Boomerang Boyfriend (The Boyfriend Chronicles)

by Chris Cannon

  “That’s cool. So I understand why you mess around with your clothes, but what’s the deal with your hair?”

  “It’s fun, and it attracts attention. I’d rather stand out than blend in.” Her eyes lit up, like she’d just realized something. “What you said earlier about guys not waiting around unless they were interested…did you mean that?”

  Damn. Damn. Damn. “Yeah, it’s part of the guy code.” I turned to face the television because it would be so easy to lean over and kiss her.

  …

  Delia

  Jack had turned his attention back to the movie. Did he do that to avoid looking at me? He’d given me a ride to work, helped me with my carry-out order, and agreed to come in and have dinner. Sure, the weather was bad, but it wasn’t ice-storm bad. Did that mean he liked me, or was he just being a friend?

  If I made some sort of move, and he wasn’t interested, I’d look like a world-class idiot. Not to mention, I’d been down this road before and vowed never to make the first move again. What if he was interested? It could be awesome. Even though he was a jerk sometimes, he was a good, puppy-rescuing person. But what about Zoe? How would she deal with it? Would she be mad? Probably at first, but after a while it could be cool…maybe. Then again, why was I worrying about this when Jack thought of me like a sister or, more accurately, a pain-in-the-ass little sister? And it’s not like he was mooning over me. He was watching the movie.

  “Do you have any popcorn?” he asked.

  Wow. Here I was dreaming about kissing him, and he was focused on salty snacks. “I think so. I’ll go check.”

  I headed into the kitchen. What in the hell had I been thinking? It was Jack. Even if he was handsome, had great shoulders and touchable hair, and he smelled good, he was still Jack, the older brother of my best friend. Not a datable guy. He was off-limits.

  I made a batch of microwave popcorn and continued to tell myself I’d misunderstood Jack’s message. He hadn’t been talking about himself after all. He’d been talking about Aiden. Who apparently liked me enough to wait for me and to text me but not to actually date me. While the microwave buzzed in the background, I checked Aiden’s text.

  He’d been worried about me working tonight and wanted to make sure I was okay. I texted back, All good. I’m home.

  He texted back a smile face. So much for a heart-to-heart conversation. When the timer dinged, I grabbed the bag from the microwave, ripped it open, and poured it in the popcorn pan, adding extra salt.

  Jack pointed at the rectangular cake pan I carried back to the couch. “Did you make popcorn or bake a cake?”

  I sat and showed him the popcorn in the pan. “This is how we do popcorn.”

  “Most people use a bowl.”

  I shrugged. “This is how my mom has always done it.”

  “Okay.” He grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it in his mouth.

  We watched the movie and ate popcorn and didn’t talk. I was oddly aware of how close he was next to me on the couch. I could feel heat radiating off his leg, which was an inch from mine.

  When the pan was empty, I set it on the coffee table. My fingers were greasy from the butter, so I grabbed a tissue off the table. I turned to offer Jack a tissue, but he must have leaned over to grab his own because we ended up almost nose to nose.

  “Oh.” I gave a nervous laugh. “You startled me.”

  Jack didn’t smile. He stared deep into my eyes like I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. Seconds stretched out as neither of us moved. Would he kiss me? My heart beat loud in my ears as he leaned in a fraction of an inch. Our lips were almost touching. Was he waiting to see if I was okay with this?

  He wasn’t running away from me, but he wasn’t making a move either, so I caved and did it for him. Leaning in, I brushed my lips against his and then held my breath, waiting for his reaction. He stared at me for a moment like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, and then he kissed me back…gentle at first and then it built into something more. Something a little wild and a whole lot of right. Way more right than kissing Aiden had been. I understood now. This was what kissing was supposed to be like.

  I slid my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. The kiss became softer, and then it stopped. I opened my eyes, leery of what I might see. He smiled back at me. “I’ve wanted to do that since you started working at Betty’s.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “What about you? When did you see me as more than Zoe’s brother?”

