“Because he did that, you have nothing to worry about. Kapeesh?”
“Yeah, great. By the way, I’m supposed to start my new job today,” I sing through a fake chipperness, attempting to change the subject. Or at least, I need to call Dad and tell him I’m starting today. Maybe a text will suffice.
“You actually caved with Daddy?”
“Yeah. I’ll be managing the other office downtown.”
“Well, that’s a good thing. It’s a good place for you to be. Lots of young strapping men around to protect you and that delicate flower between your legs.”
“You’re getting on my last nerve,” I tell her. “I’m sick of listening to you talk to me like I’m some dude in a locker room. Have you forgotten how to be a lady?”
Cali looks at me like I have two heads. “I’m trying to make you realize how stuck up you’re acting, Sash. It’s getting on my nerves. You’ve turned into your mother, and while I love that woman dearly, she’s the definition of a fifties housewife, and you cannot follow that path. You need to have your brains fucked out once in a while, and while I get that finding out about Landon was important, ‘making love’ as you call it might have been better for you than finding out in that moment. Jags likes you. Like, really likes you. And you’re throwing it away. For what?”
How can I throw something away that wasn’t more than a few sexual encounters and some sweet words exchanged? “I think you’re assuming there was more going on than there was,” I explain.
“Um, he serenaded you with the Top Gun song last night in front of the whole bar. On top of that, did you see the way he was looking at you while you were slow dancing to a fast song?” She laughs, harder than necessary for the context of this conversation. Jags might be beyond the point of just liking you, Sasha. He’s fallen for you. That much is clear. Don’t be such a dummy when it comes to guys. Clearly, you have them all a little mixed up. You fall for the jackass psychopaths and chase away the big strapping teddy bears with huge dicks. What are you thinking?”
Ignoring the last of her comments, I remind her, “Should we really get into the conversation of ex-boyfriends and track records?” That’ll shut her up.
“Okay, point taken, but you have an hour before you have to be to work, and if I were you, I’d use that time to go and make things right with Jags at the body shop,” she insists.
“I can’t. I have no car, remember?”
“Then I’ll take you after I drop Tyler off, and you can have him drive your ass to work after you apologize.”
Cali pulls me back out of the bedroom and down to the living room where Tango looks miserable with his arms folded tightly over his chest. “I’m going with you. I said I’d take care of this shit with Landon, but it hasn’t been taken care of yet. I need to check your car out first, anyway, just in case he tampered with it.”
“You’re. Supposed. To. Be. In. The. Hospital. Still,” Cali says slowly, annunciating each word. “Why do you have to argue everything?”
“I’m not arguing,” he says. “I’m simply not giving you the option to say no.”
“You have one leg,” Cali says. “Don’t start with me.”
“You’ve been started with,” he says.
“Do you two listen to yourselves? You sound like children arguing,” I say.
“Just like me!” Tyler says from the kitchen table where she’s dangling her feet and slurping up cereal.
“Did she just get herself her own breakfast?” I ask.
“Yeah, we have her trained pretty well,” Tango says through laughter, offering Cali a high-five. And just like that their fight is over. My goodness, they are like children.
“What are we doing?” I ask them both. “I need a few minutes to wash up. I’ll let you two hash this out in the meantime.” I leave them to their debate and lock myself in the bathroom.
I look like death after last night and despite this morning’s escapades, I have the worst headache known to man. Sleeping with Jags muted the headache temporarily but with the way things just ended up, it’s back and more murderous than it was to begin with. Drinking that much last night was just stupid, stupid, stupid.
After splashing cold water on my face, I run the hairbrush through my hair, creating a thick mass of chunky waves. Lovely. Whatever…it’ll