I gave him a look. "So you decided to what, drop in?"
"Sure, why not?"
There was something he wasn't telling me. But unless I wanted to beat it out of him – as tempting as that might be – he'd tell me in his own time. So instead, I said, "How long are you staying?"
"A couple of nights."
Fuck.
If I had a best friend, Jack would be it. But as far as timing, it could've been better. That whole scene downtown had shaken me more than it should've.
It wasn't just Anna's reaction. It was my own.
That Mackenzie chick – I'd wanted to kill her for treating Anna like dirt. And I wanted to killmyselffor almost making Anna cry. And while I was at it, I wanted to kill Jack for showing up in the middle of this glorious clusterfuck just to satisfy – in his own words – morbid curiosity.
From the open doorway, he gave a slow nod. "Yeah, I figured as much."
I frowned.Had he said something I missed?
I gave him another look. "What are you talking about?"'
He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned casually against the doorframe. "Just so you know, that doesn't work on me."
"What doesn't?"
"That look," he said. "Save it for the camera. It loves you a lot more thanIdo."
I wasn't amused. "So I hear." I strode past him and entered the house, leaving Jack to shut the door behind us as I veered toward the kitchen.
Following after me, he said, "So, are you gonna give me a tour?"
"Of the house?" I almost snorted. "What, you didn't already go through it?"
"Sure," he said. "But I figured it might be interesting to see what you'd show me." He paused. "And what you'd leave out."
I turned to look at him. "Meaning?"
"Hey, if you don't know…"
"I don't."
"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." He flicked his head toward the stairway. "By the way, I'm staying in the pink bedroom."
I froze. "What?"
"Did I say pink?" He grinned. "Sorry, I meant gray."
He wasn't sorry. He was being a dick. As far the "gray" bedroom, I didn't know which one he meant. I had two that might be called gray or beige or whatever. Except for the pink, it's not like I'd picked the colors myself.
I glanced toward the stairs."Shit, I'm surprised you didn't stealmyroom."
"Yeah." He laughed. "Me too."
For a writer, the guy had a lot of nerve. Then again, he wasn't your normal kind of writer and had the scars to prove it.
In the kitchen, I went straight for the fridge, grabbed a couple of beers and plunked them down on the counter. Mine was halfway gone before Jack even reached for his.
But hey, more for me.I had several more bottles in the fridge, but not nearly as many as I wanted, all things considered.
