Breaking Bro Code (The Line Up #4) - Misti Murphy Page 0,69
who thinks that deaf people can’t read their lips unless they speak at half speed.
“No,” he says slowly, staring at me like I’ve stumbled out of an alternative reality.
“This isn’t yours?” I shake the box in his face again.
“Not mine.” He takes a step back to avoid getting thwacked by said container.
“Then whose?” I glance to my left, peer to my right. There are people everywhere, but not one of them has recognition in their eyes. A few look at me like I might be having a breakdown though.
A girl to my left side-eyes me and takes a huge step out of my space.
“I don’t know,” Lake says.
“Are you sure?” I lean right over the counter and grab the guy’s shirt.
“Lily?” Vale’s hand lands on my shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I…” Lake is staring at me as though he isn’t quite sure what to do. I take in the bunched material in my fist. Relax my hand and pat the creased cotton back in place. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“All good?” Vale asks the guy.
“Yeah.” Lake shakes his head at me.
“Care to tell me what that was about?” Vale gently eases the box out of my hand.
“I…” Literally have no idea where to start with the whole captain situation. I probably should have told him already, but there was never a time when it seemed important to bring it up, and blurting it out now doesn’t seem prudent. “Who was that girl?”
“A customer,” he says.
“You were awfully chummy,” I say. Apparently I’m not above blurting out what else is on my mind, like a possessive little psychopath.
“I knew her a million years ago. We went to school together.” He frowns. “Were you jealous?”
“No. Nope.” I watch Lake add the shots and beer to the tray. Huff under my breath. I don’t like seeing other women come on to Vale. That’s my job. “I’m totally cool. You’re not my boyfriend. We don’t have a label.”
“Do you want a label?”
I gape at him. Swallow. Is this his way of asking me to be his girlfriend? I snatch the box back and pop more cereal in my mouth. Crunch on it, because seriously, it’s better than talking when what I want to say is, Duh, I’ve wanted you to be my boyfriend since I was sixteen years old. I don’t want to scare him off. I also don’t want to push him into a commitment he isn’t ready for.
I challenge him with my serious stare bear face. “Do you?”
“I…” Vale reaches into the box and pulls out a couple of pieces and pops them into his mouth. His brows furrow. “Why are you eating my cereal?”
“Your cereal?” My knees wobble.
“Yes.”
I palm the bar while the planet seems to spin under me as I come to the only possible conclusion. How did I not see that he was—Cap’N Crunch was—Vale?
He puts the box on the bar and clasps my face. “Are you okay?”
“You call your dick The Captain,” I croak.
“Not anymore.” He leans in so his lips tickle my ear. “You changed it, remember? Goliath has grown on me.”
His app he wouldn’t talk about with anyone. The way he said he wasn’t ready to date. His screwed up backstory I still don’t know all the details of. His feelings for his best friend’s sister. His love of cereal. “Oh my God.”
“Lily, you’re really worrying me,” he says.
He loves cereal more than I do. It’s part of the reason I’ve always loved going to his loft. He has a whole section of his pantry dedicated to crunchy, sugary breakfast foods. He keeps them all in tall, clear canisters. He has the best cereal bowls too. Wide and deep so the milk won’t spill. He even has long handled teaspoons, because he knows I only like to use little spoons.
I fumble my purse with shaky hands, trying to open the clasp so I can get my card out.
“I’ve got it,” Vale says before turning to Lake. “Start me a tab.”
Lake nods while I pick up the tray. “I-I have to go back to my friends.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, Lil?” Vale steps in to take the tray from me. “You don’t seem—”
“Fine. I’m fine,” I say, gripping the tray so tightly he can’t take it out of my hands.
“If this is about that girl…”
“Don’t worry about it.” I squeeze out a smile. “You’re allowed to flirt with other people. Especially at the bar. It’s basically part of the job description.”