My Fake Fling

REESE

Iwas a dick. I was letting my frustration with my dad’s situation affect my relationship with Thea. She was not to blame. I had no right to get pissed at her for being honest. I had avoided her the last couple of days. Our texts were short. I was not doing a good job proving I had turned over a new leaf. Acting like a coward and running away was not showing her or Rich I was different. This was a page out of my old book. I didn’t want to be this guy anymore.

Telling Rich the truth had been the right thing to do. I knew she was close to her brother. If I was close to any of my brothers, I would want to tell them about the woman in my life. I would want to tell them I was happy. I got caught off guard by Rich’s attack. I hoped I hadn’t just proved Rich’s point by ghosting his sister.

I had to fix it. “Josh, I’m leaving,” I said with keys in hand.

He looked at his watch. “You made it a full day,” he quipped.

“Very funny,” I said. “I work way too much.”

“You do?”

He was giving me shit because of my light work week. “Keep it up, and you won’t have to worry about how much I do or don’t work. Your schedule will be very light.”

He pushed the button for the elevator. “Can I plan on enjoying my whole weekend?” he asked. “Will there be any work emergencies that require me to drop everything and rush back here?”

“You’re awful snarky,” I commented.

“I’m supposed to be spending the day with my mother. The last three times I’ve tried to do that, you’ve called.”

I cringed. “Sorry. I will not call you. Your time is your own.”

The elevator doors slid open. Before stepping in, I paused and put my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you,” I said. “Seriously, thank you for all the work you do here. I don’t think I would be able to do this without you.”

He looked a little ashamed. “Sorry I was being a jerk.”

“No worries,” I said. “I need it sometimes.”

“I’ll see you Monday.”

I drove straight to Thea’s house. I was prepared to grovel if that was what it took. I was an asshole and owed her a serious apology. Then we needed to talk about what we were really doing. If she was ready to tell Ally and Rich, that made me think she was serious about moving forward.

I hadn’t really thought about what it would be like to have a girlfriend. I had not had a girlfriend since she was my girlfriend ten years ago. I thought I was done with all that. Now, she was in my life again and I was ready to ditch my bachelor ways.

I pulled to a stop in front of her house. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, but there was another car parked in front of her house. That was when I noticed someone sitting on the front stoop of her house. My first thought was it was a neighbor ready to pounce on her the moment she got home. I got out of my car and strolled up the walk with my shoulders back and a menacing look on my face.

“Reese?”

The man looked up at me. “Clay?”

He grinned and slowly got to his feet. I reached out and shook his hand. “How have you been?” he asked.

“Good. I take it she’s not here?”

“Nope,” he answered. “I thought I would sit and wait. It’s a nice night.”

He slowly sat back down again. The man had aged since I saw him last. He looked wan. Fragile almost. He was still an imposing man, but he was lacking the strength I always remembered him having. I understood why Thea was so worried about him. He needed a good, solid meal and some time in the sun.

I sat down beside him. “How have you been?” I asked him.

“Not good,” he said.

“Are you okay?” I asked with concern.

“I’m healthy,” he replied. “Healthy as I can be.”

“How long have you been waiting here?” I asked. “I’ve got some water in the car.”