Crush (Crash #3)(63)

Anton lifted his hand. "Let's just drop-"

"No, like 'one day he woke up and got the call she'd been killed in a car accident' lost her," India explained.

"S-H-I-T." Anton sighed, shaking his head at India. 

I felt a little sick. Sick to my stomach and sick in the head. Anton had been engaged and she'd died. Recently. I never would have guessed Mr. Too-smooth-for-his-own-good had such a tragic past. Anton seemed more like the friends-with-benefits kind of guy, not the put-a-ring-on-it kind of guy.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked India. She'd shared about every other personal detail of her life with me. I didn't understand how she'd forget to mention this one.

"Anton didn't want me telling the whole world about it," she said.

"Which obviously worked out fantastically," he said, keeping his glare aimed her way.

"What?" she said. "It's been a year, Anton. I know it's not something you forget, but I'd like to think it's something you'll eventually move on from."

"As fun as this conversation is," he said, smiling tightly, "think we could drop it and move on to topics that don't involve death and fiancées?"

India huffed, apparently not ready to drop it just yet. Whether it was sympathy or empathy or some combination of the two, I spoke up.

"Anyone seen any good movies lately?" I asked, trying to sound casual. "I haven't seen one in forever and I have no clue what's playing. I'm thinking of taking Jude to one when he's in town."

"So much for not talking about fiancés . . ."

"So help me God, India," I seethed. "I will put you in time-out and leave you there all night if you don't take it down a notch. Or three."

"I'll let you borrow my spot if you want," LJ piped up, pointing to the stool in the corner he'd spent some hard time sitting in.

"Give me some love," India said, extending her fist at LJ. "You're like my brother in crime."

LJ bumped her fist with one of his own, and then India went back to her dinner, looking like she was planning on staying silent for a while.

Figured. I should have known to put India next to the three-year-old if I wanted her to behave.

"I've been hearing great things about this new spy movie set in the forties," Thomas said, clearing the air. I went to the fridge to grab him a fresh beer as thanks.

"Ooh, yeah," Holly said, pointing her fork at Thomas. "The previews for that movie looked killer."

"You guys should go next Friday after dinner," I said, handing the beer off to Thomas. "I could tuck LJ in and you two could go get a drink first and catch the late show."

Holly was looking at me like I had three heads. Thomas, however, tilted his beer at me. "That sounds great. What do you think, Holly? You up for it?"

Holly's curious stare shifted to Thomas. "Sure, but do you really want to make the drive again next week?" she said finally. "Are you sure you want to go with me? Isn't there someone else you'd rather-"

"I'm sure," Thomas interrupted.

Hello, Mr. Obvious.

"Okay, then," Holly said. "It's a date."

Thomas swallowed. "It's . . . yeah."

I smiled into my lap. These two were both so hot for each other, I was dying for one of them to cave and just admit it already. I wasn't sure who would be the first to do it, but I hoped it would be soon.

After that, dinner was fine. No more awkward moments, followed by even more awkward silences. An hour later, nothing was left of dinner other than a few chip pieces. India and Holly had called mercy and unbuttoned their jeans a half hour earlier, but I-the one in elastic-band boxers-was good to go.



       
         
       
        

Anton took dish duty while Thomas cleared the table. LJ and the girls piled a stack of blankets and pillows on the living room floor before making the world's coolest fort with every last sheet I had in the place.

"I've got to take a picture of this," Anton said, rolling his sleeves back down as he wandered from the kitchen.

"No pictures!" LJ said, crawling out from beneath it. "This is top-secret."

"Good point," Anton replied, pocketing his phone. "This gets out to the public, every little boy's going to have one of these."

Fiddling with the controls, I managed to get the DVD player to cooperate.

"What are we watching?" Thomas asked, crawling inside and throwing himself down close to Holly.

Coincidence? I think not.

"Ice Age!" LJ replied, plopping down right in between Holly and Thomas.