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On the way back to my apartment that evening, I debated whether I should stop by Devyn’s to see if there were any updates on Vera. I decided to check in, and the moment she opened the door, I could tell from the stressed look on her face that things hadn’t changed.
“Hey.” She stepped aside. “Come in.”
“How are you?” I asked.
“Long day.” She let out an exasperated breath. “I’ve been trying to get some work done, and the kids were fighting at dinner, but thankfully they’re in their rooms now doing homework.” She looked up at me with tired eyes.
“I take it nothing’s changed in terms of the situation with your mom?”
“No. Unfortunately, I’m no closer to knowing what the hell to tell CPS on Monday.”
“Well, the offer still stands about Boston. I’m not gonna bug you about it, but I’m ready to go when you are.”
“I appreciate you wanting to help, Owen.” Then she changed the subject. “How was your board meeting?”
“Like it always is, mostly an excuse to drink together and bust each other’s chops—eighty-percent bullshitting and twenty-percent going over building business.” I paused. “Actually…” I cleared my throat. “I should let you know that I chose to tell the guys about the night we met. Up until tonight, only Holden knew.”
She looked at me blankly. “Oh…”
Unable to read her, I continued. “Brayden clearly had his eye on you, so I thought he should know what happened between us. But mainly, it’s difficult for me to hide things from these guys. They’re like my brothers, and they can pretty much always tell when something’s up with me. I didn’t mention it to brag. I need you to know that. When I handed the check to Colby, he asked about your situation, and that led to a discussion of why you and I seemed...closer than strangers.” I tried to gauge her reaction. “I didn’t want to lie.”
“I get it.” She nodded. “I tell Mia everything, too. I wouldn’t expect you to not open up to your closest friends.” She shrugged. “We’re both adults. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Well, thank you for understanding.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything further.
“I should probably get out of your way. I just wanted to check in and say hello.”
To my surprise, her expression dampened. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “I was going to put on a movie and unwind. Would you want to watch it with me?”
Bingo.My heart rate quickened. “That sounds nice, yeah.”
“I still have the rest of the pie you brought me in the fridge. You can help me finish it off?”
That made me think about how much I wanted to finishheroff right now. Pie would have to do. I nodded. “That sounds great.”
“I’ll get the pie and two forks.” She winked.
After a moment, I followed Devyn over to the couch in her living room. She set the pie on the coffee table and fiddled with the remote to try to find the streaming channel. She kept landing on either cable TV or another setup screen.
“I take it you don’t watch TV all that much?” I teased.
“How did you ever tell?” She laughed.
“Wild guess.” I reached for the remote. “Let me?” I navigated over to the right menu and pulled up Netflix before handing the remote back. “That setup is just like mine, so I know it like the back of my hand; although, I can’t remember the last time I sat through a movie. Most of the time, I’m so tired after work that I end up falling asleep.”
“Yeah, sadly I can’t remember the last time I finished a movie either. I don’t know if it’s my attention span lately due to all the distractions, or just pure exhaustion.” She offered me back the remote. “You pick.”
“Well, I won’t take it personally if you fall asleep.” I chuckled, scrolling through the options. “Anything you’re in the mood for?”
“Just nothing too heavy or with too much violence.”
I moved the cursor along the most-popular list. There was a romantic thriller sitting at number three that looked like something we could both get into.
I stopped on it. “What about this one?”
She leaned in to get a better look. Her face reddened. “Uh, any one but that one, please.”
