Theo eyes him right back.
Neither man says a word to the other as Zen slides onto the curved couch on Emma’s other side, leaving only the chair beside my end of the couch open for Grey.
Laney makes a face at me, and I do my best to telegraph they had a pissing contest over who got to have more of my attention this morning.
Pretty sure she gets the message, as she pinches her lips together in a classic Laney I will not laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of that face.
The minute Grey’s seated, Jitter lunges into his lap.
“Jitter, get down,” I order.
Jitter whines.
Grey pulls a treat out of his pocket, tells my dog to sit, which he does in Grey’s lap, and then gives him the treat.
Then he shrugs at me. “He’s a good boy.”
Emma slides her brown eyes in his direction, then back at me.
Why is your dog in love with the guy who wants to take over your café? is the clear question here.
And wouldn’t I like an answer to that as well.
Zen suddenly seems to realize there are more people here than just Emma. “You’re Theo. Oh my god. Is it weird to say I loved your channel? If it’s weird, I won’t say it. But like, you got me through a really rough patch in college when all of my friends graduated before me and I was in a bad low spot of not really loving myself.”
“Aww, I told you that you were doing superhero work.” Laney smiles at Theo.
Grey’s jaw flexes so hard his whole beard moves. “Why didn’t I hear about these problems in college?”
Zen waves a dismissive hand. “You were in lust with Felicia, and I didn’t want to interfere with your happiness.” They look back at Theo. “I won’t mention that again either. But since people get judgmental about porn stars, I just wanted you to know you were doing good in the world.”
“Naked inspirational knitter,” he says.
“If you ever do it again, knit with your feet. Just trust me.”
Emma cracks up.
Actually cracks up with real laughter.
My eyes get hot, and it takes everything in me not to launch myself around Emma to hug Zen.
It’s so good to hear Em laugh.
“If he does that, it wasn’t my suggestion,” Zen tells Emma. “Sorry. Forgot you two were related. Speaking of related, Sabrina, I saw your cousins. They asked if I had any magical sway to convince you to take a DNA test. What’s that all about?”
On the surface, I know it’s about the triplets using peer pressure to convince Laney to take a DNA test too.
But below the surface—if Grey told Zen what I told him this morning about my grandfather, I deserve this.
That’s why I told him.
So that when his grandmother gets here tomorrow, he can choose to respond by telling the entire town my own biggest secret. My mom’s biggest secret. My grandma’s biggest secret.
I’m playing with fire.
It’s only fair to give him a weapon too.
“What’s going on here?” I gesture to them, making a vague circling motion around their body. “You took a week to warm up to me enough to say hi, and you’re out here spilling deep dark secrets and being all you the first time you meet Theo, Laney, and Emma. What’s this about?”
They jerk their head toward Theo. “I trust his taste. I didn’t know you were friends before. You’re officially cleared now because you have the friend endorsement of a man I’ve seen naked. Ah, sorry, Laney.”
Emma snort-giggles.
Laney shrugs. “You’ve seen it, but only I get to touch it.”
Emma snort-giggles harder.
“So. Sabrina.” Zen looks at me again. “I sniff a story. Why do your cousins want you to take a DNA test?”
“They fell down the social media rabbit hole about DNA surprises and they’re looking for drama in our little town,” Laney says.
Zen squints at her. “You need DNA tests for that when you have Sabrina?”
“Hey,” I say.
Zen grins at me. “That was all love. I want your superpowers.”
“Did you give them caffeine?” I ask Grey. “This is truly more words than I’ve ever heard out of them.”
“They’re a big fan,” he mutters back.
“I’m merely in a good mood because good things are coming,” Zen announces.
And that one lands.
They know I’m toast tomorrow. And I think they’re genuinely excited to see their great-grandma, who should be landing in Denver in the next few hours.
Our blizzard isn’t affecting the city. It’s isolated up here in the mountains.
“All right,” Grey says. “Now I’m concerned.”
As he should be.
Alina brings us another charcuterie board and refills all of our drinks. Laney engages Grey with questions about bees. Zen peppers Emma and Theo with questions about taxidermy animals and which of the stories they’ve heard about Theo’s antics when he was younger are true.
They all are, naturally.
And honestly?
It’s fun watching my friends adopt new friends.
Especially new friends that I like entirely more than I should.
I know this is an optical illusion. That Grey petting my dog, Zen laughing with Theo and Emma, things feeling normal, all of it is temporary.
A just for tonight thing.
Just like Hawaii was temporary.
I’m thinking I should take Jitter and go home when Emma slides a look at Grey during a lull in everyone’s conversations.
“Chandler hurt you too,” she says. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more, but I’m sorry is all I have right now.”
Grey’s blue eyes flicker toward me, his shoulders hunching slightly. The change is enough for Jitter to quit panting happily and look at him with a soft whine.
I didn’t tell her.
I want to tell him I didn’t tell her anything he told me about why he has a beef with Chandler.
But would he believe me?
He shifts his attention back to Emma. “Not your fault.”
“He told me about you shortly after Thanksgiving. He said you were looking for investors in a business opportunity, though, not that he was selling the café to you.”
Grey flinches.
“Why did everyone believe his lying ass?” Zen asks.
“Because it’s hard to face that someone you’ve known and trusted forever is capable of hurting and manipulating and gaslighting you,” Laney says.
“Even when you should know it’s not normal or okay,” Emma whispers.
“Knock it off.” Theo leans across the low table between us to squeeze her knee. “Not your fault I didn’t tell you.”
“Yes, it is.”
He growls.
“You’ve never let someone in your life that you believed you could change if you just worked hard enough?” I ask Zen to try to answer their question. “You’ve never seen someone’s potential and wanted to help them achieve it?”
They wrinkle their nose. “Calling me out about Uncle Grey when he’s sitting right there isn’t very polite of you.”
Grey tosses a napkin at Zen, who flashes him a grin. “Okay, okay, you can be taught. You dress so much better these days than you did when I first found you. It’s a start.”
“How did you find him?” Laney asks.
“Caught him digging in my trash—no, wait, that was his dog.”
“You’re this close to walking home,” Grey says.
Zen grins. “I’ll catch a ride with Sabrina. So, there was this family reunion one time, and Uncle Grey shows up for the first time in years, and I was like, ‘Who’s that weirdo doing experiments on the potato salad?’ and when I heard he sometimes forgot to shower or do his laundry, I decided to adopt him.”
I’m one hundred percent certain no one believes them, but none of my friends question their version either.
The rest of the evening is weirdly enjoyable.
Weirdly only because I know this feeling of friendship won’t last.
And eventually, it’s over.
We all pack up to head home.
And I wonder just how quickly everything will change once Grey’s grandmother arrives in town tomorrow.
27
Grey
“Quit being a stalker,” Zen says, making me snap away from peeking out of my living room blinds.
It’s not quite five in the morning. I was waiting for them to finish getting ready so that we can head to Bean & Nugget.
And while I was waiting, I was listening.