The Best Friend (7 page)

“I don’t need your shit, Will. Nobody asked you to come here.”

Will stood up. “Gretchen asked me to come. And Donny asked her to come. So that’s a load of shit. You need us. You need everyone here. You need to do something.”

He clenched his one fist. Gretchen couldn’t keep her mind focused. Every time he moved, she concentrated on staring at his one good arm and hand movements. His gaze again swung her way, nearly incinerating her with its heat. “Yeah? Well, no one asked
her
to do that.”

“Don’t take it out on Gretchen. You brought this on yourself with your lousy attitude. All anyone has ever tried to do is help you. Or be caring and sensitive to you. Just look at what all that has
managed not to do
for you,” Donny said as he stood angrily up too.

Lewis shook his head. “Stop it, son. It’s not your place.”

“Why? Why shouldn’t I point out the damn obvious? You and Mom aren’t helping him. You’re completely hindering his recovery. There isn’t any recovery for him. He’s just hiding from the world.”

Tony kicked the chair behind him against the wall, which dented the plaster. “There is no recovery, you clueless, little shit. There is no getting better. There is nothing left to get better. You and Will come in here, thinking I need to do more so I can feel better? Well, what the hell do you know about any of it? Does your mother have to cut up your fucking dinner? No? Well, then don’t come to me with any of your good intentions and shit. None of it. If you don’t like it, get the fuck away from me.”

Donny stepped forward. “I can’t. You live in my parents’ basement. They are my family too, you big, dumb asshole. I can’t simply stop coming around just because you’re too sensitive to handle it.”

Everyone was now standing at the entrance to the dining room, after having run out when the chair smashed into the wall. Donny and Tony stood there, breathing heavily, an arm’s length away from each other and, no doubt, seconds away from one of them swinging at the other.

Chapter Four

“Stop it! Boys! Stop it!” Leila came swiftly forward and stood directly between them. They eyed each other maliciously over her head. “This is still my house, regardless of who lives here or not. And I’ll throw both of your miserable, ungrateful asses out.”

Their gazes swung down to her in obvious surprise. “Now, sit down, after you politely pick up that chair, Tony Lindstrom. I had better never see you damage one of my walls or furniture again in one of your tantrums, do you get me?”

His mouth dropped open in stunned shock. Apparently, Leila didn’t often yell, swear, or say “do you get me?” Will coughed behind his hand and she glanced up. He was trying to restrain a laugh. So did Lewis, and then Donny. Tony came around after he righted the chair. Finally, he slowly lifted the side of his mouth.

Leila sputtered. “Why are you four smiling now? You were just about coming to blows in my dining room.”

“Because you’re a pretty effective tool in successful negotiations, Mrs. Lindstrom,” Will said, fully grinning. He stood there with his hands on his hips and addressed Tony again. “Look, I was being an asshole for how I worded things. It’s just that… you kind of deserved it. You’ve been nothing but an ass to me since you heard I was quitting the Army. I wasn’t doing it to abandon you. I was needed more elsewhere.”

Tony sat down with his legs sprawled before him, and his arm hanging off to the side. He snorted. When he spoke again, his tone was calmer, but still laced with the belligerent sarcasm that seemed to be his new status quo. “I wasn’t an ass because I felt abandoned. I was an ass because you quit the Army for your second wife.”

Will frowned, looking puzzled. He glanced around. “Well, yeah. I did. She needed me to.”

“Yeah, well, so did your first one, and you never once considered that. Not even for moment.”

Gretchen’s entire body stiffened. Tony was staring directly at Will without a glance her way to acknowledge her, or her ability to hear him.
He ended his friendship with Will because of her?
She dropped the platter she was holding. All eyes turned her way. Guiltily, she grabbed a dishtowel to wipe up the splattered sauce, but not before she noticed the shock in Will’s eyes. They flashed something like regret her way. No doubt, he must have never considered that angle. Gretchen was in tears when she heard he quit the Army to be with Jessie. It was hard to accept rejection from the man she loved for almost two decades, who didn’t love her enough to do such a thing, but did so for another woman.

“That’s why you hated me?”

“Yeah. You never put her first. I thought it was just how you were. You know, super soldier Will Hendricks. But then… you did it. And it wasn’t for Gretchen, who loyally stood by you for more than a decade.”

