“I told you that you don’t have to ask, Juliette,” Greyston reminds me with a grin. “This is your home now, too. Invite whomever you want.”
Nodding, I turn back to my dinner. “When do you leave?”
“Tuesday,” he replies, returning to his own plate. “Come on, let’s eat before our dinner gets c—”
Greyston doesn’t get a chance to finish when we hear the front door open, and a deep male voice calls out, “Honey, I’m here!”
I wonder if I should be reading into that statement. Do I say something? Leave it alone? Something tells me to leave it alone—that it’ll work itself out, or I’ll at least be given the right opening to inquire further. I know if I assume anything out loud, I run the risk of making a fool out of myself. No, it’s definitely best to stay quiet.
I think.
Our company’s footsteps grow louder as he approaches the kitchen. Was this the guy Callie mentioned earlier? Toby?
“There you are!” he booms, entering the kitchen. “I thought I smelled your spag—”
I turn just in time to see him stop dead in his tracks, cutting himself off as well. He’s huge—like a bear. While his size should probably intimidate me, his baby blue eyes are warm and friendly, and when he smiles, he’s got the deepest dimples that give him an almost childlike innocence.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were entertaining.” He looks at Greyston, then at me, and smiles. “I’m Toby. Greyston’s partner.”
Partner. Interesting word choice, but it could mean more than one thing.
“Hi.” I stand up and meet him halfway to offer him my hand. “I’m Juliette.”
“Juliette’s my new tenant,” Greyston clarifies. “The one I told you about.”
Realization flashes in Toby’s baby blues. “Of course. It’s nice to meet you.” He takes my hand in his, shaking it before standing next to Greyston. “What do you think of my boy’s pad?”
My eyebrow arches questioningly. His boy? I try to think of another meaning behind his declaration and decide they could be best friends.
Toby reaches around and rests a hand on Greyston’s shoulder, sort of half-embracing him.
Or not?
“The house is great,” I reply, deciding to stop worrying about something that really isn’t my business or within my ability to control.
“You’re early,” Greyston says to Toby. “You hungry?”
“Does an ostrich fly?” He’s got his hand resting on his flat stomach, giving the impression that maybe he is. Of course, this makes his statement confusing.
Both Greyston and I look at Toby, but it’s me that says something. “Um, no, actually they don’t.”
Toby looks genuinely surprised. “Really? Are you sure?”
I don’t mean to laugh at him, but the poor guy really has no idea. “Yup. Pretty sure.”
He walks over to the cupboard that holds the dishes and grabs a plate. “Guess I need to think of another rhetorical question, huh?”
Scooping a generous amount of pasta on his plate, Toby asks if Greyston has booked the hotel yet. I decide to eat my own meal, not wanting to intrude.
“Not yet.” Toby shoots a disapproving look over his shoulder, and Greyston laughs. “I know, I know. I liked the idea of sharing that single bed as much as you did.”
That doesn’t mean anything, I try to tell myself. He didn’t say they did share it.
“So, do you guys travel together a lot?” I ask, fishing for more information without bluntly asking and appearing rude. Truthfully, I’ve never been particularly good at fishing for anything, but I am going to give it a shot. I refuse to let this go on as long as the Callie thing did.
Toby leans against the counter in front of the sink and begins to eat, nodding. “Yeah. Whenever we can. It just depends on just how badly we need each other.”
I nod as though I understand, but the truth of the matter is, I’m still uncertain; he could mean a lot of things. “I see. Have you guys been…together long?”
“About four years,” Greyston replies without skipping a beat. “It was actually Callie that introduced us. We quickly became friends and then just couldn’t deny how great we would be together.”
“Mmmhmm,” I’m still a little skeptical; sure, it’s dwindling—just not in the way I’ve been hoping.
Toby finishes his dinner first, even though he started after us and had more than double our amount, and puts his plate in the dishwasher. “Well, I’ll leave the two of you to finish up. Greyston, I’ll meet you upstairs?”