Page 138 of Ice Darling
It’s better for Gordie, for Renthrow, foreveryone, if I just keep to myself.
On Monday morning, I go to work armed with coffee and four hours of sleep under my belt.
April and Rebel are already at the garage when I get there.
Rebel sees me and grins from ear to ear. “Heellloo, Delia.”
“Hey,” I answer suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
“Renthrow stopped by before he went to the stadium and left this,” April says, nodding to a pink lunch bag.
Stunned, I reach for the bag and notice both my bosses looking over my shoulder.
“Can I get a little room?” I mumble.
“April, don’t be nosey,” Rebel says, nudging her best friend backward while craning her own neck farther ahead.
I open the lunch box. The zipper makes a loud “zzzzup” sound as I unravel it and push back the flap.
There’s a colorful container in the bag, and I open it to find crisply cut fruits, egg rolls fitted with colorful cherry tomatoes, bacon so perfectly crisp, it would make a chef weep, and French toast.
There’s also a note stuck to a bottle of what looks like a fresh fruit smoothie.
I packed breakfast, then I remembered I’m working on my dad bod. So I’m giving it to you instead.
“Aww!” April says.
“That’s soooo sweet!” Rebel coos. “A dad bod?”
I whirl around to find my bosses both hovering over my shoulder, completely obliterating the space I demanded from them earlier.
“Can I take a picture?” Rebel asks, whipping out her phone as she vibrates with excitement. “I want Gunner to recreate this for me.”
“You guys can have it,” I mumble, shoving the lunch box at them and walking to my car.
April and Rebel exchange looks and then follow me.
“What’s going on?” April asks.
Rebel tilts her head. “Did you and Renthrow have a fight?”
“Of course not. What would we have to fight about?”
“I don’t know. Couples fight about all kinds of things,” April says wisely. “Last night, I got mad at Chance for not asking directions to the restaurant for our date. He insisted that he could find it without the navigation, and guess what? We got lost for hours.”
“I fought with Gunner last week about the color of his lights. He’s moving out of his parents’ garage to a new apartment, and he asked for my opinion. So I told him I prefer white lights. And then he bought all yellow!”
“No!” I gasp.
“It’s like…why ask for my opinion when you’re going to do what you want anyway?” Rebel tosses her hair over her shoulder, huffing in exasperation.
April laughs. “Arguments are part of a relationship. But as long as you have good communication and you’re committed to one another, you’ll work it out.”
“Renthrow and I aren’t a couple,” I say again. Then I check my phone and notice a new message from him.
Renthrow:Delivery service. Day one, complete.
I find myself smiling, and then I swat my cheek to wipe the smile off.