Will blew out a breath and sat back down. “I never considered it from that angle.” He glanced up at Gretchen and pinned her with his gaze. She was speechless just standing there, but feeling completely floored at where the evening was going. Everyone in the room was looking at her now, including Will’s new wife.

“Yeah, you never once put her first. It was a shitty thing to do.”

Will’s eyes moved over her face. “I’m sorry, Gretchen, for doing that. I never considered…”

Gretchen felt the heat climbing into her face once more. Jessie suddenly stepped forward and touched Will’s arm. “Oh my God. Stop. You’re completely embarrassing her. If you have something to say, do it in private, both of you.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up and he muttered something incomprehensible. She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, can we please move onto something else? Something that did not occur a decade ago?”

Vickie suddenly stepped forward and asked Jessie, “How is it you’re so awesome?”

Jessie grinned. “Because sometimes, men are just clueless. Now, no more talk that upsets anyone. Got it?”

They all shuffled and glanced around at each other, but finally, nodded their consent.

Soon, the tension in the room settled down while the women finished the dishes and the men had a round of drinks. Jessie quickly took her aside. “Is that true? What Tony said?”

She hesitated.
Did it even matter now?
“Yes. I asked him to quit after I miscarried. He wouldn’t even talk about it. He never loved me like he loves you.”

Jessie bit her lip. “Why are you the better person and don’t hate me? I would hate me if I were you. Thus, illustrating why I was never the better choice.”

She shook her head. “It’s water under the bridge for me. It’s been a really long time. I look at Will and remember a younger, very different version than the Will you know. So, just leave it, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks for not hating me.”

“It’s impossible to hate you.”

Donny and Vickie were soon flirting in subdued tones. Vickie was usually bold and unmistakable in her attractions. The talk turned to a new local club that just opened up in downtown Calliston. It was the first nightclub ever in the area.

“We should all go,” Vickie said, smiling directly at Donny.

His eyes sparked with interest as they ran the length of Vickie’s legs, which she seductively crossed, thereby allowing her skirt to ride up higher than it needed to be.

“Go?” Gretchen asked, having tuned out the conversation.

“Yeah, to Essence. It’s awesome. Well, for Calliston, that is.” Vickie actually licked her lips as she stared into Donny’s eager eyes. Gretchen nearly groaned out loud. Donny didn’t show much interest in her to start… now he was? She wasn’t anxious to watch sweet Donny go through the tornado that would become her sister, and surely twist him up, and spit him out in her wake. That was just Vickie’s modus operandi.

“We should all go there,” Donny said, glancing around with a smile. “Even you, Tony. Maybe you could meet someone and get laid. Might cut through some of your bullshit and crap.”

Thank God their parents had left the room. Gretchen really wished she wasn’t present for this.

“We’re game, if we can get a sitter.”

Donny grinned and yelled after his parents, “Hey Ma? Will you watch Christina while we all go out this weekend?”

Leila appeared in the doorway, her hands almost clapping in glee. “Yes, of course. Go. All of you. Have some fun.”

Jessie grinned. “Well, then it’s a date.”

Gretchen kept the wince of displeasure to herself. She didn’t really agree to it. Tony and Will both glanced at her with the same frown and she turned away.

It was so much more confusing for them to reunite after all these years than she could have ever dreamed.  Back together, the three of them suddenly had a whole lot more baggage between them, and the people now involved with them.

For Gretchen knew she was not a good friend anymore. She used to be one to Tony; and yet, she couldn’t figure out how to be so now, today. Why the hell couldn’t she just act natural?

They stayed well past midnight. The tension eventually dissipated and they bantered and talked in a more relaxed atmosphere. The Lindstroms fairly basked in all the conversation. Gretchen felt terrible for the long lapse in seeing them. They were undeniably delighted to see her, as well as having Will there with Donny and Tony. They were all becoming masters in ignoring Tony’s surly presence. He was not much fun, and rarely smiled. He didn’t engage with anyone and seldom commented. Although Tony never talked
to
Gretchen, he talked strangely
about
her. Almost in a clinical way. It was so freaking odd. He disappeared downstairs about an hour before everyone else left.

