“So he couldn’t watch her at her house?”
I thought about that for a moment, and then crawled out of bed for the second time that day. I walked over to the couch. “Why didn’t Trent watch you at your house?” I asked.
“I wanted to come see you,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Oh,” I said. “Trenton didn’t want to see me?”
“Yes, but he said you wouldn’t like it.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, so then I said, pweety, pweety pwease? And he said okay.”
I smiled at her, and then walked over to the front door, opening it. Trenton turned around, and looked up at me. My smile vanished. “Come in.”
Trenton stood up and walked inside, but that’s as far as he got. “You’re mad at me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Why?” he asked.
I didn’t answer.
“Is it because I went home with that girl last night?”
I still didn’t answer.
“I didn’t bag her.”
“You want a cookie?” I asked. “Because that is prize worthy.”
“What is your deal? You tell me five times a day that we’re friends, and now you’re jealous of some girl I flirted with for two seconds.”
“I am not jealous!”
“Then what are you?”
“As your friend, I can’t be concerned about your STD status?”
“What’s an ust edie?” Olive asked from the love seat.
I closed my eyes tight. “Oh, God. I’m sorry, Olive. Forget you heard that.”
Trenton took a step toward me. “Her parents let me babysit her. You think they’re worried about foul language?”
I raised an eyebrow.
He lowered his chin, looking straight into my eyes. “Tell me the truth. Are you angry at me because you thought I took that girl home, or is it something else? Because you’re mad at me for something.”
I crossed my arms and looked away.
“What are we doing, Cami?” he asked. “What is this?”
“We’re friends! I’ve told you that already!”
“Bullshit!”
Olive’s finger hovered over the top of the love seat. “You have to put a nickow in my jawr.”
“Sorry,” Trenton said, his eyebrows pushed together.
“So you didn’t . . . go home with her?” I asked.
“Where was I going to take her? My dad’s?”
“I don’t know, a hotel room?”
“I’m not buying drinks to save money, you think I’m going to spend a hundred bucks on a hotel room for some random chick I just met?”
“You’ve done less intelligent things.”
“Like what?”
“Like eat glue!”
Trenton tucked his chin and looked away, clearly disgusted, and maybe a little bit embarrassed. “I never ate glue.”
I crossed my arms. “Yes, you did. In Mrs. Brandt’s class.”
Raegan shrugged. “You did.”
“You weren’t in my class, Ray!” Trenton said.
“You also ate red pencils fairly regularly, according to Cami!” Raegan said, trying to stifle a laugh.
“Whatever!” Trenton yelled. “Where’s my bagel?”
The white sack hovered above the love seat, the wrinkled, rolled top held by Olive’s tiny fingers. Trenton sat beside his friend, fought with the sack, and then pulled out his breakfast, unwrapping it.
Raegan looked at me and held three fingers over her mouth. Her body jerked with a silent laugh like a tiny hiccup, and then she retreated to her room.
“I never ate glue,” Trenton grumbled.
“Maybe you blocked it out. I would block it out if I ate glue . . .”
“I didn’t eat glue,” he snapped.
“Okay,” I said, my eyes widening for a moment. “God.”
“You want . . . you want half of my bagel?” Trenton asked.
“Yes, please,” I said.
He handed it to me, and we ate together, quietly, while Olive watched cartoons between us. Her little feet just barely hung off the edge of the seat cushion, and she bounced them up and down once in a while.
After two cartoons, I drifted off and woke up when my head fell forward.
“Hey,” Trenton said, patting my knee. “Why don’t you go take a nap? We can go.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want you to go.”
Trenton stared at me for a minute, and then motioned for Olive to trade places with him. She hopped up, more than happy to comply. Trenton sat next to me, leaning over a bit, and then nodded, gesturing to his shoulder. “It’s comfy. Or so I hear.”
I made a face, but instead of arguing, I wrapped my arms around his, and rested my head snugly between his shoulder and his neck. Trenton rested his cheek against my hair, and at the same time we took a deep breath and relaxed against each other.
I don’t remember anything after that, until my eyes blinked open. Olive was asleep, her head on Trenton’s lap. His arm was lying protectively over her, the other wrapped in my arms. His hand was resting on my thigh, and his chest rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm.
Raegan and Brazil were sitting on the sofa, watching the muted television. When Raegan realized I was awake, she smiled.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“What time is it?” I said softly. “Noon.”
“Really?” I said, sitting up.
Trenton roused, and immediately checked Olive. “Whoa. How long have we been out?”
“A little over three hours,” I said, wiping under my eyes.
“I didn’t even know I was tired,” Trenton said.
Brazil smiled. “I didn’t know you were dating the bartender. Kyle and Brad will be disappointed.”
I frowned at him. I didn’t even know who Kyle and Brad were.
“They can cheer up. We’re just friends,” Trenton said.
“Really?” Brazil said, watching us both for signs of a joke.
“I told you,” Raegan said, standing up. Her tank top came away from her teeny-tiny pink-and-white-striped boxers as she stretched. “Brazil has a game at four thirty. You guys up for some Bulldog Football?”
“I’m watching Olive,” Trenton said. “We were going to ask Cami to come with us to Chicken Joe’s.”
“Olive might like football,” Brazil said.
“Jason . . .” Trenton said, shaking his head. “Chicken Joe’s outdoes a football game by like . . . a thousand cool points.”
“How do you know unless you take her to one?”
“I have. She still hasn’t let me live it down.”
“Is she your baby cousin or something?” Brazil asked. “Why is she with you all the time?”
Trenton shrugged. “She had an older brother. He would have been fourteen today. She worshipped him. He was hit by a car on his bike a few months before they moved next door. Olive sat next to him while he took his last breath. I’m just trying to fill the shoes.”
“That’s rough, man, but . . . and I mean no offense . . . but, you’re a Maddox.”
“Yeah? So?” Trenton said.
“I know you’re a good guy, but you’re a tatted-up, whiskey-drinking, foul-mouthed hothead. Her parents just let her get in the car with you?”
“It was just a natural progression, I guess.”
“But . . . why is she your responsibility?” Brazil said. “I don’t get it.”
Trenton looked down at Olive, who was still sound asleep. He brushed a wispy ash-blond strand from her eyes, and then shrugged. “Why not?”
I smiled at his simple show of affection. “Chicken Joe’s it is. But I’ll have to cut out early to get ready for work.”
“Deal,” Trenton said with a smile, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
“Well, I have errands to run,” Raegan said.
“I’ve got to grab some carbs and head to the field house,” Brazil said. When he stood, he patted Raegan’s backside, leaned over to kiss her, and then grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys before slamming the door behind him.
Olive’s eyes popped open.
“Yay!” Trenton said. “She’s awake! Now we can EAT HER!” He leaned over and pretended to bite her belly while tickling her.
She giggled hysterically. “Nooooo. I have to peeeee!”
“Whoa!” Trenton said, holding up his hands.