“I sold two cars.One of them, the guy wanted every single add-on.Little Dick was so happy he had to go change his pants.”
“Eww,” Tean said with a laugh.His thumb jumped as it followed Jem’s eyebrow again.“Hannah said—well, she implied, really—that you might not be happy that I’m helping Ammon.”
Jem’s eyes were a blue-gray squall.After what felt like a long time, he said, “Is that a question?”
“I guess.”But this wasn’t enough either, so Tean made himself say, “I’m sorry I—I jumped into this.Without talking to you about it.”
“We talked about it.”
“Without asking you.”
“Would it have made a difference if you had?”
Motes of dust drifted in red-gold bands of light.
Tean drew his hand back, regretted it, couldn’t think of how to undo it.He sounded too stiff when he said, “Yes.Of course.”
Jem didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry if I—” Tean stopped.“Jem, obviously what you want matters.No, that’s not right.It’s not obvious, is it?Not if I have to say it.I’m sorry.”
Jem reached up to scritch Scipio’s ear, and that soft sound filled the silence between them.Finally, the word strained, he said, “No.No, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry.”
“I am.I’m—it was just a long day, and I’m tired, and now I’m taking it out on you for some reason.”
“If you felt like your feelings weren’t being valued—”
“Oh my God, stop.I know you care about what I think.I’m being a baby.”
“You’re not being a baby.”
“I am.I’m in a bad mood, and I’m throwing a fit.”
Tean came around the sofa to sit next to Jem.He cupped Jem’s chin; Jem’s beard tickled his palm.“I love you.I’m sorry I’ve gotten so caught up in this.And I’m sorry I didn’t show more respect for you and your feelings.”
“It’s fine.”Jem laughed at whatever he saw on Tean’s face, and it was a real laugh—soft, yes, but sweet.“Seriously.Don’t get in your head about this.Yeah, it’s a shitty situation.Yeah, I don’t love it that we’re helping Ammon.But I know he…matters to you.I know you want to help him.And I want to help you.So, that means I want to help Ammon, which is honestly a sentence I never thought I’d say unless it ended with ‘into a wood chipper.’”
Tean watched him for a long moment, waiting for some sign, a hint of vacillation, a buried meaning he was supposed to tease out.
“God,” Jem said, that smile cracking the corner of his mouth again, and he reached up to tease Tean’s hair.“Do you know how easy it would be to drive you crazy?”
“Extremely.”
For some reason, that made Jem’s smile get bigger as he nodded in agreement.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”Tean asked.
Jem gave Tean’s hair a little shake.“I guess we’re going to find out.”
The only sensible thing to say to that seemed to be “Do you want McDonald’s for dinner?”
“Is this a peace offering?”
“It’s a way to show you I know you and love you.”
“Can I order two large fries?”