  “In art class,” I admitted. “After I drew you.”

  “Funny how something can be right in front of you and you don’t see it.” He leaned in and kissed me again, and it was better than the first time, now that I knew he was actually interested in me.

  We shifted around, and I must have sat on the remote, because the television volume soared, making me jump. I broke away from Jack as he cracked up laughing.

  My face burned. “Where’s the stupid remote?”

  He found it wedged between the couch cushions and turned the television to normal volume. I sat close to him, where he could put his arm around me, which he did.

  And now it seemed awkward. Were we kissing? Were we watching television? Had I ruined the moment? I waited for him to make a move, and this time he did, touching my face so I’d turn toward him. We kissed for I-don’t-know-how-long before I heard a car door slam.

  Jack jumped away from me. “Did you hear that?”

  I nodded. “Make sure the television is on something we’d watch. I’ll go see who it is.”

  Hopping up, I ran to the door and saw my mom hiking through foot-deep snow covering the sidewalk. “Hey, Mom, you’re home early,” I called out.

  “Yeah.” She made it to the door and hugged me. “They shut the lab down early tonight due to the weather. Whose car is that?”

  “Jack drove me home. We were watching a movie.” Would she believe me? My cheeks heated, which meant my face was probably turning red. The foyer was kind of dark. Hopefully, she wouldn’t notice.

  She stomped snow off her boots, hung her coat in the hall closet, and toed off her boots. “Did you bring any carry-out home from Betty’s?” she asked.

  “Spaghetti is in the fridge.”

  “I knew I raised you right.” She headed into the kitchen without another word.

  Back in the living room, I found Jack folding the afghan and hanging it on the back of the couch, like he was tidying up and getting ready to leave. He ran his hand back through his hair and stood there looking at me for a moment. “So…your mom’s home.”

  “Yeah…she kind of lives here.” I sat on the couch and waited to see what his next move would be.

  “I should go.” He headed for the front door.

  Not the move I expected, but it’s not like I was going to argue with him. I’d play along until I figured out what his problem was. I followed him to the foyer. “So…you’re leaving?”

  “Well…yeah. I mean, your mom’s home, so you don’t need me to keep you company.” He grabbed his coat and shrugged it on, not making eye contact with me. “Besides, Buddy is probably waiting for me.”

  “Right. You’re leaving because of your dog, not because you’re freaking out about kissing me.”

  He looked toward the kitchen, like he was worried my mom might’ve overheard what I’d said.

  “I gotta go.”

  …

  Jack

  I took the drive to my house slow, because I needed time to think and because the roads were a little slick. Nothing too scary, but nothing to take for granted, either. What the hell had I been thinking, kissing Delia? There was no way this could end well.

  And yeah, I knew she was ticked off at me for bailing on her. Better now than a few weeks from now after we’d spent time together as a couple. Ending this before it started was the smart thing to do. Then again, she could be plotting how to blow up my car.

  Wait. This was stupid. Why was I worried about a couple of kisses? In a few d
ays, neither of us would care about this. Right… Kissing her in real life had been way better than kissing her in my dream.

  There was no one else on the road at this time of night, which was a good thing because visibility wasn’t great. I knew this road so well I could probably drive it in my sleep. Up ahead, I saw a red van pulled off into the field. I slowed down, put my hazards on, and rolled up on the shoulder behind the van. I checked the rearview mirror for oncoming traffic before getting out.

  “Hello? Anyone need help?”

  No one answered, but I walked to the driver’s side and peered in just to make sure. No one was inside, so I climbed back in my car and drove home.

  When I walked in the front door, Buddy bounded toward me, his tail a blur. “Hey, Buddy.” I leaned down and picked him up. “Did you miss me?” He licked my nose and barked.

