Kara slid the card into her pocket. Wow, that had been close. “Oh, just this guy I’m really trying to get rid of. He’s been hassling me for months. I think he found out about those baseball tickets and he’s hoping to rope me into taking him. Are you sure you can’t go with me? Just to keep him from bugging me?”
Brad hesitated. “I don’t know. I probably wouldn’t be very good company.”
“It doesn’t matter. Really. I just need to be able to tell him I’m going with someone else. It’s not like we’d be on a real date or anything. Surely your girlfriend won’t mind you helping out a colleague in need. Or is she the jealous type?”
His brows furrowed. “No she probably wouldn’t care at all. Just a minute.” He pulled out his cell phone and checked his messages. Then his mouth firmed into a straight line. “You know—why not? I love the Yankees.”
*****
“No, I haven’t heard from Grace, and I don’t expect to hear from her, either.” Brad slammed the refrigerator door hard enough to rattle the bottles inside. This was ridiculous—he never lost his temper.
“Sorry. I just thought maybe she might have called you today or come by,” said Josh. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset. I just answered your question. I didn’t hear from her and I don’t care.” Brad stared at the apple he held in his hand, thinking he wasn’t the least bit hungry. Had he even eaten lunch?
“Right. You don’t care. That’s why you almost broke the refrigerator when I asked you about it.” Josh held up defensive palms at Brad’s answering glare. “Look. I know what it feels like to be rejected. I’m not trying to give you a hard time.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Josh said, “I wasn’t trying to make you talk about it. I just thought... Did you check your messages? Are you sure she didn’t call you?”
“I checked, okay? She hasn’t called. She hasn’t texted.” He didn’t mention he’d checked his phone at least twice an hour for the past four days.
“Maybe she’s afraid,” Josh suggested. “Maybe you should—”
“I’m not calling her. You want to know what happened? I’ll tell you. She ditched me and told me she’s dating someone else. It’s over.” Brad put the apple back inside the refrigerator and carefully closed the door. He wouldn’t let Grace change him into an angry sullen man. He couldn’t control her, but he could control himself.
He made his visage pleasant, or at least he tried. Josh’s reaction indicated his smile might have appeared a little menacing. “Actually, I’m going out with Dr. Dickson on Friday.”
Josh’s mouth fell open. “You’re going out with someone else? You’re already giving up on Grace?”
“I’m not giving up on Grace. She gave up on me. She gave up on us. And yes, I’m going to a baseball game with Kara. Why not? Grace i
s dating someone else. Should I just mope around forever over a lost cause like you do?” He regretted the words the second they left his mouth as Josh flinched and dropped his eyes. This was all Grace’s fault—he would never purposely hurt his best friend’s feelings. He scrambled to think of a way to retract his words.
Josh’s voice was low and full of hurt. “If you love someone, you don’t quit the first time things get rough. And anyway, maybe I think Charlie’s worth the wait and worth the work.” He spun around and moved toward the door.
“Wait Josh! I’m sorry—”
Josh never broke his stride, throwing out one last hostile accusation as he left the apartment, “Maybe the truth is you don’t really love her.” The door clicked closed behind him and silence filled the apartment like a heavy fog.
Desperate to escape the oppressive quiet, Brad turned on the television and sat before it, flipping aimlessly between channels as the minutes dragged by. He was startled at a loud knocking.
“Ben,” he said, opening the door to reveal a swarthy man with close-cut dark hair and beard. “What are you doing here?”
“What? No ‘Hi brother! Great to see you!’ or ‘Come inside. What a great surprise!’?”
Brad chuckled, “Come on in, Brother. As a matter of fact, I’m really glad to see you.”
Ben strode inside, suitcase in hand. “I hope you don’t mind if I stay a few days, little brother.”
“I’m four years older than you, little brother.”
“Yes, but I’m referring to your stunted growth. But don’t feel bad about yourself just because you’re only six feet tall.” Although he only topped him by an inch, Ben never let him forget about his superior stature. He folded his lengthy frame into a chair and let his bag fall on the floor beside him. “And you have that short little girlfriend to help you feel taller, right?”
Brad swallowed with difficulty. He didn’t feel like having this discussion with his unsympathetic brother who had a habit of yanking his chain at every opportunity. He’d already blown up while discussing Grace with Josh. Perhaps he could change the subject. “Actually, I’m not with Grace anymore. But that leaves me with some free time to entertain my wayward brother. How long are you here for, and what would you like to do?”
“You’re not with Grace? She’s the only one of your girlfriends I ever liked. How’d you blow it with her?”