Page 50 of Something Tattered
"Well, at least he's gone."
I sighed. "Yeah. Until next time, anyway." I looked to Joel, who had shown remarkable restraint during the whole ugly encounter. I said, "I'm really sorry."
His eyes filled with humor. "About what?"
He had to be joking. Mentally, I ran through the list. Let's see. I'd involved him in estate drama with my sticky-fingered relatives. I'd dragged him to a party where he was the only person not drinking. And then, as the grand finale, I'd almost gotten him arrested for grand theft auto –twice, if I counted the thing with the Camaro.
I had to admit, "I'm not sure where to begin."
"Forget it." He smiled. "Not a big deal."
"How can you say that?" I asked. "I've caused you loads of trouble."
"Tonight?" He gave a loose shrug. "That was nothing."
I looked to Cassie, who appeared just as confused as I felt. Reluctantly, I looked toward the rest of my birthday party, who'd been sitting in awkward silence during that whole scene with Derek.
I gave them an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry about that."
April said, "You shouldn’t apologize. Derek was a total dick." She frowned. "Funny, I remember him being a lot nicer."
"Yeah," I sighed. "You and me both."
Chapter 25
I woke to the smell of burnt pancakes. Smiling, I jumped out of bed, threw on a pair of shorts under my oversized T-shirt, and was down the stairs in a flash.
Sure enough, I found Aunt Gina in the kitchen, looking flustered like she always did whenever she tried to cook. She was petite and freckled, with a mop of dark hair that fell loosely over her eyes as she studied the gas stove in obvious frustration.
When I moved closer, she looked up. "Hey! There's my birthday girl!" She paused. "Even if I am a little late."
"Actually, you're early. I thought you weren't coming 'til tonight."
She smiled. "Surprise!" She looked toward the stove, and her smile faded. "Damn it. Those look like shit."
I looked. On the griddle, I saw four black smoking blobs. They didn't look terrific. But they looked a lot better than her last attempt. "They don't looksobad," I said.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." She reached out and turned off the stove. "Screw this. I'm taking you out."
A half-hour later, we were sitting together at a table for two at the local pancake shack. Aunt Gina leaned forward. "So…" She smiled. "You never told me. How'd you like him? He was pretty hot, huh?"
Instantly, an image of Joel flashed in my mind. Hewaspretty hot. And sweet. And wonderful. And yeah, kind of scary, at least when it came to Derek.
I recalled the previous night. The final hours had passed in a blur, with more shots, more dancing, and more laughing with my friends.
Afterward, Joel had driven me home and practically carried me inside, onlyafterchecking the place for wayward thieving relatives.
At the memory, I felt a warm glow settle over me. Aside from the ugliness with Derek, it had been the best birthday in a long, long time.
Joel was a big part of that. I never got that kiss, but hehadmentioned seeing me again. If I was lucky, it might even be soon. But obviously, he wasn't the guy my aunt meant. I said, "You mean the cowboy?"
She slapped her hands, palms-down, on the table, making her coffee cup rattle precariously. "Heck yeah, I mean the cowboy. I heard he was awesome."
"Where'd you hear that from?"
"From him. Who else?"
I laughed. "Seriously?"
