I roll my eyes. “You are the epitome of willy-nilly with your dilly.”
He grins. “I’m so making that a shirt.”
“Do it, and we’ll even put my mom’s name on the bottom, quoting her for saying it.”
He laughs. “Yes, she’ll love that.”
“Or kill us.”
“Oh, for sure. Murder us dead.”
We laugh like two little kids, and I hate the guilt that creeps in. I feel like I’m cheating on Evan when Dart and I hang out. It’s hard, though, when we spend a lot of time together. We’re on the same line. We share a hotel room. Dart is my homey. I know I’m not cheating on Evan. I’d give up Dart to have my brother with me right now, but I do feel kinda bad. Not that Evan would be happy with me for feeling that way. Every time I talk to him, he tells me how happy he is with my play and how he’s doing so well. I worry he’s lying to keep my nerves under control, but Mom says the same thing. So do Dad and my siblings.
Evan is doing awesome at home, which was the goal.
Since we are a goal-driven family, we take that as a win. No matter how much I miss him.
As we enter the nursery, we get some looks from some of the customers since we are two huge dudes looking at plants, but I can see why Angie digs these things. They’re pretty refreshing. Lots to choose from too, like, so much to choose from. Instantly, I’m overwhelmed while we look around. But Dart, well, his mind is blown.
“This shit is expensive! Who would spend this kind of money on something you could kill? Like, seriously, I would forget to water it, and bam! Dead. And I’m out twenty bucks!”
I laugh as I look at something green and bushy. Really, everything is green, but I think this is an outdoor plant. Is she into those? “Some people know how to keep them alive.”
He shakes his head. “I couldn’t risk it. This shit is too expensive for the chance of death.”
“How do you feel about dogs?”
He gives me a wide-eyed look. “I want a dog.”
“But you adopt one, pay the fees, and it dies. Then what?”
“I cry and die inside.”
“That’s how people feel about plants,” I explain, looking at this really pretty plant with huge leaves. “Wow, this one is amazing.”
He makes a face, looking right at the price as I stroke its leaves. They have these awesome openings in them and are huge. “And it’s fifty bucks.”
“But look at its leaves. They’re all big and cool-looking.”
He leans in, reading the tag. “It’s a Monstera,” he says, drawing out the syllables of the word.
“I love it,” I say, running my fingers along the leaves. “I think Angie will too.”
He shrugs. “Hopefully she keeps it alive for fifty bucks.”
I scoff and stop a lady as she walks by. “Hey, my girlfriend likes plants. Do you think she’ll like this?”
She smiles at me; she’s older with shiny gray hair and kind brown eyes. “Everyone loves Monsteras. They’re extremely popular.”
I nod. “I wonder if she has one.”
“You can never have too many Monsteras. They’re God’s miracle.”
“God would literally have to come down and hand me this plant for me to pay fifty bucks,” Dart says then, and I give him a hard look.
“I will pay you fifty bucks to shut up,” I throw back at him before grinning at the lady. “I’ll take it.”
She beams happily and takes fifteen minutes to find me the “best-looking one.” When she walks away, Dart says, “Bet your girlfriend will love it.”
I don’t acknowledge him, but damn, I sure hope she does.
I haven’t been in the mental health facility since Evan left.
I kinda hate it. As I walk through, I carry a protein bar and an iced coffee in my hand for Angie. She doesn’t get off for another three hours, and I wanted to make sure she ate. I might be overstepping and she might think it’s overkill, but in a way, I don’t care. I miss her, but with how skittish she is, I wonder if this was the right move. Well, no backing out now. As I walk through the place, I really do love the look of it. It’s more a hangout than a medical facility, and I appreciate that. I know it makes people feel welcome. It sure makes me feel welcome, and I’m lucky enough not to suffer mental illness.
When I reach her office, she’s behind her desk, hard at work. Her hair is down today, and I hadn’t realized how long it is. She has naturally curly hair, so it’s all wild and flowing, while her bangs are straight across her forehead. She’s wearing a pair of dark-red glasses today, which intrigues me as to how many pairs she actually has. Her scrubs are black, and damn if she isn’t pretty. She’s losing weight, especially from her face. It’s nowhere near sunken-in like it was when we were younger, but it is narrower.
Thankfully, her cheeks are still plump and adorable.
I head toward her, but before I can reach her, Dr. Tembalt stops me. “Evan, I wasn’t expecting you today! How are you?”
I chuckle. “Hey, I’m not Evan. It’s Owen.”
He grasps my shoulder. “Oh! Sorry! Now that you say it, I thought maybe you just put on some weight. You’re much bigger than your brother.”
“I do outweigh him. He’s more the smarts, while I’m the brawn.”
He grins. “I wouldn’t want to get mixed up with either of you in a dark alley.” We share a laugh, and when I look at Angie, her eyes are wide as this little kitten grin sits on her lips. “What can I help you with?”
“I’m here to see Angie,” I say, angling my head toward her. “Brought her some fuel.”
He looks back at Angie, smiling. “Hmm, interesting choice of fuel. I didn’t know you two knew each other like that.”
“We actually grew up together,” Angie says, standing up.
Oh, we’re going with that? I agree since I don’t want to embarrass her, and Dr. Tembalt grins at us. “Awesome. Lucky you both have each other with being so far from home.”
We both agree, and then he is pulled away.
My lips curve as I close the distance to her. There’s still some space between us, but we’re close enough I can feel the heat coming off her curvy body. Her lips press together, though her eyes are dancing with mine. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I told you I wanted to see you,” I say, handing her the coffee and protein bar. “These are my favorite protein bars. I hope you like them. I got you Dunkin’ since you’re still boycotting Starbucks.”
“Starbucks is trash coffee,” she says simply and then smiles at me in thanks. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to,” I tell her. “You look super hot today. I like those glasses.”
Instantly, her cheeks turn the color of the glasses. “Stop.”
“I will not,” I promise her, and she looks up at me through her lashes. “You think you’ll get out on time?”
She nods. “Yeah. I planned on skipping my workout.”
“Cool. I’m gonna have Dart drop me off, and I’ll wait for you by the car.”
“Really? You sure?”