Page 30 of His Surrender
Emery had called me last night after Remi messaged me about hooking up, and I hadn’t been able to keep quiet about it. But my best friend had it all wrong if he thought I’d be changing my ways anytime soon. They’d worked for me for years. Why change now?
Cross:You stayed over with me sometimes.
That was you, I texted back, then sent another text before he could respond.Is there something you wanted? I’m kind of busy atm.
Cross:Idk. I guess I wanted to check in before we started going at each other’s throats on Tuesday. This case is going to be hard on us and cause some tension. We need to remember to keep our personal lives out of it.
Was he worried about our friendship? If so, it was a valid concern. I knew very few prosecutors who could remain friends with defense attorneys they went up against in court. Many were acquaintances at best, at least around here.
Me:Don’t worry, Cross. I’ll still like you even after I kick your ass in court.
Cross:Have a good day, Foley.
The conversation had distracted me too much to focus on work. A look at the clock showed I’d been there for over three hours, though, so I decided to call it a day. Since it was around noon, I picked up grilled chicken sandwiches and fries at a fast-food joint and drove to Ricky’s Auto Repair. Ivan was working that Saturday.
I parked around back and walked through the side entrance, the bell above the door dinging with my arrival.
“Be right with you,” Blake, a guy Ivan worked with, called from the garage.
Drills sounded and classic rock music played through the small speakers where the mechanics worked. Two people sat in the waiting room as their cars were serviced, and one had a child who ran around the room touching everything in sight. The crotch goblin ran over to me and grabbed my pants leg, and I smiled to be polite when really, I was inwardly cursing the parent for sitting there letting the kid run wild.
Blake came into the waiting room and told the lady with the wild child that her car was ready. She grabbed her duffle bag–sized purse with one hand and her kid’s arm with the other and approached the counter to pay.
“You can go back and see him, Jay,” Blake said after spotting me. “He just finished up and is about to go on lunch.”
“Perfect timing.” I stood and walked to the back garage where Ivan was wiping his hands on an old rag. “Eyes up, Marine.”
Ivan jolted at my sudden loud tone and flipped around, narrowing his eyes. “Zhopa.”
“Hey, stop calling me an ass.” I held up the bag of food. “Especially since this ass just brought you lunch.”
I followed him as he walked to the small break room. There was a table and a few chairs, a coffeepot, and a fridge.
“Have a seat,” he said, plopping down in the chair closest to him.
My gaze dropped to his knee as he fidgeted with the prosthesis. “Still bothering you?”
“Nah. I’m good,” he answered. Typical Ivan. He wouldn’t have said so even if hewashurting. “Thanks for lunch.” He pulled a sandwich from the bag and unwrapped it before taking a bite. “What’s the occasion?”
“Just wanted to see you,” I said, and it was the truth. I had made it a mission to see my brother a few times a week since he’d moved back. There had been a time when I was afraid I’d never see him again. “Wanted to see if you were rockin’ a hangover today.”
“I have a slight headache, but nothing I can’t handle.”
I ate the other chicken sandwich as we sat in silence, the radio the only sound in the room. Ivan was the only other person besides Emery I felt comfortable talking to, and I had a lot on my mind.
“I fucked Remi,” I blurted out.
Ivan nearly choked on his food. Once done with his coughing fit, he studied me. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
He continued eating. “You have sex with a lot of guys, though. Why are you fretting over this one?”
“I’m not fretting.”
“There’s a large ass crease in your forehead. You’re fretting.” He ate a handful of fries before taking a drink of the large Coke I’d brought for him. Then, his green eyes shifted back to me. “Just admit you like this guy. It’s painful to see you fight it so much. You know it’s totally normal to like someone, right? To go out on dates and stuff? It’s not the end of the world.”
“Says the guy who turned down every pretty woman throwing themselves at him last night,” I countered.
