Beautiful Oblivion (Maddox Brothers #1)(29)
Author: Jamie McGuire

Trenton put his hands on the pool table, and her ass was nestled tightly in between them. She leaned up to his ear and whispered.

Five minutes before last call, a rowdy crowd walked in and came to the east bar calling drinks, even though most of them had already had more than a few. As I began to get back into busy mode, I caught a glimpse of Trenton leading the girl outside by the hand. I instantly felt sick to my stomach.

“You okay?” Raegan called to me, popping the top off several beers at the same time.

“Fine,” I said. I wasn’t sure if she could hear me, but it didn’t matter. She knew the truth.

CHAPTER TEN

A KNOCK AT THE DOOR STARTLED ME AWAKE. ANOTHER SET of knocks made me fully awake. Then the pounding began. I crawled out of bed, cringing when the bright, early morning sun struck my face the second I walked into the hall.

I stumbled across the living room and opened the door.

“What in the hell are you doing here?” I asked.

“She slept in hew clowes,” Olive said in her sweet, tiny voice.

I looked down, shielding the sun from my eyes with my hands. “Oh, hi, Olive. Sorry, I didn’t see you down there,” I said, unable to stop frowning, even for her.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Twent says I’m showt.”

“We brought you breakfast,” Trenton said, holding up a white sack.

“I don’t eat breakfast.”

“Yes, you do. Raisin cinnamon bagels with butter. Kody told me.”

The two lines that were already formed between my eyebrows grew deeper. I glared at Trenton, and then looked down to Olive. My expression softened, and I sighed. “I love her,” I said to no one in particular. “Olive, you know I love you, but I’m going back to bed.” I looked at Trenton, and narrowed my eyes. “It’s not going to work this time. Take her home.”

“I can’t. Her parents are out all day.”

“Then take her to your home.”

“My dad’s got a cold. You don’t want her to get a cold, do you?”

“You know what I hate?” I asked.

Trenton had desperation in his eyes. “Me. I know. I just . . . I’m a selfish, insecure idiot.”

“Yes.”

“But I’m a sorry selfish, insecure idiot with a little girl outside in the cold.”

It was my turn to sigh. I waved for Olive to come in. She happily complied, sitting on the couch. She immediately found the remote and flipped on the television, turning to Saturday morning cartoons.

Trenton took a step and I held out my hand. “Not you.”

“What?”

“You don’t get to come in.”

“But . . . I’m watching Olive.”

“You can watch her from the window.”

Trenton crossed his arms across his chest. “You think I won’t?”

“No, I know you will.” I grabbed the white sack from his hand, and then slammed the door in his face, locking the door. I tossed Olive the sack. “You like bagels, kiddo?”

“Yep!” she said, opening the sack. “Aw you weally going to make Twent stand outside?”

“Yes, I am,” I said, walking back to my room, and falling into my bed.

“Cami!” Raegan said, shaking me. I looked at the clock. It had been almost two hours since Trenton had knocked on my door. “That little girl is watching cartoons in our living room!” she whispered, clearly uneasy.

“I know.”

“How did she get there?”

“Trent brought her.”

“Where’s Trent?”

“Outside, I think,” I said, yawning.

Raegan stomped out to the living room, and then back to my room. “He’s sitting on the ground outside our window, playing Flappy Bird on his cell phone.”

I nodded.

“It’s thirty-three degrees outside.”

“Good,” I said, sitting up. “I wish it were sleeting.”

Raegan’s face screwed into disgust. “He waved at me like it was the most normal thing in the world. What the hell is going on?”

“He brought Olive over. His dad has a cold, so he couldn’t bring her home, and her parents are somewhere else all day.”

“So he couldn’t watch her at her house?”

I thought about that for a moment, and then crawled out of bed for the second time that day. I walked over to the couch. “Why didn’t Trent watch you at your house?” I asked.

“I wanted to come see you,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” I said. “Trenton didn’t want to see me?”

“Yes, but he said you wouldn’t like it.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, so then I said, pweety, pweety pwease? And he said okay.”

I smiled at her, and then walked over to the front door, opening it. Trenton turned around, and looked up at me. My smile vanished. “Come in.”

Trenton stood up and walked inside, but that’s as far as he got. “You’re mad at me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why?” he asked.

I didn’t answer.

“Is it because I went home with that girl last night?”

I still didn’t answer.

“I didn’t bag her.”

“You want a cookie?” I asked. “Because that is prize worthy.”

“What is your deal? You tell me five times a day that we’re friends, and now you’re jealous of some girl I flirted with for two seconds.”

“I am not jealous!”

“Then what are you?”

“As your friend, I can’t be concerned about your STD status?”

“What’s an ust edie?” Olive asked from the love seat.

I closed my eyes tight. “Oh, God. I’m sorry, Olive. Forget you heard that.”

Trenton took a step toward me. “Her parents let me babysit her. You think they’re worried about foul language?”

I raised an eyebrow.

He lowered his chin, looking straight into my eyes. “Tell me the truth. Are you angry at me because you thought I took that girl home, or is it something else? Because you’re mad at me for something.”

I crossed my arms and looked away.

“What are we doing, Cami?” he asked. “What is this?”

“We’re friends! I’ve told you that already!”

“Bullshit!”

Olive’s finger hovered over the top of the love seat. “You have to put a nickow in my jawr.”