Page 46
Author: Olivia Cunning
“Sorry. ”
She kissed his temple. “I forgive you. This time. ”
“You’re good to me, Reb. Sometimes I wish… Sometimes I wish you were a guy,” he said.
Rebekah laughed. “I’ve always been sort of a tomboy. Maybe that’s why you thought you loved me. ” She glanced at the clock radio beside the bed and her heart sank. “Oh crap, I was supposed to meet Eric an hour ago. He’s probably worried. ”
She pulled out her phone and found that it was turned off. She tried to turn it on, but the battery was dead. “Shit. He’s probably been trying to call me. Can I use your phone?”
“Of course. ”
She climbed to her feet and kissed him on the temple. “I’m here for you, you know. Just like you were there for me when I needed you during my treatments. ”
He groaned and fell back on his bed. “Stop being so nice to me. You’re making me feel like a complete jerk. ”
She chuckled. “Good. Maybe you’ll remember that the next time you act like a selfish asshole. ”
He chuckled. “When did you become so blunt?”
“Recently. And I like it. ”
She let herself out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen to use the phone. Trey was sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar still in nothing but his boxer shorts. He was fiddling with his smart phone. He looked up and grinned. “Did he tell you?”
“Yeah. ”
He nodded. “Good. ”
“Are you going to break his heart?” Rebekah asked.
“Who, me?” His look of innocence wasn’t fooling her.
“Let him down easy. ”
“I know what I’m doing,” Trey assured her.
Rebekah dialed Eric’s number and hoped he’d answer. He probably wouldn’t like seeing Isaac’s number on his caller ID. He answered after several rings. “Is Rebekah okay?” he asked breathlessly.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Sorry I’m late. I’m getting ready to leave now. I’ll tell you what’s going on when I get to the restaurant. Are you still waiting there?”
“Yeah. I think I’ve eaten twenty or thirty complimentary breadsticks. I tried to call. You didn’t answer. ”
“My battery is dead. Go ahead and order for us both. I’ll hurry. ”
Rebekah gasped when Trey cuddled against her back. “Come on back to bed, Rebekah,” he said near her ear and phone receiver. “Isaac and I aren’t finished with you yet. ”
Rebekah elbowed him in the stomach, and he chuckled.
“Is that Trey?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, he thinks he’s funny. ”
“There’s nothing funny about how hot you look in this deep sea diver getup,” Trey said, making sure Eric would hear. His bangs tickled her cheek as he leaned close to the receiver. She giggled. “Have you seen the oxygen tank and flippers on this woman?” he continued. “Lord have mercy. Hot. ”
“What is he talking about?” Eric asked.
“He’s just teasing,” Rebekah assured him.
“Isaac, hand me the snorkel. I’m going down,” Trey said. “I won’t be coming up for air for a while. ” Isaac leaned against the opposite side of the counter and quirked an eyebrow at Trey.
Rebekah snorted as she tried not to laugh. “Stop it, Trey. ”
“Yeah, stop it, Trey. ” Eric sounded out of sorts. “Why are you at Isaac’s house? And what is Trey doing there?”
“I’ll explain as soon as I get to the restaurant. ”
“It will probably be at least another hour, Sticks,” Trey said and made obnoxious kissing noises against the back of Rebekah’s neck.
Shoulders scrunched, she laughed again and slapped Trey until he finally backed off. She lost her train of thought when Trey leaned over the counter, holding Isaac’s gaze in a sensual stare and kissed him tenderly. The only thing Rebekah could do was gape, heart thudding with… She couldn’t identify the feeling exactly. Curiosity? Excitement? She wasn’t sure, but she kind of liked watching them kiss.
“Rebekah?” Eric said into her ear, drawing her attention away from the way-too-hot guys totally trying to out-kiss each other at the moment.
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” she promised. “Love you. ”
“Me too,” Eric whispered and disconnected.
She hated to interrupt the festivities. It was interesting to see how passionate Isaac could be when he was actually turned on. He’d never kissed her the way he was kissing Trey. Um… “Isaac, I’ll call you tomorrow about the party after I talk to Eric. ”
He peeled his lips off Trey’s and said, “Thanks, angel. I appreciate it. ”
“Party?” Trey said. “What party?”
“You wouldn’t be interested,” Isaac assured him, eyes wide with what Rebekah could only construe as abject horror.
“I’m always interested in a party,” Trey said.
“No,” Isaac said emphatically.
“I’ll see you guys later,” Rebekah said.
Trey grabbed her and hugged her. “Thanks for introducing me to your ex-boyfriend,” Trey murmured into her ear so Isaac couldn’t hear. “He’s way fun to fuck with. Mmm, and fuck. ”
Poor Isaac. He had no idea who he’d gotten himself tangled up with here.
Trey released her and offered a lopsided, ornery grin. He winked. Rebekah’s heart skipped a beat. On second thought. Lucky Isaac. He had no idea who he’d gotten himself tangled up with here.
