Addicted to You (8 page)

“What do you mean?”

“Just your general thoughts.”

“He's a nice guy, really fun, and sweet. I don't know, what do you want to know?”

“Do you think he's attractive?”

“Sure. He could get any girl he wanted. I'm actually surprised he isn't dating anyone now.” I shrugged. “Why?”

He studied my expression, then shrugged. “Just wondering. But you're right, he should be dating someone. He's a great guy.”

I leaned in, sensing there was something he wasn't saying. “Do you have someone in mind?” I smiled, hoping to convince him to spill whatever it was that he wasn't sharing.

“Maybe.” He returned the smile but it hardly seemed genuine. “Need to figure out how she feels first.”

“Well, maybe I can help. Who is it?”

“Don't worry about it. It was just a thought.”

“Oh.” I settled back in my chair, a bit disappointed that he seemed so closed off to the idea of me helping. “Maybe I should go look for Matt and Taylor. We probably need to get going.”

“I guess it is getting late. You really could crash here if you wanted.”

I stood and muttered, “Yeah, because that went so great last time.”

“It did.”

My head shot up. I was surprised he'd heard my mumbling but even more shocked by his response. His eyes were fixed on me and the look in them awoke everything that had built inside me during our little kitchen incident.

Would it be completely crazy to just go over there and kiss him? Quit messing with these stupid games that he was so clearly playing tonight, and let things just happen?

His gaze traveled down my body, then just as quickly flicked down the hall where Landon had disappeared. Did Colby worry his brother would see us and we'd no longer be able to keep it secret? Or maybe he felt bad having a girl when Landon didn't. Though that seemed far-fetched, it wouldn't be unlike Colby to be too wrapped up in making everyone else happy before thinking of himself. And if that was the case, I'd be more than willing to help Landon find a girl. Once he got preoccupied with a love interest, maybe that would leave the door wide open for Colby to do the same.

So instead of closing the distance between us physically, I'd work on the emotional gap first. I'd offer my ear to listen, offer advice, and hopefully help him make his brother happy, since that seemed to be a real concern, and then, when the time was right, hopefully I could make Colby happy as well.

I smiled and asked, “Want to walk the beach with me to see if we can find them?”

He blinked as if thrown off by my request, then nodded. “Sure. Let's go see where they're at. But if we stumble upon any naked beach activities, I'm blaming you.”

He gently poked my shoulder as he stood and walked past me, and as dumb as it was, that little bit of casual familiarity calmed some of the worry that had been nagging at me since we'd slept together.

“Let's hope there's nothing that crazy going on.” I grinned and followed him out the back door. “Maybe it's just me, but there is nothing more unpleasant than the thought of sand getting into places where it shouldn't be.”

Colby laughed. “Not just you.”

It was the first time I'd heard a true Colby laugh in several days and, God, had I missed it.

For the next few days, I didn't see Colby. Which was probably good and bad. A little space didn't hurt, but I missed him too. Over the summer, I'd become accustomed to leaning up against the hostess stand as his dad's charter boat pulled in for the day. I'd watch him unload ice chests and fishing tackle, the muscles of his chest and arms bunching and flexing with every movement, shirt rising on occasion and giving me a peek at his suntanned abs, and really, what girl wouldn't miss getting to watch that. But my favorite part of the boat docking for the night was the little hope that he'd pop over to Eddie's and grab a bite to eat before heading home.

But now I just stared out at the lonely boats in the harbor, bobbing in the water, under an overcast sky. Felicity's now empty houseboat sat right next to Colby's deep-sea fishing boat, making me long for summer again.

The only word to accurately describe this day would be dreary. Thick gray clouds stifled any chance of sunshine. The wind whipped harder than normal, turning the usual gentle roll of the ocean into a foamy mess. It felt as if my happiness had become buried right underneath it as well.

With my hands perched on the small of my back, I stretched to alleviate the stiffness from standing around today. I glanced at my phone and was thankful to see my shift ended in twenty minutes, which also meant I could begin my closing duties. At least that gave me something to do.

As I walked from table to table, gathering salt and pepper shakers and ketchup bottles for refilling, I greeted the faithful locals who still came in to grab a bite. I made a second quick sweep with water and coffee. It wasn't my job as hostess, but I liked taking care of the regulars. If it weren't for them, I'd be out of a job. And I needed one, and every penny that came with it. Until January at least.

Living with Grandma meant I had few bills, but I'd been saving everything I could to help offset the cost of living on my own. Unlike my brother, I didn't have my dad to pad my pockets, and financial aid would only take me so far. Luckily I had managed to find a roommate who I'd met at a nursing school informational session. We hardly knew each other, but like me, Emily was in need of someone to split bills while finishing up her degree. She was soft-spoken, not much of a partier, and very focused on finishing school quickly and successfully. All in all, she seemed like the perfect roommate. Hopefully, I would still feel that way after a few months of living together. But I had a feeling we'd both be so busy with school we'd hardly have time to do much else besides study.

