“Uh huh. Go get changed. You can tell me all about it on the way to the bachelor party.”
I groaned. I let his laughter follow me up the stairs. A part of me wanted to leave him down there stewing, but I didn’t want to be late to Omar’s bachelor party. I changed out of my work clothes and jumped into a pair of jeans and a clean button-down shirt. I rolled the sleeves up and headed for the door again.
Andre hadn’t moved. “I thought you were going to stall.”
“I thought about it.”
He laughed and led the way to his truck. Andre offered to drive since he was working Sunday morning and wouldn’t have more than one drink. I wasn’t planning on more than that either, but I didn’t mind having someone to go with.
Even if he was an obnoxious pain in the ass who was going to demand more information than I wanted to share.
“So, you and Casey?” Andre asked as he pulled onto the street and drove past Blossom & Grow.
“We’re getting to know each other,” I said.
“Which means?”
“Which means we’re talking. When she came with Omar and Natalie to finalize the flowers, we talked. I… She’s interesting.”
“She’s also a single mom and divorced not that long ago,” Andre warned.
“I’m aware of both of those things.”
“And they don’t bother you?”
“Why would they?”
Andre was quiet for a long minute. He stared straight ahead, his hands gripping and loosening on the steering wheel as he searched for words.
I waited him out, not willing to fill in more than I already had. When Casey asked me to teach her how to flirt, I made the decision not to tell anyone else what our arrangement was. I never spoke to her about it, but it didn’t feel right to share. It was between us.
“After Reegan…” He glanced sideways at me. “After things ended, I thought you would bounce back. I expected you to start dating. You seemed stuck. Like you couldn’t believe things were over. Even though you said you made that choice, it still felt like you weren’t okay with it or ready for it or whatever. I guess I expected you to snap, eventually. To sleep your way through town or go on a weekend bender in another town or something. I never expected you to tie yourself to a divorced single mom.”
My first thought was anger, but I slowed it down and processed what he said. “Dating is not easy. Not just in general, but specifically for me right now. Everyone in town assumes Reegan and I are going to work things out. When I go on dates, and I have, they end because no one wants to piss Reegan off.”
“That’s not fair to you.”
“It’s not. But it’s what’s happening right now. But not with Casey. She listened when I said things are over with Reegan. She believed me. She knows what it’s like to be in the position I’m in. Fresh off a long-term relationship with all the pain that goes with that.”
“So, she’s like a friend?”
“I didn’t say that.” I couldn’t stop my smile remembering our kiss. “We’re spending time together.”
“You really like her, don’t you?”
I nodded and met my friend’s questioning look. “I do.”
Andre exhaled a laugh and shook his head. “Well, then I’m happy for you.”
“We’re not moving in together or anything.”
Andre paused. “And maybe you won’t, but I like that you found someone who makes you happy for right now. Maybe not forever, but you never know.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Andre got out of his truck, leaving me to process the conversation.
I’d just convinced Casey to give me a chance. I wasn’t going to screw it up by deciding the end of our relationship before we’d even started one.
