Wren rolls her eyes. “No. We’ve been out a couple of times but he’s not my boyfriend.”
“But you like him?” Stout asks.
“He’s a nice guy.” Way to avoid answering the question.
“Are you going out with him again?” Thank you for asking that, Stout. Inquiring minds want to know.
She shrugs and shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
Again.
What.
The.
Fuck.
“Has this guy asked you for a third date?”
“Yeah. I was supposed to see him after work last night. Something came up so I canceled.” She didn’t mention a word about having plans with any other guy.
“You don’t have to be so pissy about it. I was only asking because I care and don’t want you going out with losers who’ll hurt you.”
“I’ve met him, Oliver. I can vouch he’s a very nice man,” Mrs. Thorn says. Shit. She’s introduced this dick to her parents?
“What does this guy do for a living? Is he into the same kind of stuff as you?”
Wren looks at me and then at Stout. “He owns the restaurant on the corner from my shop. It specializes in organic and vegan dishes.”
Was that where she’d gone for dinner last night?
And if she had plans, when and how did she cancel them?
Did they intend to meet up for sex after they finished work? Fuck.
He knows all about organic and vegan stuff. Great. I’m sure they have all kinds of shit in common. Probably more than us.
“They grow all their own herbs and use only fresh, local ingredients. Isn’t that a nice way to support the local farmers?” Mrs. Thorn asks.
Stout chuckles. “Sounds like the perfect granola guy for you.”
Wren shrugs again and uses her fork to push around the food on her plate. It’s her only reply.
Until last night, I hadn’t seen or spoken to Wren in a month. She was completely free to do as she wished. I had no kind of claim on her. But things feel different after last night. I don’t want her with this guy.
It bothers the fuck out of me she’s been seeing someone else. I don’t like it worth a damn. I can’t remember a time that’s ever happened.
Wren is presenting me with a series of firsts. Some I like. Some, not so much. I don’t care for the way this feels at all.
“Where do you plan on taking Lucas?” Mr. Thorn asks.
“Actually, I was going to talk to Lawrence about giving him a tour since she’s the one who knows the area’s history. I thought when you finish we might meet for drinks over at The Distillery. They have a ton of craft beer. I’d like to do a tasting since I’m trying to come up with ideas for next winter’s seasonal. It’s never too early to start brainstorming.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” It could help us narrow down the choices.
“What time do you want to meet?” Finally. She speaks.
“Eight o’clock sound okay?”
“Yeah. We should have time to hit the high points.”
“Are you doing your Sunday girls’ trip to Tybee Island?”
Wren looks at me. “We were planning on it.”
“Care if Tap and I crash?”
Wren grins as she looks at her plate. “I’m sure that’ll be fine.”
“Lawrence has hot-ass friends.” Maybe so but they’re nothing compared to her.
“Oliver.” Mrs. Thorn uses her warning voice. It’s one I recognize well; I’ve heard it from my mother many times.
“Sorry. I meant to say Ivy and Kelsey are lovely young women and I’m certain you’ll enjoy their company.”
Mr. Thorn is the first to push away from the table. “Wonderful as always, Lib.”
Wren slides away next. “I’ll help you clear the table and load the dishwasher.”
“No, honey. You should get an early start with Lucas. I have all day to clear this. You two get going.”
“Okay.” Wren hugs her mother and then turns to me. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” Libby Thorn moves in for another hug. “Breakfast was delicious, especially the beignets.”
“So glad you enjoyed it.”
Neither of us say anything as we walk to Wren’s car. Her door barely shuts when she turns to face me, her eyes piercing mine. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“But he’s something to you.” And I hate that.
“We’ve gone out a couple of times since Birmingham.” She averts her eyes after that comment. I should have contacted her. Shit.
“You didn’t hear from me. I get it. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have gone out with him. But I don’t have to be happy about it. And I’m not.” There. I said it.
“I canceled with him last night so I could be with you.” So had I not been here she would have been with him.
She canceled but that only makes me feel like I won her for the night. He can have her back after I’m gone.
“Have you fucked him?” I’ll be sick if she says yes. At that she tears her eyes away from the windshield to look at me. By the sharp intake of breath and raise of her eyebrows, I can tell she isn’t happy I asked that, but I have to know. She doesn’t seem angry though. She tilts her head to the side as if to find a way to read my intention or something. Is she wondering the same about me for the month we’ve been apart?
“No.” Good. I want to keep it that way.
“It may be selfish and none of my business but that makes me happy.” I glide my fingers over and curl them so they’re wrapped around her hand. “And I really want to kiss the fuck out of you right now.” Might as well tell her how I feel about it if I’m to keep her out of his bed.
“I haven’t fucked him and I don’t plan to. So can we drop this?” This girl does not back down from challenges.
Her pledge satisfies me. For now. Her strength turns me on.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Any idea what you’d like to see in Savannah today?” Sure do.
“You in my bed naked.”
Wren shakes her head while giggling. “You’ve already seen that once today.”
“I could go for some more of it.” Like all day long. I’m growing hard thinking about it.
“You’ll get more of me tonight—the after-drinks me. That should be fun.”
“I like the before- and after-drinks you.” And the in-between.
Wren pulls onto the road. “I think we’ll skip The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. You’ve probably seen St. Louis Cathedral a bazillion times so it probably wouldn’t feel much different.”
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Although it’s been a while.” I need to make a trip home to see my grandparents soon. I’ve already lost one grandparent. Babette and Pops aren’t getting any younger.
“Would you be terribly upset if I cheated and took you on the historic on/off bus tour. I think it would be more fun than getting in and out of my car all day. And I’d like to enjoy sitting and talking with you rather than driving around the city squares.”
“Excellent idea.”
“We can hop off the bus if something interests you and get back on when we finish.”
I rub my thumb over the top of her hand. “I have the only attraction I need sitting next to me right now.”
“I believe you may be using your southern charm to woo me.”
“Is it working?”
“Definitely.”
Wren parks at the welcome center and we board a trolley bound for historic Savannah. “I’m surprised by how much it reminds me of New Orleans. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“New Orleans isn’t a whole lot older than Savannah. Maybe fifteen years or so but we don’t have the melting pot of cultures like you.”
“Which are still very much alive. Your belief in the effects of oils, herbs, and stones would be accepted there.”
“Being an oddity doesn’t bother me. I don’t need to be accepted by closed-minded people to be happy.”
No shit. “
I gathered that.”
I reach for her hand and intertwine our fingers. “Where do things stand with your biological mother and the transplant?”
“I told her I wasn’t doing it. She called every day for a week begging me to go through with it. Things got heated so I had to stop answering the phone.”
“That’s harassment.”
“She doesn’t care if it kills my chances at having a baby one day. She told me I could adopt a kid if I wanted one.” Based on the things she’s told me about her mother, I’m not surprised. I don’t like this woman at all.
She’s harassing and selfish. Doesn’t sound like much has changed since Wren was a child. “You need to take out a formal restraining order.”
“I’m considering it.”
Wren moves our clasped hands to her lap and places her other on top. “I’m not sure she’s actually dying. I don’t think someone who is as sick as she claims to be would have the strength to bother me as much as she does.”