As I wrapped up my workday, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, knowing it would be Grandma, considering she was one of the few people who actually still called.

“Hi Grandma,” I said while clocking out on the computer.

“
Hola mijita.
Will you be home for dinner?”

“I'm on my way now.”

“
Ay bien.
I'm making your favorite.”

“Fideo?”

“
Si.
I'll see you when you get here.”

“Okay, bye.” I pushed my phone back in my pocket and headed to my car. Today was definitely one of those days where my mood was directly affected by the weather. A little sunshine could have gone a long way…or flowers? I glanced around the hood of my car, convinced someone had set the bouquet down and meant to pick them back up, but nobody was around.

I reached into the thick green stems where a little white envelope was tucked.

Smile, Beautiful.

It didn't say who they were from, nor were they addressed to me, which still led me to believe they may have been left here by accident. The handwriting wasn't even familiar. I scooped them up and unlocked my car, then laid them in the passenger seat.

But if these flowers were in fact for me, who would've left them? I mean, sure, I'd love for them to be from Colby but I knew they weren't. We were barely working on rebuilding our friendship, plus I would've recognized his handwriting. Like everything else about him, I had it memorized.

I glanced down at the card again and confirmed that wasn't Colby's handwriting. Who else would leave me flowers—Gabe? He lived about twenty minutes from here in a neighboring town, and after I'd bailed on the bonfire, I couldn't imagine he'd put in the effort. But maybe? There was only one way to find out.

I picked up the phone and called Colby.

“Hello?” He sounded confused by my call.

“Sorry, I'm driving and couldn't text. Is Landon around or is he working?”

“Oh, um, he's here. Want to talk to him?”

“Can you just ask him something really quick?”

“Sure.”

“Would Gabe drive all the way to Port Lucia and leave flowers on my car?”

“I already know the answer to that.”

“Oh.” I hadn't realized Colby knew much about the guy. “Well, would he?”

“Actually, I'm not sure if he would,
but
I know those flowers aren't from him.”

“What? How do—”

He cleared his throat. “Because they're from Landon.”

“Landon?” I glanced at the yellow daisies. They were like packaged sunshine. But yellow was the color of friendship, right? And also my favorite color. “Um, why? I mean thank you, or thank him, of course, it's so thoughtful but, you know, just wondering why?”

“Guess you'll have to ask him.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I'll, um, do that.” What in the world was going on? It had to just be a friendly gesture. I couldn't imagine it was anything else because wow, would that be awkward. “I guess I'll call him or something.”

“Yeah, you should definitely talk to him.”

“Okay, well, I'll talk to you later then?”

“Sure.” His voice lowered. “I'm always here if you want to talk.”

We hung up and I stared at the flowers then back at my phone. How did I even ask about this? It would be so much easier to text but I was sure Landon had heard me on the phone with Colby. A text would be way too impersonal. And rude, considering he got me freaking flowers.

I pulled Landon's name up on my phone, took a deep breath, then called him.

“Hey.” He sounded the same as usual, nothing weird or awkward in his tone, so maybe I should try to also sound normal.

“Thanks for the flowers!” Okay, way to sound normal. That was overly enthusiastic. “They're really pretty.”

“You're welcome. You looked like you could use some cheering up today.”

“Oh, you saw me?”

“Just for a minute, but you were busy and I didn't want to bother you.”

“You could've said hi. And the flowers were so sweet but you didn't have to do that. Thanks though.”

“I know. Just wanted to.”

There was a pause in the conversation and I wasn't sure what else to say, mostly because I was still a bit perplexed over the gesture and didn't really know what to say besides thanks. I wondered how bad I looked today. I mean flowers from Landon who just saw me in passing? I must've looked like crap. I glanced at myself in the rearview mirror.

“You gonna come hang out sometime soon?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“Cool.”

The conversation was getting more awkward by the second. “Okay, well, I just got home for dinner with Grandma.”

“No problem. Have a nice night.”

“You too. And thanks again.”

He chuckled. “You're welcome. Talk to you later, Isla.”

“Okay, bye.” I hung up and stared at my phone for a second.

What exactly had just happened?

A couple more days passed without hearing from Colby, and I was starting to suffer from serious withdrawal. On a good note, I was caught up on all my assignments for school, but my social life was sinking into pathetic new lows. I'd gone back and forth on whether to call Taylor, because unlike me, she had a boyfriend and I figured if she wasn't busy, she'd call me. But I decided to just give it a shot. Maybe she'd want to grab lunch or head to the beach. Anything. Port Lucia was a tiny town without much to do as it was. Add in my lack of friends to hang out with, and my relationship with Netflix was becoming questionable. When it asked if I was still watching, I'd gone from
Thanks for caring
to
Quit judging me!
I needed to get out of my apartment.

