Chapter Twenty-Three
Jude
I almost forgot to stop and pick up pizza, but I remembered just as I reached the outskirts of Willow Brook. I practically kicked up dust as I turned into the parking area. When I walked in, there was a line, so I waited idly, glancing over my shoulder when I heard my name.
“Jude Silver.”
Graham was the superintendent of one of the hotshot crews and a good friend. He was a few years older than me, but I’d known him my whole life.
“Hey, man. What’s up?”
“Picking up pizza. Same thing you’re doing, it looks like,” he said dryly as he stopped beside me.
I tapped the toe of my boot on the floor. “Sometimes you have to make the easy choice for dinner.”
“Madison’s working late because she’s doing some kind of accounting thing.” He waved a hand vaguely in the air. “And, Allie’s up to her eyeballs in exams. It’s on me, man.”
“So, you’re getting pizza. Good choice.”
“Pizza’s perfect. It’s a complete meal, right? Veggies, meat, carbs, and cheese. How’s the fam?”
“Pretty good.” I hesitated. “Lincoln’s coming home.”
Graham held my gaze for a beat, a slow smile stretching across his face. “That’s great to hear. It’s about time. How are you and Kendall doing?” he asked next.
My head whipped up too fast for me not to give it away. A sly grin curled his lips. “What do you know?” I asked.
Graham tipped his head to the side, a furrow forming between his brows. “I thought you two were dating. You have been forever, right?”
“Forever?” I opened my mouth to add that we were just friends, to explain something I’d explained hundreds of times before.
But I realized that maybe Graham had seen the obvious long before I did.
Maybe I’d known my feelings for Kendall in my heart, but I’d kept them tucked away so tightly I’d assumed no one else could tell.
“All this time we’ve just been friends,” I finally said.
“Oof. Awkward on my part. Madison’s gonna give me hell. Tell me that I misread the situation.” He shook his head.
“Nah, it’s cool. While we have always just been friends, that’s not the case now.”
His brows hitched up high. “Oh, oh.” He paused. “Don’t screw it up, man.”
“I’m not going to screw it up,” I protested.
“I’m not saying you will. It’s just that I know men.”
“What do you mean?”
He gestured to himself as the line moved forward. “I’m a dumbass, or I used to be. Sometimes we don’t always see what’s right for us, even when it’s literally smacking us in the face. Not that Madison ever smacked me in the face,” he added with a flash of a grin.
I chuckled. “Good to know.”
“Kendall’s good, you’re good. So be good to each other,” he said.
“That’s it? That’s your advice?”
Graham paused as we stepped forward again.
His gaze sobered as he looked at me. “My advice is this: just be honest and listen to yourself, and her. I almost lost Madison because I was freaked out about how much she meant to me. We’re all different, but whatever your baggage is, don’t let it screw things up for you.
That’s all I’m saying. I don’t know the details, but I honestly assumed you were dating before now.
That kind of says it all about how obvious it is that you two mean something to each other.
” He clapped me on the shoulder as we reached the counter.
We both got our pizzas and walked out together. I still hadn’t responded to his comments even though several moments had passed.
“Did I freak you out back there?” he finally asked.
I caught his eye. “I guess I just gotta figure out how not to mess this up.”
His lips teased at the corners. “You will.”
At that, he got in his truck and drove away. I tried to tell myself there was no way I could fuck this up. Kendall meant too much to me, and I already knew I was in love with her. That was a no-brainer. That was all I needed to know.
Except now, what had been a hazy hope and wish was very real, and I really, really didn’t want to blow it.