to him why you left. Maybe it would keep him from doing you like that."
"I don't know why I left, Neil," she hedged.
"Sure you do. It's why you've always left. It's why relationships never work out for you. It's why you like to play, like to pose, like your tattoos, like your freedom to do as you wish. If you flit through, no one can get close enough to leave you."
Blue shot him a sidelong glance, a retort on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back. It was time to change the subject. "Do you want caramel or vanilla?"
"Chicken shit."
"Undoubtedly," she conceded. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Caramel or vanilla?"
"Vanilla." Neil opened the cabinet beside the fridge and grabbed two glasses. "We need to go to Rosie's barbeque."
Blue looked up, suspicions starting to form in her head. "How did you learn about that?"
"She told me."
He was still oblivious to the clicking of things in her mind. Son. Of. A. Bitch. "When?" She planted her hands flat on the counter and looked down at the smooth surface.
"When I stopped by the diner earlier on my way out here."
"I thought you said it had been months since you'd seen her."
"Uh... It has. Until today."
She was still staring down at the countertop. "What are you up to?"
"What? Nothing. I just got here, remember. I'm just now being filled on everything."
Blue didn't believe him. They were up to something, he and Rosie. "You're lying to me. You two are up to something."
"I swear, B. We--"
"Don't. Not another word. He'll be there, and so will I. This is why Rosie's having the barbecue today. It's because of him. Otherwise, she wouldn't do it on a day she's been working.
This is a set-up. I'm not working out of town this weekend, so y'all figure it's a great time to set poor little Blue up with the hot sexy electrician. Dammit, Neil." she ground out through clenched teeth.
"Hey, we didn't know y'all had history," he offered in his defense, though there wasn't a shred of conviction in his voice.
"Would it have made a difference?"
"Well that's not the point.”
"Then, please enlighten me as to what the point is."
"He'll be there and now that we know he's the jealous type, he'll hate seeing you with me."
"I'm not interested in playing games, Neil. I don't think he would be either."
"Who said anything about playing games? We're two friends going to a barbeque at another friend's house. If a man who has the hots for you, be they irritating to him or not, is going to be there, well, he'll just have to deal with it. Besides, Rosie says her new man is incredible with a spatula and a grill, and you know I never turn down free food."
Blue rolled her eyes back and tried to keep her patience in check. "Yes, I know."
"This guy makes you feel things, B. Don't be afraid of that."
Her friends had the best of intentions. She knew that and loved them for it but poor Cort. He wasn't going to know about this ahead of time like she did. He was going to be blindsided.
She turned back to busying herself with the iced coffees. She measured out the vanilla syrup into one glass and caramel syrup into another. "You're not playing by the rules of our friendship, Neil," she said with no malice or heat behind her words. "There's an ice tray in the freezer with cubes made from coffee. Get that out and put a few in each glass."
"So we're going?"
She really didn't have a choice. She nodded."I guess I know why she was twisting my arm about cake now"
"Great."
"Now can we talk about why you're here? Or is this it? The set-up?"
Neil handed the glasses back and watched as Blue poured coffee over the cubes. "No actually, that's not why I'm here, but my reason isn't nearly as interesting as your story has suddenly become."
"I need some half and half, please. It's in the door of the refrigerator." When Neil got it out and handed it over, she poured a quarter cup into a measuring glass and emptied it on top of each of the coffees. With a long handled spoon, she stirred until all the
"I don't know why I left, Neil," she hedged.
"Sure you do. It's why you've always left. It's why relationships never work out for you. It's why you like to play, like to pose, like your tattoos, like your freedom to do as you wish. If you flit through, no one can get close enough to leave you."
Blue shot him a sidelong glance, a retort on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back. It was time to change the subject. "Do you want caramel or vanilla?"
"Chicken shit."
"Undoubtedly," she conceded. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Caramel or vanilla?"
"Vanilla." Neil opened the cabinet beside the fridge and grabbed two glasses. "We need to go to Rosie's barbeque."
Blue looked up, suspicions starting to form in her head. "How did you learn about that?"
"She told me."
He was still oblivious to the clicking of things in her mind. Son. Of. A. Bitch. "When?" She planted her hands flat on the counter and looked down at the smooth surface.
"When I stopped by the diner earlier on my way out here."
"I thought you said it had been months since you'd seen her."
"Uh... It has. Until today."
She was still staring down at the countertop. "What are you up to?"
"What? Nothing. I just got here, remember. I'm just now being filled on everything."
Blue didn't believe him. They were up to something, he and Rosie. "You're lying to me. You two are up to something."
"I swear, B. We--"
"Don't. Not another word. He'll be there, and so will I. This is why Rosie's having the barbecue today. It's because of him. Otherwise, she wouldn't do it on a day she's been working.
This is a set-up. I'm not working out of town this weekend, so y'all figure it's a great time to set poor little Blue up with the hot sexy electrician. Dammit, Neil." she ground out through clenched teeth.
"Hey, we didn't know y'all had history," he offered in his defense, though there wasn't a shred of conviction in his voice.
"Would it have made a difference?"
"Well that's not the point.”
"Then, please enlighten me as to what the point is."
"He'll be there and now that we know he's the jealous type, he'll hate seeing you with me."
"I'm not interested in playing games, Neil. I don't think he would be either."
"Who said anything about playing games? We're two friends going to a barbeque at another friend's house. If a man who has the hots for you, be they irritating to him or not, is going to be there, well, he'll just have to deal with it. Besides, Rosie says her new man is incredible with a spatula and a grill, and you know I never turn down free food."
Blue rolled her eyes back and tried to keep her patience in check. "Yes, I know."
"This guy makes you feel things, B. Don't be afraid of that."
Her friends had the best of intentions. She knew that and loved them for it but poor Cort. He wasn't going to know about this ahead of time like she did. He was going to be blindsided.
She turned back to busying herself with the iced coffees. She measured out the vanilla syrup into one glass and caramel syrup into another. "You're not playing by the rules of our friendship, Neil," she said with no malice or heat behind her words. "There's an ice tray in the freezer with cubes made from coffee. Get that out and put a few in each glass."
"So we're going?"
She really didn't have a choice. She nodded."I guess I know why she was twisting my arm about cake now"
"Great."
"Now can we talk about why you're here? Or is this it? The set-up?"
Neil handed the glasses back and watched as Blue poured coffee over the cubes. "No actually, that's not why I'm here, but my reason isn't nearly as interesting as your story has suddenly become."
"I need some half and half, please. It's in the door of the refrigerator." When Neil got it out and handed it over, she poured a quarter cup into a measuring glass and emptied it on top of each of the coffees. With a long handled spoon, she stirred until all the
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