“Yeah, I do miss those cookies,” I reply, buttering him up, and a hint of scowl crosses Eric’s face, belying his forced sense of joviality.
“I’ll have to make you some more then,” Tim replies, his gaze lingering a tad too long for Eric’s liking.
Navigating this minefield is going to be a lot trickier than I thought. I was anticipating that they’d be argumentative and combative and that I’d have to play the role of peacemaker. But I don’t know how to respond to this kind of flirty banter. If I play along, Eric is going to go through the roof. If I remain distant, Tim’s not going to want to open up to me.
“Yeah, anything to keep me out of the Valu-Mart,” I remark, guiding Tim where I need him to go. “The last thing I need is to bump into Lauren again.”
“You saw Lauren?” Tim asks, alarmed. “When?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t pretty,” I respond, watching Tim’s easygoing demeanor visibly change. “I was surprised it took her over a week to track me down. I thought she’d set up a roadblock the minute I tried to leave your farmhouse.”
“Fuck,” Tim mutters, pressing a hand to his forehead.
“But at least this time I didn’t end up in the hospital,” I say wryly.
“Ivy—” Eric starts gruffly.
“I know…I know,” I reassure him. “Trust me. I don’t mean to make light of anything. It’s just that sometimes I need a dose of levity, otherwise I’d never get out of bed, especially at four in the morning.”
“I don’t get it. Why did you want to see me?” Tim questions, placing his hands on his hips.
“Because I was worried about you,” I reply honestly. “I heard you weren’t doing so well.”
“You were worried about me?” Tim repeats, shaking his head. “No need. I’m fine, Ivy. Just fine.”
“It doesn’t mean you have to be such a stranger. No calls. No texts. No emails. I thought we were friends?” I wait for Tim to look away, but he doesn’t. If anything, his gaze gets more intense.
“Yeah, and how’s that supposed to work with this big brute over here watching my every move?” Tim gestures to Eric over his shoulder. “I didn’t think he’d let me get anywhere near you again.”
“Ivy doesn’t need my permission,” Eric bristles, his eyes boring into Tim’s back.
“But you made sure you were here for this,” Tim counters, turning to face him. “You don’t want me alone with her. I am on the enemy’s payroll, after all.”
“You were alone with me for a week and I survived,” I remind him, redirecting his focus back to me.
“Barely,” Eric grumbles, not wanting to give Tim any credit for taking care of me.
“Listen, man. I didn’t want to come in here, but I did…for her,” Tim says, rounding on Eric. “But if you’re gonna start in on me like this, then I’m out of here. I have enough on my plate as it is without dealing with your shit.”
“And what would that be? Heading out in the woods to get drunk off your ass? Well, by all means, don’t let me keep you from it,” Eric says sarcastically, extending his arm to usher him out.
“You know what? I thought maybe, just maybe, you wouldn’t be an asshole about this, but who was I kidding?” Tim spits, narrowing his eyes at Eric. “You’ll never change.”
“Well, if you didn’t have to hit on all the women in my life, maybe we’d still be friends,” Eric fires back.
“So that’s what you think, huh? Trust me. I did a lot more than that with Cassidy,” Tim smirks, watching Eric’s face redden.
“So? What are you trying to say?” Eric comes at him. “Just cop to it already. I know how much you want to rub it in my face.”
“That’s funny, because I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tim responds, clearly lying.
Eric gets right in his face. “Simple question. Were you the father of her baby or not?”
“You don’t want to know,” Tim replies, his tone warning Eric not to push it.
“You were, weren’t you?” Eric seethes, ramming his finger into Tim’s shoulder.
“Don’t, Eric,” Tim answers tersely.
Eric strides forward, backing Tim up against the refrigerator. “You’re such a coward that you can’t even admit it.”
“Coward? After everything I’ve been through…everything I’m still going through. You have no fucking clue,” Tim levels at Eric, shoving him back.
“Then why don’t you tell me, huh?” Eric grips a fistful of his coat, goading him. “Why don’t you man up and do the right thing? Tell the truth for once.”