has these crazy hours, so we have to wait until then.”
“So, you didn’t bring him back to your apartment?”
“No. I wanted to, believe me, but he said we should wait before we take that step.”
That was a shocker. She’d offered herself to him and he’d refused? “He’s the one who suggested it?”
“Yeah.” She giggled. “Wild, huh?”
“He sounds like a decent enough guy,” I replied, impressed.
“I think so, too. Anyway, the reason I was calling was to see if you wanted to meet up with me and Amber for dinner tonight? We haven’t seen you since Tiffany’s funeral and we miss you, dammit.”
“I’m sorry but I can’t,” I replied. “I’m meeting Trevor and then I have all this homework. What about Friday? I miss you guys, too.”
She was silent for a few seconds. “Yeah. That might actually be better, anyway. Then Monica can meet up with us, too.”
“Sounds great. I’ll call you later in the week and we’ll plan something.”
“Okay. How are you and Trevor, doing, by the way?”
I hadn’t told anyone about Brandy being at his house or her being pregnant. They would have told me to kick his ass to the curb. Although I was deeply annoyed about Brandy, I loved Trevor and wanted to be with him. Needed to be with him. I just couldn’t fully understand why he had allowed her to move in after everything that had happened. “We’re good,” I told her.
“Well, leave him at home Friday. It’s just going to be us girls. Okay?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Goodbye, Tiff.”
“Bye.”
After she hung up, I actually started feeling better and even a little hungry. Relieved, I purchased a sandwich and a lemonade from the college’s cafeteria. Fortunately, I was able to keep it down and the rest of the day went a lot more smoothly. By the time I was finished with the last class, I felt like myself again, which made me feel silly for spending twelve dollars on a pregnancy test when I could have just as easily spent it on a bottle of wine, or even an eyebrow wax. In the end, I decided to return the test as soon as I got my period, which I hoped wouldn’t be until after my evening with Trevor.
Thinking about him, I wondered what kind of surprise he had for me.
Maybe Brandy is moving out?
I could only hope.
Trying to remain positive, I turned on the radio and headed home.
Chapter Five
When I reached Griffin’s, Misty and Brandy were both behind the bar in some kind of deep discussion.
“What’s up?” I asked, stopping next to a couple of familiar faces. It was shortly after two and the lunch rush appeared to have dwindled down to the usual bar-flies, including Horse and Buck.
“Raptor,” said Horse, raising a beer to me.
“No work today?” I asked him. He was a mechanic who usually put in over fifty hours a week at his shop, so it was a surprise to see him hanging out at Griffin’s on a Monday afternoon.
“I took the day off,” he said, the smile on his face receding. “Had to drive my Old Lady to the airport this morning anyway.”
“Where’s she off to?” I asked, sitting down next to him.
“California. Her sister has cancer and she’s going down there for moral support. Fuck, I should have gone with,” Horse mumbled, staring at his beer. “I’m an asshole.”
“You can still fly out there yourself, can’t you?” I asked, looking over his shoulder. “Hey, Buck.”
“Hey, Raptor,” he answered, barely looking at me. Misty was standing in front of him and leaning over in a way that gave him a great view of her cleavage. She was talking to Brandy about keeping inventory and showing her a checklist.
Horse nodded. “Yeah. She told me I didn’t have to go, but I could tell she was just trying to be nice. She knows how busy I am.”
“Yeah, you’re real fucking busy,” laughed Buck, tapping Horse’s beer with his.
“Actually, I am,” he said, looking serious. “I’ve got three cages I’m