  Zoe sat up from where she’d been sleeping on the couch. “I’m glad you came home. Buddy wouldn’t let me sleep in my bed. He kept whining for me to follow him down here to the door, like I could make you magically appear.” She yawned. “It’s a good thing he’s cute.”

  “Thanks for taking care of him.”

  She muttered something, grabbed her pillow, and headed toward the stairs.

  “Come on, boy. Let’s go to sleep.” I carried Buddy up to my room and then lay there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Had I made a mistake by blowing Delia off? Who knew? What I needed was a girl who’d make my life simple, predictable, calm. Delia wasn’t that girl.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jack

  I rolled out of bed around nine and headed downstairs to the kitchen with Buddy on my heels.

  “I’ll share some breakfast with you.”

  He barked like he thought this was a good plan.

  Halfway through my bacon and eggs, Zoe came into the kitchen.

  “How did things go at Delia’s last night?” she asked.

  That was a strange question. Delia wouldn’t have told her about us kissing, would she? If she had, I don’t think Zoe would be talking to me right now. She’d be ticked. “It was fine. We watched a movie. I stuck around until her mom came home.”

  “Did she bring out the popcorn pan?” Zoe asked.

  I nodded. “Is it just me, or does her family do everything a little bit different?”

  Zoe poured herself a glass of milk and joined me at the table. “I’ve never been able to figure out if her parents do those things because they like to be different or because they never bother to make sure they have the right stuff on hand before they start something.”

  “It’s weird, because even though she has parents, it’s like she’s on her own. If she hadn’t brought carry-out from Betty’s, there wouldn’t have been any food.”

  “Sometimes her place reminds me of a haunted house. There’s evidence that someone else lives there, but you rarely see them,” Zoe said. “I think that’s why we spend so much time over here.”

  “I guess I’ll have to stop griping about her hanging around all the time.”

  “What will you do with all your free time?” Zoe asked.

  “Smart-ass. I could go back to griping about Grant.”

  She grabbed a strip of bacon from my plate. “Nope. You could gripe about Aiden if you want. I don’t understand his sudden change of heart.”

  “Is Delia still interested in him?” Not that I cared.

  “I think she’s confused about why he only wanted to be friends. It’s not like he broke her heart. He just kind of disappointed her,” Zoe said. “Is there anyone at work you could fix her up with?”

  “Nah.” I offered my toast crust to Buddy. He swallowed it without chewing. Rocky would be proud.

  “Too bad.”

  Zoe left, and I sat there grinding my teeth about the thought of Delia with another guy. Then again, it would make my life less complicated if she was off the market.

  …

  Delia

  After Jack left, I went back into the kitchen for a glass of milk.

  “Did I hear Jack leave?” my mom asked.

  “Yeah. Since I wasn’t home alone anymore, I guess he felt free to bail.”

  “It was nice of him to stay with you.” My mom yawned. “I’m going to sleep.” She put her dishes in the sink, hugged me, and then went off to bed.

  Soon, I could hear the industrial fan my parents used as a noisemaker going strong upstairs. I went back into the living room and curled up on the couch under the afghan. I could swear a warm, spicy, guy deodorant scent lingered on the couch. I closed my eyes and drifted. What was I going to do about Jack? I may have started the first kiss, but he initiated several after that, so I know he didn’t hate kissing me.

  Why had he freaked out when my mom came home? Did someone finding out he kissed me make him feel guilty, or was he embarrassed about it? At this point, I wasn’t sure if I was merely annoyed or totally ticked off. I needed to talk to someone about this, and my normal go-to confidant would be Zoe, but there was no way I could talk to her about her brother. That left only one person who I knew would keep this information a secret, because I’d kept his secret. First thing tomorrow morning, I was calling Aiden. Maybe he could help me figure this out.

  Was it even worth it to consider dating Jack? I needed Zoe and her family for a sense of normalcy. No matter what my mom’s good intentions were, I knew my life would continue to run on its chaotic course, based on my parents working odd and inconsistent hours. Not that it was their fault. Money didn’t grow on trees, and we didn’t have any extended family, like Zoe’s grandma, to help when times were tough.