I shot Taylor a text and asked if she wanted to get lunch. She responded fairly quickly.

Taylor:
Sounds good! I'm working today. How about tomorrow?

Taylor:
Sucks Colby and Landon have been sick and we haven't had a chance to hang out.

They'd been sick? So that was why I hadn't seen or heard from Colby. That made me feel better, but also bad, because why didn't I already know that? This was my Colby after all. I'm sure Matt told Taylor, but still I should've known.

Me:
Yeah that sucks. And actually I'm working tomorrow.

Taylor:
Oh bummer. Tomorrow is my only weekday off.

Me:
No worries. Maybe we can head to the beach this weekend? I'm off Saturday.

Taylor:
Me too.

Me:
Text me when you have some free time and we'll figure it out.

I tossed my phone on the bed and lay across it, tucking a pillow under my head. It sucked Taylor couldn't get together all week, but if Colby
and
Landon were sick…Another idea crept to mind. One that would allow me to get my Colby fix. Just knowing he wasn't feeling well made me want to run to him and see what I could do to make it better, but obviously that was pushing the
just friends
boundary. But if both guys were sick, there'd be no one to take care of them and it would seem like a friendly gesture to help them
both
out.

I sat upright and grabbed my phone. Should I text first? Or just stop by? Maybe I'd give them a quick heads-up when I was nearby. I slipped on my shoes and tucked my phone in my back pocket.

“Grandma?”

She leaned her head out of her room.

“Is there anymore
caldo de res
from last night? Colby and Landon aren't feeling well. I thought I'd take some over.”

“Oh, well, I can make a fresh pot.” She started to step into the hallway but I put my hand out to stop her.

“No, I don't want to trouble you. If we had leftovers, I was going to take some.” I opened the fridge door and saw a large Tupperware container still filled to the brim with soup. “This is a lot. Probably too much as it is.”

“Well, take it all. I know how those boys like to eat.” She chuckled and joined me in the kitchen, peering into the fridge as well. “Look, we haven't even opened the orange juice I bought. Take that as well.”

“Oh, that's okay.”

“
Mijita,
I can buy more. Just take it.” She reached in and handed it to me. “Do you think they need anything else?” She glanced around the kitchen, like she'd willingly hand over any item in it if it meant helping them to feel better.

I leaned over to hug her and gave her a peck on the cheek. “This is more than enough. And I'll pick up more juice on the way home.”

“I go to the market tomorr—”

“You do too much as it is. I'll get the juice and dinner for us. You don't need to cook tonight. Let me pick something up.” I placed the juice and soup into a bag. “I'll be home soon. Call me if you need anything else from the store.”

She nodded. “This is why you are my favorite granddaughter.”

As I walked to the front door, I laughed. “I'm your only granddaughter.”

“Y mi favorita.”

“Well, thank you. I know how stiff the competition is.”

Grandma's laugh followed me out the door, and I smiled as I locked it behind me. I was grateful that she'd offered to let me move in with her and finish out high school after my parents divorced and decided to leave Port Lucia, but I was even more thankful for the time it allowed me to really get to know her. I'd always loved Grandma, but now she was the most influential person in my life. In her own words, she lived every day of her life with a smile on her face and a good deed in her heart, and I aspired to be just like her. Obviously, I was still a work in progress, but she was a constant reminder to not just live for myself but for others as well. It was one of the reasons I'd decided to go into nursing.

Colby's place wasn't far from mine, so when I was at the stop sign to enter his neighborhood, I shot him a quick text.

Me:
Gonna drop something off at your place.

I wasn't even sure if he'd see it, considering he was probably bedridden, but a moment later my phone chimed. I'd just pulled up in front of his house as I lifted my phone.

Colby:
Hey. Landon and I are sick. Hate for you to catch it.

Me:
Already here! Try not to cough on me.

Colby:
Germs to myself. Got it. Door's open.

I grabbed my bag and headed to his front door, glad that he didn't have to get up to answer it. My plan had seemed like a great idea, but now I worried I'd just be imposing more than helping. With a deep breath and a smile on my face, I turned the knob and stepped inside and was immediately greeted by each brother strewn along a couch, blankets piled on top of them, watching TV.

“Hey,” Colby called out, his voice a bit on the hoarse side.

“Isla.” Landon shifted to see me. “Welcome to the lair of death.” He sounded congested and his words nasally.

“Oh my god. You guys look awful.” I stood near the coffee table and examined them both. “Does your mom know you're sick?”

“No!” They practically shouted in unison.

I laughed.

“It's just—yeah, we feel bad, but having Mom here, hovering over us, really isn't going to make it better.” Colby pushed himself into a semi-sitting position. “Plus my fever broke yesterday. I'm hardly even sick anymore.”