was in the ER, and she’d been there with her. That had to have been Kristen, then. “Wasn’t it you in the ER?” I asked, looking at Kristen.
Kristen was the last person to go to the ER for nothing. In fact, she was one of those patients you could never get to go to the hospital when they actually needed to. Stubborn to a fault. Mom called it strong-woman syndrome.
Most of my sisters had the affliction.
Kristen didn’t look up from her plate. “I passed out at a pep rally.”
My brow furrowed. “Why?”
“I was anemic.” She said it without emotion, but I noticed the way Sloan watched her as she told the story.
Anemic. Bleeding. Were her periods that bad?
“When is your car going to be fixed?” Kristen asked, changing the subject.
“It’s ready now,” Sloan said. “I just need someone to drive me to go get it. Brandon can’t. He’s helping his sister move tomorrow.”
“Well, I can bring it to you,” I offered. “Kristen, why don’t I drive home with you tonight? I’ll leave my truck here, and I can stay the night at your place. After I’m done with tomorrow’s orders, I’ll pick up Sloan’s car and drive it back.”
It was like the whole room held their breath waiting for her answer.
“Sure,” Kristen said, shrugging.
Forks went back to clinking on plates.
I was sure I’d be forced into the guest room, but I’d banked on her practicality and won. She knew I’d be there tomorrow morning early anyway. We had a ton of orders. And why deny Sloan her car? I’d spent the night there plenty of times already, this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I clearly knew her well enough to anticipate her thought processes.
So why, then, had it been such a surprise to me how upset she was about Tyler?
EIGHTEEN
Kristen
Just when I thought I might have the strength to get out, Josh pulled me back in.
We’d played games at Sloan’s until almost midnight. Sloan forced Josh and me to be on the same team. We destroyed her and Brandon at charades.
By the time Josh and I left together, a half an hour ago, we were back to our old prehookup selves, laughing and joking. All the weirdness was gone.
I’d just brushed my teeth and changed into shorts and a tank top for bed when he knocked on my bedroom door. When I opened it, the crooked smile on his face told me immediately that male trickery was afoot.
“Joshua. What can I help you with?”
He stood there in a white T-shirt and gray flannel pajama bottoms. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?” He grinned mischievously.
“What?” His masculine cedar scent mixed with the mint from his toothpaste and teased me from the doorway. It was intoxicating.
I tried to hold my breath.
“Do you have problems with your periods?”
The question took me so by surprise I immediately thought Sloan had said something to Brandon and he’d told Josh. But he went on before I could ask.
“Because they’ve done studies that show sleeping next to a man every night can regulate your period. Did you know that? Now, I’m pretty busy,” he said, looking down the hall and then back at me, his dimples popping. “But I think I can offer you my services tonight in exchange for not having to sleep on your futon.”
I stifled a smile. “This sleepover was your idea. You knew you’d be in the guest room.”
He made a show of straining to look around me into my room. “Hmm. Can I check your smoke alarm?” He leaned in the door frame and crossed his arms in that way that pushed out his biceps and made his chest press against his shirt.
My ovaries swooned. Damn, it was too bad I was spotting. I’d drag him right to bed and cash in on this friends-with-benefits deal if I wasn’t.
I put an arm across the door and fought the urge to smile, pressing my lips into a line. “My smoke alarm is fine.”
“Can I have the dog?”
I scoffed. “Why the fuck would I give you my dog?”
“So I won’t be lonely.” He gave me a mock sad face.
“Well then I’ll be lonely.”
“You can solve everyone’s problems by just letting me in. If you turn me away, I’m just going to come back doing the naked man,” he said seriously.
I snorted. Heaven help me if he came back with the naked man. I was in no way strong enough to turn away a naked Josh.