’t want to be responsible for spreading rumors. You know I don’t like them.

I watch Lillian and know where this is heading by the heavy breath she takes in. She’s preparing to spill her girl guts to me. What I wouldn’t give to be back in that toddler bed staring at Marilyn Manson. That’s how much I enjoy talking about problems with women.

“Last night, Morgan and I were at the bar and—”

“I’m going to stop you there.” I hold up the repair order in my hand. “If this involves my brother’s dick, I’m out. There are some things I don’t want to know, and that’s one of them.”

She pauses for half a second, looks around for Sev, who is fully enthralled in a drawing of witches and Halloween, before blurting, “We slept together.”

I stare at her. Blankly. Hell, even Sev looks up from her drawing, shakes her head, and goes back to coloring. She has no clue what that means, but her expression is priceless. I drop my eyes to the repair orders. I think I swallow and shift my weight, maybe sigh, but I don’t know for sure. I’m counting the steps to the door, wishing I could take them and leave the conversation.

“Are you going to say something?”

I smirk and continue flipping through the orders. “No, but I bet his wife will.”

“Barron…” She starts hysterically crying. I mean, full-on goddamn sobs.

Stepping forward, I pat the top of her head. “Stop crying.”

“What am I going to do?”

“I don’t know, nor do I care. That’s between you two.”

Her face rearranges in anger that I won’t talk to her. “I just want someone to talk to.”

“Talk to Sev. I’m sure she’ll listen.”

Sev smirks, much like me. “I won’t.”

You’re starting to understand my little spooky-loving monster is a lot like me, aren’t you?

Lillian goes on to tell me that Morgan won’t return her calls this morning, and she’s worried. “I don’t have time for this. I have enough to worry about.” I level her a serious expression. “Yesterday, Camdyn googled Barbie sex. You fucking around with my brother is the least of my concerns this week.”

Her mouth falls open, and now it’s her turn to blink rapidly. Like how I threw that tid-fucking-bit of information on you too? That’s how I felt when I looked at her damn iPad and found that. I’ve yet to ask Camdyn about it because, yeah, I’d like to avoid that conversation.

Sev takes her drawing and a handful of crayons with her, heading toward the door. “Stops sayin’ a hundred words. My head hurts.”

Lillian watches her walk away, her tears drying. “Did Camdyn really google Barbie sex?”

“Yes.”

“Is that like, a thing?”

I frown, disgusted to even consider it and curious at the same time. “I have no idea.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

I raise an eyebrow. “What was I going to say?”

“So many things come to mind. You should talk to her about it.”

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