“Hey, sometimes a man’s hand can be his best friend,” he says, flopping down next to me.
“I wasn’t jerking off. I was on the phone and lost track of time,” I say to shut him up. He gives me a disbelieving look.
“I was talking to Lauren,” I say, and a smug grin spreads across his face.
“How long were you guys on the phone?” he asks mischievously.
“Not that long,” I shrug. He gives me an incredulous look. “About two hours,” I finally admit.
“Get the fuck out!” he says, slapping me on the back.
“Dude, the only reason I stay on the phone with a girl that long is if I haven’t screwed her yet and it’ll better my chances, or she’s a hell of a dirty talker,” he laughs.
“Two hours isn’t that long.” I shrug.
“Okay, you’re right. You guys do have a lot to talk about. What did you find out?”
“Well we didn’t really talk about a lot of important stuff. I figured I’d save that for when she’s here, you know,” I say, pulling out my candy bar and opening it.
“Wait. So you were on the phone two hours just shooting the shit?” he says knowingly.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it that,” I explain hesitantly, and he starts to shake his head, chuckling.
“What?” I say as he stands up.
“You like her?” he asks, but it’s more like a statement.
“Yeah, she’s cool and she has my kid.” I defend.
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“It’s not like that. I want to be her friend and friends should have something to talk about.”
“You and I have been friends our whole lives and we’ve never talked on the phone like that,” he says as we start to walk back towards the house.
“Awww, what? Are you jealous”? I kid, and he laughs.
“How about you and Lisa? You guys talk that long?” he asks, folding his arms and the only answer I have is one that will strengthen his case.
“I didn’t plan on talking to her that long,” I admit as we start to pick up our pace.
“You better watch yourself, Scott.” He chuckles as he runs ahead of me. We end up running about two miles. Aidan wins by almost a half a block, I guess they did teach him something in the army.
“I’m starving,” he says as he catches his breath.
“Me too,” I reply as I walk the rest of the distance between us, inhaling as much air as I can.
“Let’s go get some burgers,” he says, grabbing a water bottle off my porch and downing it.
“I want breakfast.”
“You always want breakfast. It’s almost 11,” he says, whining like a four year old.
“We can grab some burgers, I can drop you off and get to my next workout plan for the night,” he says with a wink.
“I’m going to go fry some bacon,” I say, heading into the house.
“Screw it. Throw on some eggs for me,” he relents, following me.
“So what’s this one’s name?” I ask as I open the door.
“Rachel, and the body on th—” he stops mid-sentence as we see Jenna sitting at the kitchen table with her hands folded.
“Jenna,” I say happily.
“I figured you’d gone out on your run,” she replies quietly, a barely-there smile on her face.
“Hey Aidan,” she says, throwing a quick glance his way.
“What’s up, Jenna?” he responds dryly. The two have never really warmed up to each other. Jenna thinks he’s a chauvinistic pig. Aidan thinks she’s high-strung and boring so we never have hung out together much. I look at her and back at Aidan.
“Rain check on breakfast,” I say, and he nods quickly, heading out the door. I lock it behind him and see Jenna standing. I lean back against the door and we both stare at each other for a couple of seconds. I want to pull her towards me and hug her but her expression is stoic and I’m not sure how to approach her.
“When did you get back?” I ask her hesitantly. I search for the ring on her finger and I don’t see it there. My heart drops.
“This afternoon. You want to sit down?” she asks, gesturing to the seat across from her. I nod and pull out the chair across from her. She’s rubbing her hands together. I take a chance and pull hers into mine. She remains standing and lets out a breath.
“Where’s your ring?” I ask her quietly. Her eyes watch my hands as they embrace hers.
“I still have it. I just haven’t decided where to put it yet,” she replies and her hands slip out of mine. “So how are things?” she asks her blue eyes surveying me. When my mom was sick, they were the only things that made me feel better. They were piercing and stern. She didn’t allow me to wallow in self-pity. Her stare can be intimidating and that’s going to be really useful for her once she’s a lawyer. I’m used to it but this time it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I shift in my seat and try to choose my words carefully. I didn’t expect to see her tonight. I thought I’d have time to prepare. Now all my thoughts seem jumbled and crowding each other. I think if I speak right now only gibberish will come out. She’s waiting for me to answer. It’s been almost a minute and her stare is cutting into me. I feel like I’m on the witness stand.
“Did you hear me?” she asks, irritation evident in her tone.
“Well…” That’s all that comes out of my mouth and she bites her lip.
“How was your visit with…” She lets out a deep sigh and smiles tightly. “Your daughter.” She forces the words out like she’s chewing broken glass. She, turns away from me and smooths her hair with her hands as she laughs nervously. “I’ve been practicing how to say that without sounding like a complete bitch all day.”
I laugh, but not at her but because I can’t get the word puppy kicker out of my head.
“It’s not funny, Chris,” she snaps me back to the present, her eyes downcast.
“We don’t have to talk about that right now,” I say, approaching her. She doesn’t step back this time. I put my hands on her waist and then she moves away. I scratch my head.
“No. It’s important, right?” she says pointedly.
“Yeah.” I nod my head.
“I know, you’re ecstatic. I know how much you want kids.” She says the last part quietly.
“She’s the silver lining in all this.” I shrug and she doesn’t say anything for a minute.
“Does she look like you?” she asks, and sits down. I know talking about this isn’t easy for her but she’s good at hiding how she feels when she wants to. She wants me to think she’s okay with this, and really, if there’s any chance for us, she has to be okay with Caylen. So it gives me a little hope that she’s trying to be. I pull out my phone and scroll through the pictures Lauren’s sent me of Caylen and choose my favorite one. I cautiously hand the phone to Jenna. She takes a small breath before taking it. When she sees the picture, she closes her eyes after just a second. She rests her head in her palm as she stares at the picture again before she hands the phone back to me.