Page 51 of Rhodes

"Wait, what did you just say? Clearly I haven't had enough caffeine."

"We went riding out at his cabin in Slidell. I told you he's into the whole dirt bike thing. I asked if I could join him."

"Uh, huh." She looks at me wide-eyed over the rim of her cup.

"It was a good day, genuinely, and then we're both inside, somehow my mom comes up, and he just kissed me. Or I kissed him. It happened all at once.” I take a sip.

She doesn't respond right away. I think she's trying to figure out what in the hell this means, just like I am.

"It was weird. We both said so, out loud, twice. And then we loaded the bikes and drove home like it never happened."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

She sets her cup down. "You're leaving out the part where you tell me how it was."

"There's no part. It was fine. Look, I'm not blind. The man is objectively good-looking. Tall, that jaw, the whole thing. I have eyes." I shrug. "But good-looking doesn't mean I want some complicated mess with a guy I've known basically my entire life. Those are two different sentences."

"Okay." Jo is watching me over her coffee, and I know that face. That's the face she made about Trey.

"It's really nothing."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true." I stir my coffee even though there's nothing to stir. "I mean, I don't know what else to say about it."

"You've mentioned the jaw."

"I mentioned it once."

She lifts her hands, all innocence, and lets it go.

"Speaking of," she says, "you're on Friday reef crew. Trey's driving the boat."

I put my forehead down on the table. "God."

"He's nice."

"He is nice. I like Trey. Just not like that. And I don't want to have to dance around that." I lift my head. "Maybe he got the message."

My phone lights up. Grandbank. I'm smiling before I even answer.

"Do you mind if I answer this call from my grandfather? We've been playing phone tag. He never stays on long."

"Of course. Please," she says, waving her free hand at me while she brings her cup to her mouth with the other.

"He is alive," I say as I bring the phone to my ear.

"There's my girl." His voice is warm and gravelly. "You sleeping? You eating something that isn't gas station?"

"I'm at a café right now being extremely civilized, thank you."

He laughs, then there's a little pause. "When are you coming home? I miss my Tilly Girl."

"You just miss my free labor."

"That I do." He moves right past it. "And your hugs."