Page 77 of Necessary Time

He shook Grayson’s hand, stare wavering as Grayson tried to pull back before it turned into another hug.

“Grayson,” Rob dragged his tongue across the front of his teeth, expression turning stern. “Can you put some time on our calendars for Monday as well? There’s some contracts I need your eyes on.”

Grayson cleared his throat. “Sure thing.”

“Great.” Rob clapped and shrugged, whatever tension had existed in that moment lost. “Keep an eye out for an email. Happy birthday, and I’ll talk to both of you soon.”

“Thank you,” I said, grabbing to shake his hand again. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t thank me.” Rob tilted his chin toward Grayson. “Thank him.”

Grayson turned for the door and I went after him. He was already in the car by the time I reached the curb, and I barely made it inside before he pulled away.

“Grayson.” I buckled up as he turned onto the street, shifting toward him so my knees bumped the center console.

“Don’t ask,” he warned.

I wanted to ask more than I wanted to turn twenty-one, but I respected him enough to not.

“I wa…” I also respected him enough to not lie. “Thank you.”

“I just made a suggestion and Rob thought it was a good one,” Grayson said, unrolling both of our windows to let in the ocean air. “You’re the one who has to make the job work if you want it to last. Rob is a fair boss, but he’s stern.”

“I won’t mess it up,” I promised, dropping my head against the headrest and throwing my arm out of the window. Things were finally coming together, and I’d never been happier. I couldn’t wait to tell my brother.

I couldn’t wait to tell Colin.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

Colin

After almost a month,Grayson had finally softened around me. It was obvious he was still fiercely invested in Wesley’s wellbeing, which I respected, but at some point he’d come to the conclusion I wasn’t a threat to it.

“Where are you going to dinner?” he asked, sitting down beside me on the couch.

I’d come over to pick Wesley up with the intent to take him out for a celebratory dinner date. After he’d met with Rob at The Metro, he’d called me talking a mile a minute about the conversation and it wasn’t until Grayson had spoken up in the background to translate that I’d understood what happened.

Wesley had gotten a job.

I’d wanted to take him out that night, but he’d said Friday, so Friday it was. The timing was also good enough, considering the timing of his birthday, and we’d have to be on good behavior since Hendrix would be around. Hendrix, who was quickly becoming enough of a thorn in my side that I found myself hoping the truth about Wesley and me would come out sooner rather than later.

He and I had continued our friendship, our weekly Friday lunch dates not even spoken of anymore, only expected. Just before twelve, he’d show up at my desk, and we’d walk down the street together. I knew what he ordered and he knew I hated mustard on my pastrami. I knew what kind of pickles he liked from the bar and he knew that I always over-iced my tea. These were all things Wesley knew about me too, and every time Hendrix made a comment about one of them, I thought of his younger brother.

I respected that Wesley wasn’t ready to tell him, though.

And after how disastrous things had gone with my parents, I wasn’t really keen to tell anyone either. I hadn’t heard from my mom or my dad since I’d left their house the weekend before. It wasn’t necessarily unusual, but it also wasn’t like them to let tension simmer. I didn’t know what to make of it, so I ignored it, choosing instead to focus on Wesley and his impending celebrations.

“Not sure,” I said, glancing toward the hallway. Light spilled out from Wesley’s room, but he was running behind and had just gotten out of the shower before Grayson had come out to sit with me. The two of them had apparently gone on an impromptu afternoon shopping spree, which Grayson of course funded, so Wesley could get some work-appropriate clothes before he started on Monday.

“Do you want suggestions?”

“Do you have any?”

He shrugged one shoulder, letting out anoomphwhen he exhaled. “I’d say someplace out of the city.”

“Why?”

“So you can hold his hand?” Grayson rolled his eyes like it should have been obvious. “Sit next to him. Kiss him if you wanted.”