Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
“Wait, with Garrett?” Jif couldn’t hide the shock in her voice. “But you don’t date players.”
Britt blushed prettily. “He’s... different, though.”
“Different?” Jif scoffed.
“Did you know his degree is in medieval literature?”
Jif spread her hands wide. “What would he even use that for?”
“You could at least pretend to be happy for me.”
“I am,” Jif reassured her friend, affronted. “Of course I am.”
Wasn’t she?
“Thanks for trying.” The gentleness in her tone drew the sting from Britt’s words. “You don’t like sharing, but I appreciate the effort.”
“I can... I don’t mind...”
Britt bumped her hip as they walked. “Of course you do, but I get it. I promise I won’t get any ideas beyond Garrett.”
Jif ran her thumb and finger over the strap of her purse.
“Are you sure he’s serious?” She threw up her hands at Britt’s scowl. “I’m just asking. He’s never been that way before.”
“Maybe he is now.”
Jif didn’t have an answer for Britt. She liked Garrett fine, and they’d been out a few times over the years. She’d been his plus-one to some galas, but like Jonah, it hadn’t ever led to more. Just friends having fun together. Granted, she’d been with Jordan for almost a year, so maybe he’d changed.
“Where’s he taking you?”
“Cob?” Britt raked her hair into a loose ponytail. “I guess he plays with someone who owns a share of it or something?”
Jif catalogued the guys. “Must be Jimmy. He has a couple restaurants around town.”
“Oh, the one who brought Leticia to the bar.”
“Who?”
“Come on, Jif. Leticia. She and Jimmy were there the night I met Garrett. She’s a bartender at Hog Wild.”
Jif wrinkled her nose. “I bet they met there. Jimmy owns it, too.”
“Exactly. She let him hide behind the bar when a fan got a little too handsy one night.”
“How do you know that?” Jif demanded.
“We were talking, and it came up.”
Jif stopped, hauling Britt’s arm until she, too, paused. “Talking when?”
Britt laughed. “I dunno. We’ve been texting for a couple weeks, now.”
Jif closed her eyes. She loved Britt, and if her friend really wanted to date Garrett, she’d support her wholeheartedly, but she needed to be careful.
“A lot of girlfriends don’t stick around very long, and picking sides sucks.
Don’t get too attached to her, okay? Especially if you and Garrett are going to be a thing. ”
“A thing? Jif, you’re such a snob.” Britt laughed but with an edge, and the flash of hurt in her friend’s eyes triggered a twinge of guilt in Jif.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I don’t want you to get stuck in a tough position.”
“I’ll be fine, Jif. I really like Garrett, and Leticia is nice.”
“Okay.” Jif tugged her friend toward a storefront display. “What about this?”
Britt frowned. “Maybe in a jewel tone, but I can’t really pull off pastels.”
“Let’s go in and try it on.”
“I don’t really like the style, either.” Britt shifted her weight.
Jif frowned. “Okay, we’ll try somewhere else. What about Bonaire’s?”
“I can’t afford anything at Bonaire’s.”
“Let’s pop in. If you find something you love, I’ll help you.”
“No, Jif. I’m not letting you buy me a dress for my first date with Garrett.” Britt put her foot down literally, hauling Jif to a halt beside her. “I appreciate it, but I want something simple and classic. I might order one online.”
Usually, Britt would let her help, and the chasm between them gaped like a third and long with zone coverage. She didn’t like it. “I’m sorry, Britt. You’re my best friend. Tell me how to make it right.”
Britt threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know, Jif. What are you apologizing for?”
Jif chewed the corner of her pinky nail. “I... You said I’m a snob. I don’t mean to be.”
“You never do. Forget it, okay? Tell me how it went with the therapy dog this week.”
“It went great,” Jif enthused. “Miles and Nix came on Wednesday, then again on Friday, and the kids didn’t even pull the usual Friday Freakies. Hannah has stopped crying every day, and Elias actually did a whole page afterward without harassing his tablemates. It felt like a miracle.”
“How long will they keep coming?”
“I’m not sure.”
Miles had agreed to return on Tuesday, but he had other responsibilities.
He also worked with Abby’s First Responder program and had to fit Jif’s class in around his regular schedule.
The thought of Miles and Nix not coming back sent a weight to the pit of her stomach.
The kids were doing better, and she was, too.
Her hands hadn’t shaken all weekend, even after a car on the street backfired right in front of her.
“I hope a while still.”
“What’s that look for?”
Jif twitched. “What look?”
Britt smirked. “You tell me. You don’t usually do vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable?” Jif snorted. “As if.”
“As if,” Britt parroted, then giggled.
Jif followed her friend into the next store, but while Britt tried on dresses, she let her distracted thoughts ponder her friend’s words.
She didn’t normally take her armor off, even to her closest friend. Vulnerable meant needy. Needy drove people away. Drove men away.
Not that needy didn’t have its place. Men liked to be needed: oil changes or light bulbs or installing electronics.
Not emotional neediness, though. Definitely not.
An impossibly fine line to tread, thinner than a tightrope—too little and you were aloof and cold. Too much and it made you codependent.
Her mother had been too much, and her father had left. The object lesson couldn’t be clearer if someone had handed Jif the opposing team’s playbook, and she’d treaded that crucial, narrow line ever since.
Miles’s face flashed in her mind. You’re allowed to feel...
Maybe with him, she could, but not with anyone else. They weren’t friends, so paradoxically, the ugliest parts of herself were safer to share. Fear. Anger. Jealousy.
Jealousy? What could she possibly be jealous about?
Britt brushed the curtain aside and stepped out of the dressing room. Spinning in a circle, she smoothed her hands over the skirt. “What do you think?”
Jif tapped a finger against her mouth, pretending to study her friend for a moment. “Garrett will love it!”
“You think so?”
Jif nodded, definitely not jealous at all.