“You should totally mess with Eric when you see him. Make him think you were doing something with me and Isaac. It will drive him insane. ”
She shook her head. “No way. We’re still in the making-up phase. ”
“He wouldn’t hesitate to do it to you, you know. ”
Probably true, but she’d already kept him waiting for over an hour and needed to put the poor guy out of his misery. “Bye, Isaac. ” She waved at Trey and let herself out of the apartment.
By the time she arrived at the restaurant, guilt was eating her alive. The scowl on Eric’s handsome face didn’t make her feel better. She kissed his cheek and slid into the chair across from him. Her salad was already waiting. He’d finished his.
“I’m really sorry I’m so late. ”
“I think you have some explaining to do. ”
She stuffed a bite of salad in her mouth and held up one finger while she chewed and swallowed. “I went to Isaac’s apartment to confront him about his behavior—reprogramming my phone for one thing—and Trey answered his door. I never did get to tell Isaac off properly. He told me… He told me that he’s—” she lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned across the table, “—gay. ”
Eric didn’t look the tiniest bit surprised. “And that makes everything he did okay?”
She had sort of let him off the hook as soon as he’d confided. “It’s hard for him. His father will never accept this. ”
“Like your mother will never accept me. ”
Rebekah lowered her eyes. “It’s different. ”
“I talked to her on the phone when you didn’t answer your cell. She was spouting Bible verses at me. ”
“Let me guess, the story of Isaac and Rebekah. ” She stuffed more salad in her mouth and watched him fidget with the stem of his wineglass.
“Yeah, actually. ”
“Did she tell you the reason I got cancer is because I make bad decisions, and God is punishing me?”
“She said that to you?”
She nodded and closed her eyes to hold in emotions suddenly overwhelming her.
Eric reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “She told me she promised God that you would marry Isaac. Otherwise, she seems to think more horrible shit is going to happen to you and Dave. ”
Rebekah sighed. “We thought she was better. ”
“Better?”
“Yeah, she had a mental breakdown when I was going through chemo. That’s one reason why I depended on Isaac so much. After my treatments, she seemed to recover. I guess the stress is getting to her again. I’ll talk to Dad about it. ”
Their entrees arrived before Rebekah had finished her salad. She was grateful Eric had ordered for her. That meant they could get out of here sooner. “Are you sure you want to marry me?” she asked him. “I’ve got a lot of baggage. ”
“It makes you more interesting. ”
She laughed. “If that’s what you want to call it. ”
“We could do what Brian and Myrna did and skip the engagement. ”
“Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know. I never thought much about getting married until a couple months ago, when Sinners started falling like dominoes. I figured I’d be the last one standing. ”
“Technically, Brian is the only one who’s married. You could be the second to fall if you want. ” She winked.
“Don’t you want the huge ceremony and the big dress and the pile of Crock-Pots?”
“You mean crackpots. ”
“Crackpots?”
“Otherwise known as my crazy family. ”
He laughed and some of the tension drained from his body. Her mother got under his skin too. Another thing they had in common. “I’ll do whatever you want, Reb. I don’t want to make you feel like you’re missing out on anything. ”
“I want to do something unusual,” she said, her heart thudding with excitement.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know yet. Let me think about it. We’ll brainstorm. Come up with something really fun and unique. ”
He grinned. “I love you, you know that?”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why you’re going to let me pretend to be Isaac’s girlfriend at a party next week. ” She was picking up on Eric’s uncanny ability to change the subject without missing a beat.
“What?”
“No matter when we decide to get married, I still want the engagement ring. So don’t think you’re getting out of that,” she said, trying to keep him unbalanced. “Hurry up and eat. ”
“What party, Rebekah? I thought Isaac was gay. Why would he—”
“Pretend,” she said. “It’s just a favor. Nothing more. He’s not ready to come out publicly yet. ”
“But—”
“Let’s play cops and robbers when we get home. You can pretend I’m a jewel thief and handcuff me. Show me your long arm of the law until I confess to crimes I never committed. ”
“Stop changing the subject. ”
She laughed. “Disorienting, isn’t it? Do you have handcuffs at home, or do we need to stop by Bonds-R-Us?”
He dropped his fork and grinned. “It’s definitely time for another pit stop. Maybe we’ll pick up a deep sea diver outfit for you to wear. ” He nonchalantly took a sip of water, while he watched her closely.
She contemplated the idea, knowing he was trying to find out what she, Trey, and Isaac had really been doing in Isaac’s apartment. After a moment, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t want to catch crabs. ”
Eric laughed and sucked water down his windpipe. He was choking so hard, Rebekah stood to whack him on the back.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He nodded, still choking. “Jeez, woman,” he gasped between coughs. “I’m the one who’s supposed to crack all the stupid jokes. ”
“Sorry. I’ll try to come up with smarter jokes from now on. The stupid ones are all yours. ”
“This is why we work,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Compromise. ”