She was disgruntled when Vickie whispered that she was catching a ride with Donny. She clutched her sister’s hand. “Please don’t, Vickie. This family means a lot to me.”

“Don’t what? You act like I’m going to eat him up or something. Lighten up, sis.” She kissed Gretchen’s cheek as she ran towards Donny, smiling.

Gretchen was already in her car when she realized with annoyance that she left her purse inside. She ran back to the house, but found no one there. She knocked, but no one answered. The door was still unlocked, and she slipped in after a moment’s consideration. Where did Leila take the coats? She thought she saw her take them downstairs.

Biting her lip, did she dare go down there? Or just yell out for Leila? But then… something told her to go down to the basement. She paused on the first step and felt like she was entering a dragon’s lair, but quietly descended until she was on the dimly lit stair landing. She glanced around. Holy crap, it was exactly the same. She saw the same couch they used to watch movies on. The couch where she made out with Will while Tony was off doing God only knows what. She’d never been demonstrative with her affection in public. She’d always been discreet. Except around Tony. She and Will were a lot more casual and loving around him.

She called softly, “Tony?”

Maybe he was in the bathroom. But no. The door was open and the light was out. She stepped further inside the room and walked over to the couch where she stopped dead. Tony was lying down before her, on the floor, doing one-armed push-ups. Ear buds filled both of his ears, which were obviously why he didn’t answer her.

His shirt was off, and he moved up and down with the agility of one strolling. It was incredible. She simply stood there, staring at him, her mouth hanging open in awe. How? How could he possibly lift all of his weight up and down on one arm like that? And holy mother of God,
his chest!
Her mouth nearly salivated. His unappealing attire masked the sheer Adonis body it concealed underneath. His stomach was rippled in hard abs that were almost freaky in their perfection. Smooth as plastic. Hair lightly peppering his chest. Her gaze ended with the arm. It was neatly removed, of course. The shoulder simply dropped off to a nearly perfect incision. It threw her off, momentarily. But her eyes darted straight back to the rippling muscles she saw there.
Holy Christ.

She jerked to attention when he suddenly stopped and rocked back onto his knees. He yanked the ear buds out.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

She raised her eyes to his face. He was sitting on his heels, his chest glistening in sweat. She swallowed, still mute.

“Gretchen!?”

She jerked back into the moment. “I’m sorry… I was looking for my purse. I thought your mom put it down here. And then I…”

He jumped to his feet with the ease and agility of an eighteen-year-old. Gretchen lost most of her ease and agility about four years ago. He turned from her, grabbing a shirt off his bed that he left unmade behind him. He shrugged into it, pulling it to cover his scar.

“And you decided to gawk?”

“What?” she raised her eyes to his finally. She was still staring at the line his open shirt made. The abs flexed as he moved.  “No. Not to gawk. I was startled…”

“By me? Obviously.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “No. No. I was startled by that.” She stared down at her feet as she waved her hand his way.

“Yeah, my amputation.”

“Not your amputation. Your... chest. Okay? I’m sorry it’s hard to look at your amputation with those out.”

“Those?”

She felt the deep heat of a blush filling her cheeks. “Your abs. I mean, my God, are you kidding me?”

When she finally glanced up, he was scowling at her. Wasn’t that his normal expression of late? “My abs? What are you talking about?”

“Uh, well, yeah. It’s just been awhile since I’ve seen any so… well conditioned.”
Hot. Sweaty. Streaming in sweat
. She had to stifle the urge to touch them, and lick them…

She realized then why he was so pissed.
Duh.
He thought she was staring at his empty arm socket in repulsion, and not speechless from the weird twisting in her gut that occurred whenever she observed all the muscles bunching over his torso.

“I wasn’t looking at your amputation. I was just looking at your sculpted chest, okay? I was a bit stunned is all. I didn’t know you looked like that still. I didn’t know you ever looked like that, to be honest.”

He didn’t answer, so she kept her gaze glued to the seam of his shirt, while still sneaking a peek of his muscles. She continued, despite her better judgment. “I couldn’t hold myself off the ground like that with my knees on the ground, let alone, one-handedly. It wasn’t stunned shock at your missing arm, Tony. I was stunned and in shock to see you
doing that.
”