Page 107 of Hold Me Instead
Zachary swallowed. Was that what was required to be considered a good son? To do the job his father had hoped for him? Was everything else considered moot otherwise?
He gave a small nod. “One of the techs will be in shortly for Boscoe. Take care.” He squeezed out of the room and hustled down the hallway for the kitchenette, needing something fizzy to quench whatever guilt had just wrung him dry.
“How’d it go?” Charlie asked behind him.
He turned, the sparkling water a shake to his system. “Not terrible.”
“Good.” She rummaged in the fridge and pulled out a protein bar.
“You had that in the fridge?”
She bit, eyes wide. “So good. It’s got dates and little chocolate chips. Tastes like dessert.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
He shook his head, amused.
She tilted her head. “You sure you’re good? You look a little…?”
He took another gulp.Pressured?Annoyed?Overwhelmed and afraid of disappointing everyone?He went with “Tired?”
“Constipated.”
He fought off another laugh as a ridiculously pleased smile lit up her face.
“Want a bite? Maybe this’ll help.” She held up her bar, but he waved it off.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” he said.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
So many things.
“No. Not now.”
He startled when her hand lightly touched his arm, but seeing her soft eyes and furrowed brow, his shoulders relaxed.
“I’m good, really. Thinking about Dad, and the practice…You know, the usual.”
She nodded. “Want to grab a drink tonight?”
He sighed. “That sounds perfect.”
“Great. Because your sister wanted to go out, and I kinda told her we would.”
“You told herwewould?”
“Yeah. Well. We were texting about your dad, and you came up, and I mentioned I met Mel last weekend, and all of a sudden, she planned a night with us. Your mom is going to watch the kids, I guess. She needs out of the house, and your dad wants to be left alone. So Sandra jumped on the chance to have a night out with Jay. Apparently, Whiskey Nights has a holiday spritz or something he wants to try.”
“Jay and his mocktails.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “They want to spend their night out with us?”
She shrugged. “Why not?” She gave him a little punch at his shoulder. “Her baby brother’s in town. And she knows we’re friends.”
“We’re more than that,” he grumbled.
Charlie blinked rapidly, her lips parted. Her tongue darted out as she stepped closer, but before she could speak, before he could find out if she was wetting those lips for him, Sheila came in, alerting Charlie of her next appointment.
Without a word, Charlie’s fingertips brushed his on her way out of the room. Which left him with a little more time to determine what all of this even meant.
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