Page 76 of The Pretenders of Copper County
Against my will, I laughed. “I grew up in Vermont. Yes, I like hockey.” I ran my tongue over my teeth. “How do you feel aboutThe Cutting Edge?”
He stared at me blankly. “The… the old skating movie? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Should I?”
I remembered Chris’s words from a few days ago.It’s a really good movie. The kind of movie where if you like it, I’ll probably likeyou, you know?
I relaxed back against the wall, watching Chris float around the party like the world’s prettiest, sexiest, most confident butterfly. Some new and rare kind of Copper that could only be found right here in this tiny town.
I wasn’t in love with him. No. But I couldn’t deny that watching him emerge from his chrysalis this week was a rare gift.
One I was damn sure going to miss.
One I wanted to hold on to and keep for myself as long as I could.
“Definitely not,” I told Watt.
The next morning,Chris was still buzzing, despite the party not breaking up until after midnight and me keeping him awake until after two. When he woke up, it was with a grin on his face, and his good-morning kiss was fucking effervescent.
“I’m so tired, but yesterday was such a good day, and last night was so much fun.” He nestled back against my chest as rays of golden morning sunlight filtered through the window. “And I’m very happy you and Watt are best friends now.”
“We’renotbest friends.” My hands tightened on Chris’s waist. “We might have been friends, one day. We were heading toward a civil relationship. Until…”
“Until he made you recite the friendship pledge in front of everyone and pretended it was a Copper County tradition? Because I thought it was adorable.I solemnly swear that I will be friends with Watt Bartlett?—”
“It was not adorable.” I dug my fingertips into Chris’s ribs in punishment, which had the added benefit of making him laugh and squirm against me.
“Did I say adorable? I meant…hot!” he protested. “Adorablyhot. And sexy!”
I bit his earlobe as he chuckled, and his chuckle turned into a sigh. “I don’t know why you pretend to dislike him, Reed.”
“No?” I grumbled. “Maybe because he’s always making moony eyes at my man—I mean, the man he thinks is my man,” I corrected.
“He does not make moony eyes! He’s friendly and respectful. If I didn’t know better, I’d—” Chris snapped his mouth shut.
“What?” I demanded, propping up on an elbow so I could see his face better.
“N-nothing.” He shifted onto his back. “Just… if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were… jealous.” He laughed lightly. “Which obviously you’re not, but I’m just saying?—”
“Uh. Obviously, Iam. Because, once again, since you seem to have missed it, he thinks you’re my husband.” I scowled. “So he needs to keep his moony eyes to himself.”
Chris blinked up at me, an expression of slow-dawning wonder on his face. “You’re jealous? Really?”
“That’s not the point,” I muttered. I squinted at him. “What’s that expression on your face about? What’s going on in your head, Chris Sunday?”
“I was just thinking of something Amber said once about jealousy making a man… uh. Never mind.” His expression turned thoughtful. “Do you think she and Knuckles are okay?”
“The biker dude? Yes.” I threw myself flaton the bed beside him. “I doubt that was Knuckles’s first… what did you call it? Low-key tussle?”
“No, I meanrelationship-wise, do you think they’re okay?” Chris sat up and scooted back against the pillows. “I hope they mended fences and he realized the error of his ways. I hope she forgave him. I mean, he did rush to protect her when the chairs were flying. And nothing saysI want to be committed to youlike getting hit in the face with a chair for the person you love, right?”
I shook my head. “You’re terrifying.”
“Am I? I’ve never been called terrifying before. I kinda like it.” He grinned brightly as he threw back the covers, grabbed his glasses, and slid out of bed. “Let’s get up! I have big plans for us to work on Cabin 13 today. Some people say it’s an unlucky number, but not me.” He pulled on his underwear. “I had to tear out huge sections of drywall Monday so I could replace the wiring, and by the time I got the old wires all un-stapled from the studs, I’d run out of steam. Today, it’s finally time for that old ceiling fan to come down?—”
I sat up and grabbed his hand before he could move out of the room. “Actually, why don’t you sit down with me for a minute first?”
“Why?” When I tugged his hand, Chris crawled back onto the bed obediently and sat facing me. His brown hair was messy above his worried face. “What’s going on?”
I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles once, twice, three times. “Janissey sent me an email yesterday, just as Hen arrived. I couldn’t show you last night while everyone was here, but I promised you?—”
