His mother still looked sour—like her candidate, Deb, had somehow gotten knocked out of the running by this usurper. Davy looked puzzled. Riley looked highly entertained. And Sheryl . . . well, Aiden couldn’t get a bead on what was going on with her. Her expression was impassive—which, from experience, made him nervous.
“Friends,” Davy echoed, turning over the word like it was a Rubik’s Cube he couldn’t figure out. “How’d you guys meet?”
“We’re in an online video game guild,” Maggie said, shooting a quick, warm smile at Aiden. Then she dipped the little triangle of grilled cheese in the tomato soup, and her eyelids fluttered for a second. “That’s good! Oops, sorry.”
He watched as her tongue darted out to catch a stray drop of soup. It slicked her full lower lip, just for a split second.
He found his own mouth going dry. Yeah, he’d definitely need to explore this more, sooner rather than later.
It was really weird sitting with Sheryl and Maggie. All it needed was for Jordan to walk in the door, honestly, and he’d hit the hat trick of relationship weirdness.
Not that you’re in a relationship with Maggie.
But . . . maybe? If she didn’t beat the crap out of him, metaphorically speaking, for even asking? He didn’t know how it would work, or if she’d be open to it. But for the first time in ages, he really wanted to try and see where it went.
He ate his own appetizers as Maggie and Davy chitchatted about her job and, naturally, her car. He also supplied some embarrassing stories from their childhood, which Maggie giggled at with an almost supernatural charm. She tossed her curls over her shoulder. She ate daintily.
She didn’t say “fuck” once.
It was eerie.
As Davy and Riley swapped some stories about people they knew, catching up, and Sheryl and his mother talked about the kids （who were staying with Sheryl’s parents, while Bug stayed with his mom）， Maggie leaned closer to him.
“Hey. Doing okay?” she said, in a low voice.
“You’re not being you,” he noticed.
“Of course I’m not,” she whispered. “Are you kidding? You’re trying to make a good impression, or at least blend in. So I’m finally using those manners and socializing skills Nana Birdie kept trying to drill into my skull.”
He snickered, shaking his head. “I don’t care about any of that. I like who you are.”
Her cheeks went pink. “I . . . like who you are too.”
Oh, yeah. They were definitely talking soon.
He nodded in response. They were already halfway through their risotto and beef tenderloin medallions. “Just need to get through this, eat some cake, listen to some toasts,” he whispered to her, close enough to her to smell her perfume, “and maybe two dances? Then we’re home free.”
She smiled, nodding. “Been a while since I danced,” she murmured. “Then I guess I’ll find a place to crash for the night.”
He’d been facing her—she was sitting on one end of the table, and he sat to her left, while his mother sat to her right. Davy was at the other end, with Sheryl between him and Aiden, and Riley sitting next to his mother. He took her hand under the table, giving it a squeeze.
“Maybe we can talk a little, hang out? Before you hit the Best Western,” he added.
She nodded, and he turned back to see the rest of the table staring at them. He realized they had perhaps gotten a little close, physically. He felt his face flush, even as his body was tightening in response.
“I’m going to hit the restroom,” he said quickly, then got up. He felt a little concerned about leaving Maggie alone, but she’d been exemplary, more than able to handle anything. She played the perfect combination: just friends, with a suggestion of more. She’d shocked Riley and made an instant friend with Davy, and even his mother seemed to be thawing out, asking Maggie about her cottage pie recipe and talking about Kit’s time at Fool’s Falls High. Only Sheryl still seemed aloof, which was probably the best he could hope for at this point.
He went about his business, and bumped into Riley on his way back to the table. “Dude!” Riley enthused. “I cannot believe that your Maggie looks like that. Hell, I didn’t even know she had legs!”
Aiden sighed. He liked Riley, he did. But he was quickly getting tired of the whole “dude-bro, let’s nail some chicks” attitude that had been progressing from old school to offensive, no matter what his rationales were. “Be nice.”
Riley’s eyes popped wide. “Are you dating her?”
“I want to. But don’t say anything,” he warned. “I haven’t even talked to Maggie about it yet. But I really like her, and I want to give us a shot if she’s open to it.”
Riley hooted, and Aiden hissed at him, causing him to quiet down. They were close enough to the table that several heads turned to look at him. He felt heat creep up his neck, and for a moment, he wanted to kill Riley. Riley looked immediately apologetic, at least.
“Looks like we missed the cake cutting,” he said, quickly taking his seat.
Aiden sat next to Maggie. Their dinner plates had already been cleared away, and they each had cake on small plates. He took a bite. It was good. He went to say as much to Maggie, only to see that she’d eaten only a bit and was systematically cutting the rest into a paste with the edge of her fork.
“You’ve only known each other for a few months?” Sheryl said to Maggie. There was a tone to the question.
He felt his tension ratchet up. He didn’t know what Sheryl’s problem was, other than the usual, but he wasn’t about to let her take potshots at Maggie.
“Yes.” Maggie took a sip of water. “Longer online than in real life.”
“She took care of me when I broke my foot,” he added. “She’s been great. She’s one of my best friends.”
Davy smiled. His mother shrugged.
Sheryl didn’t change expression. She took a sip of water, mirroring Maggie’s action. Then she leaned over, enunciating clearly and firmly.
“Then he told you he’s gay?”
CHAPTER 31
HEART BEAT-DOWN
Maggie’s jaw dropped as she stared at Sheryl’s expression—a facade of boredom, with a sharp bitterness peeking through the cracks. “Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you know?” Sheryl’s voice was low and unemotional, like she was talking about the Seahawks game or her favorite taco recipe. The fury in her eyes belied her calm tone. “He’s gay.”
Aiden’s face went ashen. His mother looked like she’d swallowed a live octopus, her mouth working, her eyes bulging. Davy face-palmed. Riley, on the other hand, went very, very still.
Maggie’s back stiffened. She glanced at Aiden, checking his response.
Anger etched his expression. “Dammit, Sheryl,” he said, his voice so low it barely carried to the other side of the table.
“Sheryl, this isn’t the time . . .” Davy said, but it was too late. She was on a roll.
“And it wasn’t just experimentation,” Sheryl spat out. “I wouldn’t have cared about that. Hell, I experimented in college! But no. He was in love with the guy. They had a full-on relationship.”