gaze on me and I don’t analyze it. There have been plenty of times in the past when she’s asked about guys. She told me to date, to put myself out there when Danny did. I never listened, never told her I did. Sometimes I wonder if she was upset that I never tried harder.
But I’m trying now.
“I’m good,” I assure him.
I don’t think he buys it, but I can’t tell. We stay up and talk some nights, catching up on our days. He brought Jay over one time for dinner, but Ainsley didn’t take well to him even though he was no harm to her. She hid behind me or Easton, and Jay always stared at the three of us like he was amused by what he saw.
Easton and I are friends.
We’re roommates.
We’re…
“…what do you say, Piper?” Dad asks.
I shift my weight in the chair. “Sorry. What did you say?”
Jesse rolls his eyes. “He asked if you’d be interested in us all going out. I’m sure Ren would love going to The Grove.”
Would she though? My eyes must reflect my doubt, because he doesn’t keep eye contact with me. I know then his wife is upset. Maybe not with me, but the situation. I’m not angry over it. I’m not guilty over her pain.
But I do feel bad.
Easton’s arm brushes mine.
In comfort, I realize.
“Sure,” I answer softly. “I’d like that.”
I’m sitting on the kitchen counter with a bowl of ice cream when Easton walks into the kitchen in his usual black sweatpants. Shirtless with wet hair like he just took a shower, he walks over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. He leans his back on the doors of it, seemingly not caring about the various magnets and clips that hold drawings and bills up.
“Chocolate chip cookie dough?” he guesses, examining the bowl. It’s my usual choice, though sometimes I’ll sneak a pint of the peanut butter kind that he loves.
I nod, spooning some of it out. “Felt like an ice cream kind of night.” My family left hours ago after making plans for a celebratory graduation dinner in the coming months. I’d gotten Ainsley ready for bed and watched a few episodes of some random cartoon with her before tucking her in and sneaking down here.
He pushes off the fridge and grabs a spoon from the drainer, walking over and dipping it into my bowl. “Stress eating?”
Rubbing my lips together, I shrug. “I don’t know. I haven’t been that stressed lately. Things have been … good. But seeing Jesse and hearing them cover up why his wife wasn’t here was hard.”
He quirks a brow. “Why do you think she wasn’t here?”
I pause, looking down at the ice cream I’m swirling into soup. “I think it has to do with Ainsley. They love her, but I found out from somebody that they’re trying to have kids. It’s not working.”
His lips twitch. “Somebody close to the family?” he surmises in a murmured response. He pulls his spoon away and tosses it into the sink like it’s tainted somehow.
Eye twitching, I put the bowl down beside me on the counter. “Yeah, it was Carter. They’re still friends.”
“Friends with your brother.” He huffs out an unamused laugh. “And your teacher. Funny, I don’t remember you mentioning that part.”
“It didn’t matter.”
Now he deadpans. “Don’t bullshit me.”
My lips part. “Look, I’ve known Carter for a long time. He’s a good man.”
“You hated him when you brought him up over the winter,” he points out doubtfully.
This conversation is going nowhere. “I said that I did, but I didn’t. I’ve never truly hated anybody in my life. Nobody but myself. If you were in my shoes, you’d feel the same.”
He mumbles, “Doubtful” under his breath before uncapping his water and taking a swig. He wipes off a droplet from his bottom lip and levels with me. “Does your family know you’re sleeping with him?”
I… Did he just— “What the hell, Easton?” Eyes widening over the blunt question, I stare at his distant expression. “You have no right asking me that question.”
“Isn’t that what friends do?”
“Pry,” I snap.
“Show concern,” he retorts. His dry demeaner throws me for a loop. Where is the guy who stayed up late with me or worried about Ainsley when she’s sick? It’s not the one glowering in front of me. “I think whatever you’ve got going on with him isn’t worth the risk considering his position.”
My jaw ticks as I slide off the counter. “It isn’t like he’s using