Page 57 of Mr. Frosty Pants

“Because he thoughtyou’dalready told me, and he wanted to gloat over a stupid bet we made years ago about the two of you.”

“A bet?”

“It was dumb. I didn’t even think about it later. RJ forgets nothing. Unless he’s high. And he wasn’t high that day. Or this morning. Anyway, Casey loooooves you.”

“No.”

“Yes. RJ implied that Casey literally said he was in love with you.” She laughed.

Joel groaned. “Casey doesn’t…that’s too…” He couldn’t complete the sentence—anysentence—because his heart was beating so hard that it was going to flop out onto the concrete table like a landed fish.

Becca crooned soothingly. “Now, Joely, I can hear that you’re on the verge of losing your sweet crap. Don’t ruin this for yourself.”

“He doesn’t love me.”

“Don’t make me come over there and slap you until you cry.”

“This is just a short-term thing,” he whispered, closing his eyes and trying to get some of the prior night’s magic back. It kept slipping away from him. “He’s going back to New York.”

“Sure. But what about when he graduates?”

“He’ll either travel or go to graduate school. He has no intention of returning to Knoxville. He told me yesterday.”

“Right, and what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” Joel stared down at his dirty boots. His place was here. Casey Stevens was always meant for so much more. “But he should move on with his life. I don’t have a place in his world. I don’twanta place in it.”

“What world?”

“You know what world, Becca!”

“Wow. You’re totally going to ruin this.” He could hear her pacing in her clompy high-heeled boots across what sounded like a wood floor. That meant she was at her girlfriend Andie’s downtown loft apartment. “Don’t you dare ruin this, Joel. This thing with you and Casey? It’s meant to be. It’s always been meant to be. Destiny. Fate. Whatever you want to call it. It’s beautiful.”

“Look, my life isn’t a rom-com, okay? He’s in town for the holidays. We’re going to have a fling. Enjoy each other for what it’s worth and then move on.”

“First, that’s literally the setup for half a dozen rom-coms, dude.” He could picture her pointing her finger at him. “And second, he said that? This is just a fling?”

Joel groaned. “Please don’t mess this up for me by sticking your nose in it. Just let me have this, okay? My way.”

“Your way?” She fairly bleated with incredulity. “Only if your way means you’ll tell him you love him too, and—”

“And what? Ask him to go steady?” He snorted. “Ask him to come back to Knoxville for me? Give up his dreams? Get a grip. We’re grown men. Stay out of it.”

“Mmm, maybe.” Becca’s uncertainty slipped through the connection. “But RJ says Casey’s floating on cloud nine.”

“So was I until this phone call.” That wasn’t true, but honesty wasn’t his policy, especially when he was annoyed like this. His father had shot him down from the cloud earlier in the day, and despite his dreamy memories of the night before, he’d never quite floated back up.

“Always so stubborn.”

“Not half as stubborn as Casey.”

“And that, my friend, is the only thing that’s going to save you.” She sighed. Moments passed, and Joel listened to Becca breathe. “I should have hung up dramatically just then, but I blew it by staying on the line too long.”

Joel laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And so are you. I hope you won’t ruin your whole life because you’re embarrassed to be poor.”

Joel scoffed. “I’m not poor. I’m a business owner, for fuck’s sake. I’m solidly lower-lower-lower middle class.”