Her Halloween Treat (Men at Work 1)
“So you do think you’re in love with Chris?”
“No.”
“You don’t think you’re in love with Chris?”
“No.”
“Joey.”
“I don’t know!” Joey’s voice echoed off the lake, the mountain and through the trees. “Wow. That was loud.”
“You feel better now that you’ve spooked all the wildlife in a fifty-mile radius?”
“Yes, actually.”
“Good.”
“Kira, tell me what to do.”
“You know I can’t do that. And you know you don’t want me to. You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Why is this so hard for you?”
“I dated a married guy for two years without realizing it. Do you know how stupid that makes me feel? I don’t know if I can trust my own instincts anymore. It’s like going through life thinking you’re a good driver, a safe driver, and bam—you blink and cause a horrible car accident. Would you want to get behind the wheel again? Or would you be terrified?”
“Joey, you didn’t cause a car accident. The only person who got hurt here was you. Ben caused the accident. You were just a passenger in his car of lies.”
“His car of lies.”
“His car of lies. Yes.”
“I love you,” Joey said.
“I know you do. And you know why? Because I’m awesome.”
“True.”
“I’m awesome. You know I’m awesome. And you love me because I’m awesome. So clearly your instincts about people aren’t as shot as you think they are.”
“You’re not asking me to quit my job and move back to Oregon.”
“I thought you liked Oregon.”
“I love
Oregon.”
“So let me make sure I have this straight. Your pretty bearded boy with the good job, the magnificent cock and the ability to remodel an entire house singlehanded told you he loved you and asked you to maybe possibly consider living somewhere you love close to your family who you love while doing a job you’d love. Yes?”
“Well...yes.”
“What a bastard.”
“He’s awful. I hate him.”
“I can tell.”
Joey sighed the sigh of sighs. She sighed so hard it almost surprised her she didn’t capsize the canoes gliding across Lost Lake.
“I just want to do the right thing,” Joey said. “I don’t want to do the wrong thing again. Dating Ben was the wrong thing, and it was the wrong thing for two years of my life.”