“We’re not friends,” Liam and I said at the same time.
Our eyes met, he nodded once, and I knew he got it too.Friendship implied a connection that was too small for the way we’d been together, and too big for the total lack of communication since the day he’d left me.
Dana shrugged. “Maybe try Parker and Jamie’s place across the street? They don’t have a tenant for the apartments over the Bar and Grille, last I checked.”
* * *
“Fumigating,” I repeated, staring at the redhead on the other side of the bar. “Jamie, how in holy”—I glanced down at Hazel, who was perched on a stool, thumping the bar gently with the toe of her shoe and eating a cheeseburger Jamie had made her —“holyhot chocolatecanyou have termites when you only finished building this place a few months ago?”
“Ah… well.” Jamie rubbed the back of his neck and freckles stood out beneath his pink cheeks. “Termites are really unpredictable.”
“Unpredictable?” Liam said in confusion. “Are they?”
“Mmm. Like, looking back, on the, uh, situation, I feel like one minute things were perfectly fine? And then all of a sudden…infestation.” He threw up his hands in an exaggerated motion that I’d swear waswaytoo perky for Jameson Burke, unless living with Parker was getting to him. “Parks and I would love to help you out, but I’d hate for you to inhale the poison or come dropping through the floor. So…”
All four of us glanced uneasily at the ceiling.
“No,” Liam said. “Definitely not.”
“You know, Parker didn’t mention anything about this earlier today.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Didn’t he?” Jamie’s smile was bland. “Hmm. He probably didn’t want to worry you.”
“Ah. Of course.” I folded my arms over my chest. “He’s such a giver."
Giver ofheadaches and really shitty life advice.
“And he’s so busy organizing the Santa thing,” Jamie continued. “Been out delivering costumes all day. I only saw him for half a second when he came to deliver mine.”
“God, you too? Is anyonenotdressing up as Santa?” Was there anyonesafein all of O'Leary?
“Not my idea. You might say Parks voluntold me I'd be taking part.”
“You sound devastated,” I said wryly.
Jamie grinned mischievously. “What can I say? The job comes with compensation. Really, really lovable compensation.”
I rolled my eyes.
“If you’re a Santa,” Hazel asked, “where’s your hat?”
“Over there.” Jamie nodded to a folded pile of red velvet on the bar next to the cash register. “My plan is to be a covert kind of Santa, though.”He gave Hazel a teasing wink that made her laugh. “A Secret Agent Santa.”
“So... Parker was here,” I confirmed, a conspiracy theory beginning to take root in my mind.
“Of course he was here.” Jamie gave me a steady look. “He co-owns this bar.Duh.”
“Hmm. And he didn’t happen to talk aboutmedid he?”
“Gideon, believe it or not, our conversations are almostneverabout you.” Jamie grinned, and I noticed he hadn’t actually saidno. “Except… remember that time you were flirting with Parker last spring, and I got insanely jealous? Youwerementioned that time.”
Three sets of eyes landed on my face, and I tried hard not to notice the way Liam’s cheeks turned pink.
“Iflirted with Parker? Pretty sure you’re mistaken.”
“Sure I am,” Jamie agreed easily. “You’d never interfere in anyone’s relationship that way, right? Ha.Me neither. Anyway! Let’s think of who might have extra room.” Jamie tapped his lip thoughtfully. “Hmmm. Sam’s staying out at Angela’s part time now, so that won’t work. Con and Micah only have the one bedroom. Cal and Ash’s spare room istiny…”
Liam sighed. “It’s fine. Thanks anyway. We’ll just drive—”