  My parents were both only children, so I didn’t have any cousins or aunts and uncles. In a small town like Canton, where everyone seemed to be related to everyone else, I’d always felt like my family was adrift, paddling on their own, trying to steer a leaking boat in the right direction.

  I shifted positions on the couch, trying to get my brain to shut off. It kept spinning out odd scenarios where I kissed Jack and Zoe found out and stopped talking to me. Or I tried to kiss Jack and he told me he wasn’t interested. Or I decided to risk it all to date Jack, only to realize he was, in fact, the jerk he’d always been. In none of these scenarios did I end up with any type of happily-ever-after. Maybe my brain was telling me I needed to focus on finding a different guy. One thing was for sure: I wasn’t going to be falling asleep any time soon.

  Time to paint. I headed out to my studio and clicked on the overhead lights. During the day, the light coming in through the windows made the place a lot brighter. Now it just looked sad and rundown. One day, I’d turn it into a real studio, but for now, it worked as a place to paint where I didn’t have to worry about splattering anything on the floor.

  The next morning, I woke to the smell of coffee. Someone must be up. I headed into the kitchen, where my mom sat reading the newspaper.

  “Morning, Mom.”

  “Morning, yourself, sweetie. Today, I’m going to drag your dad to the grocery store, and we’re going to stock the house for winter, if you want to come along.”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure what I’m doing today.”

  “Any special meal requests?”

  I thought about it. “Let’s make a list. Otherwise I’ll come home to enough mac-n-cheese to last the winter and nothing else.”

  “You love mac-n-cheese,” my mom protested.

  I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. “I do, but it would also be nice to have cereal and stuff for spaghetti, and tuna noodle casserole, and soup and crackers. Stuff that lasts forever but is easy to make.”

  “We can do that as long as those ingredients are also cheap.” She sighed. “We’ll probably be playing catch up with the bills for a couple of months, but we should be okay after that.”

  I’d never really talked finances with my parents. “Both you and dad work a lot of hours. If the washing machine and water heater hadn’t both bit the dust at the same time, would we be okay?”

  “Your dad and I make dec
ent money. Better than a lot of folks, but we still have to budget our spending.” She took the pen and added a few items to the list. “I don’t want you to think you ever have to do without. If there is anything you really want, we’ll find a way to make it work.”

  “I’m good.”

  “How’d things go with Jack last night?” she asked. “Anything romantic in the air?”

  “And this conversation is over.” I headed upstairs to take a shower, and then I went into my room and called Aiden.

  “Hello, Delia. What’s up?”

  “I need to talk about something confidential, and you’re the first person that came to mind.”

  “Which means it’s something you can’t tell Zoe,” Aiden said. “This should be interesting.”

  “Did I mention that you aren’t allowed to judge me?”

  He laughed. “I’d never do that and, of course, I’ll keep whatever it is secret, so go ahead.”

  Why did it feel like I was confessing to some sordid affair? “I kissed Jack.”

  “What?”

  Aiden’s voice came through so loud I had to move my cell away from my ear.

  “That was a little loud and slightly judge-y.”

  “Sorry. You just surprised me. Not that I want gory details, but how did this happen?”

  I told him the story about Jack giving me a ride and how he’d been so nice about the food, and then I threw in how we’d rescued Buddy together, just to give him a little context.

  “So he used to be a jerk, but then he saved a puppy, and he knows how you like your hamburgers so you kissed him.”

  “When you say it like that, it sounds stupid.” I paced back and forth in my room. “And you’re supposed to be helping me figure this out, not making me feel like an idiot.”

  “Fine. How did you leave things with him?”

  “That’s the worst part.” I shared how Jack had bolted. “And now I don’t know if I’m supposed to act like we’ve never kissed or what.”

  “To figure this out, I need to ask you some questions.”