Read Online All Amity Allows (Fall for You Book 2) by Michelle Irwin - Free Book Online
Authors: Michelle Irwin
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hot coffee, was Cathy. Becca’s best friend, but also a nurse at the hospital. Drew wasn’t sure which role she was filling on this particular visit.
She seemed to take the fact that he didn’t immediately demand that she leave the room as a positive sign and she smiled, kicked the door closed, and moved to his desk before placing one of the cups on his desk.
“I thought you could do with a coffee,” she said needlessly. It was clear she felt obligated to fill the yawning silence that otherwise occupied the space.
He could see there was a deeper motive to her action, one that seemed to be dancing just on the tip of her tongue, but to her credit, she didn’t come out and ask. Although the fact that she didn’t just blurt it out, as she normally would, set Drew on edge anyway.
“What do you want?” he asked, resigning himself to the fact that there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Dealing with Cathy would be a hell of a lot easier than having to face Becca—maybe he could get some of the answers he needed without having to suck up his pride completely. The last thing he wanted to do was fall to his knees and beg Becca to love him again, which was exactly what he was seconds from doing every time he saw her.
“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Cathy said, sitting on the corner of his desk and taking a sip from her own cup.
He barked out a hard laugh. “Oh, I’m just fan-fucking-tastic. How do you think I’m doing?”
She chuckled in response, but looked contrite. “Yeah, there were probably better ways I could have worded that, huh?”
He snorted as he nodded. “You think?”
Cathy shifted into the seat across from him and cast a level stare at him over the top of her coffee. “Look, I know I’m Becca’s friend, and I know you probably don’t want to talk to me about all this just because of that fact alone, but if you ever need an ear, mine is free. I like to think I’m your friend too.”
He flinched, reminded by her harsh appraisal of his appearance to Becca over lunch.
“Am I really that pathetic?” he asked.
“It’s not that.”
At her words, he lifted a questioning eyebrow, hoping to silently remind her that he’d heard her conversation with Becca.
“Okay, it’s not only that. I’ve seen the way you look at Becca, Drew. I know the way you felt about her in middle school. I also know that none of this can be easy for you.”
His jaw ticked with the pressure he was exerting on it. A throbbing ache built in his temple with the blood pulsating through him. He made a mental note to have his blood pressure checked at the earliest possible opportunity.
“Not as easy as it is on her, that’s for sure,” he said.
He hadn’t intended to give the words a voice, but they’d slipped out anyway, as if glad to be freed. He’d been keeping them pent up for almost eighteen hours, ever since he’d been dumped. Eighteen hours and Becca was already strolling around looking like a love-struck schoolgirl. The sound of his teeth grinding even harder at the thought filled the silence that his words had left in their wake.
“That’s . . . that’s not really fair,” Cathy said with hesitant caution.
He started to wonder whether he’d made a mistake not throwing her out right away. She spoke again before he had the chance to act on his regret though.
“I’m not going to defend what she did. But I don’t think she ever intended to hurt you. She really does care about you, you know.”
“She sure has a damn funny way of showing it.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t make it less true.”
“Just not the same way she cares for him though.” Drew was surprised by the bitterness in his voice.
Cathy shrugged. “No. I guess not.”
“I should have done more,” Drew admitted, more to himself than to Cathy. “I knew that asshole was trying to get into her pants and I didn’t do enough to be sure he never got the chance.”
After his tongue had started moving, it
She seemed to take the fact that he didn’t immediately demand that she leave the room as a positive sign and she smiled, kicked the door closed, and moved to his desk before placing one of the cups on his desk.
“I thought you could do with a coffee,” she said needlessly. It was clear she felt obligated to fill the yawning silence that otherwise occupied the space.
He could see there was a deeper motive to her action, one that seemed to be dancing just on the tip of her tongue, but to her credit, she didn’t come out and ask. Although the fact that she didn’t just blurt it out, as she normally would, set Drew on edge anyway.
“What do you want?” he asked, resigning himself to the fact that there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Dealing with Cathy would be a hell of a lot easier than having to face Becca—maybe he could get some of the answers he needed without having to suck up his pride completely. The last thing he wanted to do was fall to his knees and beg Becca to love him again, which was exactly what he was seconds from doing every time he saw her.
“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Cathy said, sitting on the corner of his desk and taking a sip from her own cup.
He barked out a hard laugh. “Oh, I’m just fan-fucking-tastic. How do you think I’m doing?”
She chuckled in response, but looked contrite. “Yeah, there were probably better ways I could have worded that, huh?”
He snorted as he nodded. “You think?”
Cathy shifted into the seat across from him and cast a level stare at him over the top of her coffee. “Look, I know I’m Becca’s friend, and I know you probably don’t want to talk to me about all this just because of that fact alone, but if you ever need an ear, mine is free. I like to think I’m your friend too.”
He flinched, reminded by her harsh appraisal of his appearance to Becca over lunch.
“Am I really that pathetic?” he asked.
“It’s not that.”
At her words, he lifted a questioning eyebrow, hoping to silently remind her that he’d heard her conversation with Becca.
“Okay, it’s not only that. I’ve seen the way you look at Becca, Drew. I know the way you felt about her in middle school. I also know that none of this can be easy for you.”
His jaw ticked with the pressure he was exerting on it. A throbbing ache built in his temple with the blood pulsating through him. He made a mental note to have his blood pressure checked at the earliest possible opportunity.
“Not as easy as it is on her, that’s for sure,” he said.
He hadn’t intended to give the words a voice, but they’d slipped out anyway, as if glad to be freed. He’d been keeping them pent up for almost eighteen hours, ever since he’d been dumped. Eighteen hours and Becca was already strolling around looking like a love-struck schoolgirl. The sound of his teeth grinding even harder at the thought filled the silence that his words had left in their wake.
“That’s . . . that’s not really fair,” Cathy said with hesitant caution.
He started to wonder whether he’d made a mistake not throwing her out right away. She spoke again before he had the chance to act on his regret though.
“I’m not going to defend what she did. But I don’t think she ever intended to hurt you. She really does care about you, you know.”
“She sure has a damn funny way of showing it.”
“Maybe. But that doesn’t make it less true.”
“Just not the same way she cares for him though.” Drew was surprised by the bitterness in his voice.
Cathy shrugged. “No. I guess not.”
“I should have done more,” Drew admitted, more to himself than to Cathy. “I knew that asshole was trying to get into her pants and I didn’t do enough to be sure he never got the chance.”
After his tongue had started moving, it
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