9. Heather
HEATHER
“How should we tell them?” I ask Dean as he parks along the curb in front of Nana’s house.
It doesn’t matter that it’s a random Monday.
Nana can find a reason to celebrate on any day of the week.
Today, she decided to throw a party in honor of a dog she had thirty years ago.
The best part? No one even batted an eye when the group text went out.
“We could just start making out by the cake,” Dean says.
“I’m not trying to give Penny a heart attack.”
“She’ll be happy about this, trust me.”
“How do you know?” Penny and I have been best friends since we were five years old.
I’ve always shared everything with her. Except for the two-decade-long crush I’ve had on her brother.
It felt too awkward to admit, especially because I never thought he’d feel the same.
In my wildest dreams, I never imagined we’d end up in a committed relationship together.
And yet, here we are.
“It’s just a hunch,” Dean says.
“You don’t think she’ll be weirded out or anything?”
“She’s your best friend, Heather.”
“That just means she’s going to be brutally honest, no matter what. Which reminds me, I haven’t told her about Jonathan the Jackass yet. Didn’t want to spoil her writing retreat, but who knows? Maybe she can use it as writing fodder now. Hey, have you seen anything on the cameras lately?”
“I have a confession,” Dean says. “He was—”
Two hands slam against the passenger side window and I scream. For two beats, I expect to see Jonathan’s creepy face plastered to the glass. But after I catch the heart that tried to leap out of my chest, I realize it’s just Penny.
“Hold that thought,” I say, pushing open the door and hugging her.
“I don’t know what you’re doing in Dean’s truck,” Penny says squeezing me tight. “But I hope it means what I think it means.”
“What do you think it means?”
“That you two finally figured out you love each other. Duh.”
Dean walks around the front of the truck, hands tucked in his front pockets.
I can’t tell if he’s looking guilty because he told Penny about us already or if he’s just being a little shy about the whole thing.
Either way, it’s way more adorable than that grumpy man has any right being.
It makes me want to drag him into the guest room.
“You two are together, right?” Penny demands.
“Yes.”
“It’s about damned time,” Gage says, appearing beside Dean. It’s rare to see him out of uniform, but I’m glad he finally took a day off.
“You too?” I shake my head in disbelief. Seems as though Dean’s entire family has been rooting for us the whole time.
“Hey, just wanted to let you know that the perp Jonathan Jones is being transferred to the state penitentiary. In Idaho. Even if the judge grants him bond, which I think is debatable considering the charges he’s up against, he won’t be able to leave the state.”
“What are they talking about?” Penny asks me.
“Yeah, what are they talking about?” I ask, looking at Dean for clarification. “Jonathan the Jackass was arrested? Since when?”
“I pulled him over for running a stop sign Saturday afternoon. Turns out he had a warrant out, so I hauled him in. Didn’t Dean tell you?”
“No, Dean did not tell me,” I say, glaring hard at Dean before marching off toward the house.
I don’t want to offend Nana by missing the party, but I don’t want to be around the man who lied to me for two whole days right now.
Am I overreacting? Maybe. But the combination of fury and embarrassment is overwhelming my system.
“Heather, wait.”
“Twenty years to get together, two minutes to fuck it up,” I hear Gage say as I rush toward the house.
I move through the house in search of Nana or any other guests, but it’s empty.
Through the dining room window, I notice that the party is set up in the backyard.
“Wow, Nana. You’ve outdone yourself this time.
Blue streamers line the deck railing, bone-shaped balloons are tied to the posts, and printed pictures are propped in table frames around an impressive array of snacks. “Guess this dog was pretty special.”
“Hey,” a voice calls, and I can’t decide if I’m relieved or disappointed that it’s not Dean.
“Sorry to disappoint you two seconds after I got your hopes up,” I say, sighing.
“I love you, Heather. But I swear you don’t give the good ones a chance.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I thought maybe the reason you couldn’t get a boyfriend to stick was because you were secretly comparing them all to my brother. Which is a weird thing for me to wrap my head around, but as long as I don’t picture you two naked, I’m okay.”
“What are you saying?”
“At least talk to the guy before you decide to call it.”
“Who says I’m calling it?”
“It’s what you always do. I’m just getting ahead of it before you make a stupid decision. I think this is the real deal.”
“He lied to me, Pen.”
“Sometimes we lie to protect the people we care about.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s right.”
“Maybe. But at least hear him out?” I glance over her shoulder, spotting Dean standing in the background like a beat down puppy. “And once you do, you need to tell me everything about your AI-generated family.”
I visibly shudder and Penny laughs.
Dean nods at the garage door.
“Fine. I’ll hear him out.”