Shatter (True Believers #4)(44)
Author: Erin McCarthy

“Unless you want me there sooner. I can cancel the tutoring.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” My God, we were being so f**king polite and courteous with each other. It felt weird and it sounded even weirder. Given the expression on Jessica’s face, she agreed.

There was a pause and he made a sound, like he was about to say something, but then changed his mind. “Okay, see you later.”

“Bye.” I handed the phone to Jessica.

“There has to be an ecard for this moment,” she said.

Ack. “If there is, please don’t send it to me.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It felt good to be at Riley and Jessica’s house, lying on the couch on my side, watching old episodes of Downton Abbey. It felt crowded and noisy with all the people moving around the house, and most of the time I couldn’t even make out the dialogue on the TV, but it didn’t matter. I just wanted to be distracted, and this worked. Jayden was listening to his headphones and shaking his butt.

“What the hell is he doing?” Riley asked as he came down the hall in his workout clothes, probably headed down into their basement to do some boxing.

“He’s trying to twerk,” Jessica said, sitting in the chair next to the couch, feet on the coffee table as she painted her toenails.

“Oh, Jesus Christ.” Riley went to his brother and pulled one of his earbuds out. “Hey, dudes don’t shake their asses like that. Knock it off.”

“Hey!” Jayden smacked at him, grabbing to reinsert the earbud. “Mind your own business! You’re just jealous because you can’t dance.”

Riley made a face.

“He’s right, you can’t dance,” Jessica said.

“Thanks for the support, babe. And what the hell do I need to dance for? This isn’t a movie where dance is my only way out of poverty under the guidance of a well-meaning and spirited teacher. We’re not poor enough for that, ironically enough. In this neighborhood the reality is being able to dance just means better tips for you at The Rusty Pole.”

“What is The Rusty Pole?” I asked.

“Strip club. Technically it’s just called The Pole, but if you saw the staff there you’d understand the nickname.”

Ew.

“Why are we suddenly talking about strippers?” Jessica asked. “This isn’t an appropriate conversation.” She gestured to Easton, who was rolling around on the floor for no apparent reason.

“I can’t wait until he’s eighteen and I can say whatever the f**k I want,” Riley mused.

“I think you already do, sweetie,” Jessica said, glancing up and smiling at him.

He laughed. “You’re probably right.” He bent over and gave her a kiss. “I’m going to get sweaty now.”

“Yay.”

Then he reached over and ruffled my hair like I was a terrier. “You look good, Kylie.”

In Riley World, that was a pretty significant display of sympathy for me. I was touched. Yet it was weird to me that I was here and life was just going on as normal. Easton rolled and Jayden twerked and Riley bitched. This could have been any day.

But it wasn’t.

I felt cold, like I couldn’t keep the heat inside my body, and I shivered as I burrowed further down into my blanket.

“Hey, let’s do a sleepover at Rory’s this weekend,” Jessica said.

Riley paused on his way to the basement. “What does that even mean?”

“I wasn’t talking to you. I meant a girls’ sleepover. Tyler can crash here and me and Kylie and Rory can have a sleepover.”

I knew what she was trying to do and I was torn between liking the idea of not being alone but at the same time, not sure I could do the whole Girls’ Night thing.

“I really do wish Easton was eighteen because there are all sorts of inappropriate comments dying to come out of my mouth.”

“Why do girls have sleepovers?” Jayden asked. “What do you do?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Riley said, his thoughts obviously running in an extremely dirty direction.

“We watch movies and eat ice cream and paint our nails.”

“You do that all the time,” Jayden said, looking confused.

Riley snorted. “He’s got a point.”

Jessica frowned. “Maybe you have to be female to understand.”

There was a knock on the front door. I glanced at my phone and saw it was quarter to seven. “That’s probably Jonathon.”

Riley went and opened the door and a gust of cold air and flurries came blasting into the living room. I shivered again, pulling the blanket up to my nostrils. There were introductions and the door closing and Jonathon standing in the entry looking a little overwhelmed by how many people were in the room. Jayden waved and Easton glanced up at him but didn’t say anything as Jessica introduced him.

“Hey,” he said, locking eyes with me. “You cold?”

I nodded, speaking through the holes of the afghan. “I wish I could take a hot bath but my apartment only has a shower.”

“I have a tub, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You should probably wait a few days . . . bacteria and stuff.”

Oh, God. I wrinkled my nose. Why did he always have to be so freakin’ practical? I just wanted to complain that I wanted a bath. I wasn’t actually going to take one. But no, he had to take it to bacteria. Besides, he had reminded me that I had miscarried. Not that the very sight of him wasn’t going to do that but still. Don’t shove it in my face.

Riley obviously felt the same way. He was grimacing. “Uh, I’m going downstairs to work out now. Nice to meet you, Jonathon.” Then he disappeared.

“You ready?” Jonathon asked. “Or should I take my shoes off?”

“Wow. A well-trained male who takes his wet shoes off.” Jessica shot me a grin. “I am so jelly of you right now.”

I gave her a weak smile then pushed back the blanket and stood up, uncomfortable with her words. Uncomfortable with everything. I wanted to leave, be in private space with Jonathon. I wasn’t sure how to bring him into my friendships. That had been Nathan’s place. It seemed like an odd fit to have Jonathon here, with the Mann brothers.

“You can borrow the blanket,” Jessica said. “I’ll get it back from you later.”

“Thanks.” I wore it like a cape, stuffing my feet in my boots by the door. Jonathon put his hand on the small of my back, but I barely felt it through all the layers.