“Spoiler alert,” Callie says, pushing her brown hair over her shoulder. A few strands of silver reflect in the light. “I already knew he was here. Tenley just confirmed, under duress. Theo and Grady saw Conner’s car drive by them this morning when they were on a donut run.”
“Shit,” Conner hisses.
Callie turns on him again. “Can we get to the explaining part? Are you okay? Why are you here and not playing with your team?”
“It’s a long story.” Conner glances over at me but I immediately look away. I’m… embarrassed? Shy? Overwhelmed? I don’t know what I am. I’ll unpack it later but right now, I just need to not look at him.
“I’ll give you guys your space…” I suggest and start to back up, toward my bedroom.
Callie shoots me a soft, friendly smile. "Hi, Mac. How are you?"
“I’m good. How are you?”
“You know.” Callie shrugs and motions toward her stepson. “Anyway, if you don’t have plans for Christmas, consider yourself invited to our house.”
“Thanks, but I’m working.” I give her a grateful smile and slip into my room. I’m about to shut the door but a foot wedges itself in the way.
Tenley’s blonde head pokes through the small space. Hergreen eyes are pleading. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get involved in this.”
I smile and let her push her way into my room. “I know. It’s probably for the best that this is happening. He should talk to his parents.”
“What is happening? I didn’t realize when I saw him today he was bailing on a hockey game,” Tenley says. “That’s not at all like Con.”
“You’re going to have to ask him,” I tell her and she pouts for a minute, but I can tell it’s jokingly. Then Tenley gives me a quick, tight hug as I gently push the door behind her to give Conner and Callie some privacy. Tenley lets me go and plops down on my bed. “So…” She looks around the room. “You and Con have sex yet?”
My mouth drops open in an indignant O. My eyes flare like she’s just asked the most bizarre, impossible, ridiculous question I’ve ever heard. But my cheeks turn red. Full-on, Rudolph’s nose red. Tenley, being the Olivia Benson wannabe that she is, doesn’t miss it. She grins, it’s devilish and lights up her whole pretty face and it’s easy to see why men do double-takes when she’s around. Tenley is stunning. “You and Con! Oh my God, the dufus actually took my advice!”
“Youradvice?” I repeat, and she stands up.
“I ran into him this morning buying you a breakfast feast and I may have said that you both could use a little naked therapy. Some sexy times, a hit of oxytocin,” Tenley explains, and when I just stand there dumbfounded she moves closer. “Sex. I told him you two should have sex.”
“I understood. I just…” Oh my God was that a pity kiss? Was I a second away from a pity fuck? Because Tenley made it sound like I was a sad, desperate scorned woman who needed it? I rub my forehead and close my eyes.
"Oh God…. Was it horrible? Does he suck in bed?" Tenleyasks and then squishes her pretty features together like she accidentally sucked a lemon. "Don't answer that. I do not want to know how my cousin is in bed. I'm sorry if it sucked. I have other cousins you could try."
“I’m sure he’s fine at sex. I don’t know because we didn’t and I don’t want to.” I swallow and close my eyes again as humiliation burns through me hot and fast. “Not with Conner. My God, I don’t even really know him. I appreciate you were trying to do me a favor but I don’t want pity hook-ups, so don’t ask men to give them to me, okay?”
“It wouldn’t have been pity,” Tenley argues. “If anything, you’d be the one doing him a solid. I mean, have you seen the tension knots in that man’s shoulders? The crease he’s developing between his eyes? The scowl that’s almost permanently glued to his face this year? He’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, all because his team sucks. It’s a bit much. He needs to unwind. I thought you could scratch each other’s backs if you know what I mean.”
“I know what you mean, and thanks but no thank you. I don’t want Conner to scratch my itches.”
Before she can argue there’s a knock on the door, sharp and hard. I call, “Come in!”
The door, which didn’t fully close when I swung it earlier, opens just enough for Conner to poke his head through. “Mama C is driving me home. Thanks for everything.”
I nod because words don't want to form on my tongue. The tongue that knows what his feels like. Tenley's head is bopping from one side to the other, watching us like a particularly intense Wimbledon final. Conner stares at me, but something is off. He looks more than just tense. He looks angry. No… hurt? Maybe it's his concern over facing his parents presenting an odd expression on his face. But… I feel like it's personal. About me and him.
“Everything alright?” I finally ask.
He huffs out a hard, sharp breath like I just told a very sarcastic joke. "Thanks again, Mac. Sorry, I had to bother you. Take care."
“Umm… okay.” I want to ask about the party. Is he still intending to go with me? It doesn’t feel like it, but I also don’t want to talk about this in front of Tenley.
Conner disappears from the doorway and I follow him out into the living room, Tenley right behind me. Callie is standing by the door and she looks worried, so I wonder how much Conner has told her about his hockey situation. She flashes both Tenley and me a quick smile. “If anything changes with your schedule, Mac, remember you have a place at our table.”
Callie blows an air kiss, opens the door, and disappears down the stairs. Conner follows without even looking back before he firmly shuts the door behind them. Tenley looks as startled by his cold goodbye as I am. I mean, didn't he just have his tongue in my mouth less than five minutes ago?
“If you do come to Christmas, you won’t have to even see him,” Tenley promises and gives me a hug. “There’s a ton of us, you can avoid him without making it obvious.”