Chapter 13 Graham
Chapter thirteen
Graham
The mess hall at Thatcher Ranch is booming today. I try to knock as much mud off my boots as I can before entering, but with this many cowboys, it’s kind of a losing game.
I get in line at the front of the large room, grabbing a plate and peering over shoulders to see what’s on the menu for today. Looks like chili as the main with various vegetable sides. And, as luck would have it, I see a platter of cupcakes at the end of the table as well.
I fill my plate and then scan the crowd. I zero in on Harrison and a few other guys at a table in the corner, and I head over. The guys briefly pause their conversation to greet me before diving back in, and I simply dig into my food.
“I don’t know if it’s serious, but we’ve been hanging out regularly,” Harrison says, and I can guess he’s talking about the receptionist at the auto shop.
He has been seeing her pretty often. While she hasn’t stayed at our place yet, he’s definitely spent a few nights at hers.
What was her name again? Caitlin, I think.
“Well, good luck,” Theo says from across the table. “Personally, I’m glad to be done with the whole dating phase.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Theo and his wife, Cora, are perhaps the most obnoxiously in love couple I know.
Don’t get me wrong, Theo’s a fun guy, and Cora is lovely, but ever since they got married last year, they’ve been a bit, well, insufferable.
Granted, I’m not the lovey-dovey type, so maybe it’s just me.
“Yeah, it does get old,” Harrison echoes, his lips pursed.
His tone has me wondering if things with Caitlin aren’t going as well as it seems, but I keep my mouth shut.
“Someone else at this table might be getting a girlfriend soon,” Harrison adds, tone shifting, reaching over to smack my chest with a smirk.
Theo turns to me with widened eyes, and from beside him, Cruz mutters, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Panic courses through me, and I nearly drop my spoon.
“What?” I snap, my voice coming out a bit harsher than I’d intended.
“What are you talking about? I don’t have a girlfriend.
” A million thoughts flit through my head.
Am I about to be found out in the middle of the mess hall, in front of everyone I work with?
Am I about to tackled to the ground by my best friend at work?
Theo laughs, and Harrison rolls his eyes, holding his hands up and feigning innocence. “Oh, so that cutie who spent the night more than once won’t be returning again?”
“More than once?” Theo echoes, leaning forward with a grin. “That is serious for you, Graham.”
My brows knit together. “What are you—wait, are you talking about Madeline?”
Harrison snorts. “I don’t know the names of the girls you bring home,” he defends. “I wouldn’t mind knowing their names, you just don’t ever bother to introduce me.”
Relief—harsh and heavy—rips through me, and I almost physically close my eyes.
Madeline. He’s talking about Madeline. Madeline, who I’d honestly completely forgotten about.
She’d texted a couple times over the last week, and I’d blown her off both times.
I haven’t heard from her since, and I think that means she got the hint.
And, come to think about it, why hadn’t my mind immediately gone to Madeline too?
Why was I thinking about Delilah?
She’s not my girlfriend. Not an almost-girlfriend. She’s barely a hookup. We still technically haven’t fully hooked up. And when we do—if we do—it still won’t count because …
Because it won’t.
“Dude, I’m kidding.” Harrison’s voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I blink, turning to look at him. He looks mildly concerned at my silence, although still amused.
I force out a laugh. “Sorry, yeah, just tired today. Didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Oh, did Madeline sneak in without me knowing?”
I laugh along good naturedly, ignoring the twinge in my chest. And the guilt digging itself deeper and deeper into the core of my being. I shovel a spoonful of chili into my mouth, resorting to one thing and one thing only from this conversation.
Harrison can never, ever find out about me and Delilah.