I Hated You First by Rachel John

Lauren

 

 

There was something seriously wrong with me. I had been toying with Clay, and whether or not it would have bothered Denver, it was certainly bothering me that I couldn’t seem to help myself. How could flirting and fighting walk such a thin line? Sometimes I just wanted to see how far I could push things to get a reaction out of Clay, like he triggered my competitive nature or something.

He was my co-worker, my enemy, my brother’s best friend, and my dad’s lackey. I had a million reasons to keep me from ever considering Clay as anything other than a nuisance, so why wasn’t I acting like it?

I cleared my thoughts the best I could and squared my shoulders before walking into the conference room, where almost everyone was already seated at the table staring at their phones. My dad turned around from the white board and raised one eyebrow when he saw me. To him, five minutes early was five minutes late, especially when it came to our mandatory safety meetings.

Clay slipped into his seat right as Dad was writing talking points on the board.

Dad would write a follow-up email with the minutes of the meeting, but I took my own notes. Attitudes were contagious, and when Parker and I paid attention, so did the rest of the guys. With the size of our small company, even one more recordable incident would have OSHA all over our backs.

The guys had gotten lax about wearing their ear and eye protection, not to mention the cigarette butts Dad found near the welding equipment. He gave our three smokers a verbal tongue-lashing that had all of us wincing. Of course, if he didn’t threaten to fire us all at least once, it wasn’t a Tuesday.

After the meeting, Clay tilted his head towards Parker to let me know they’d take care of getting his truck jumped, and I was relieved.

I went back to my desk and went through the equipment logs, checking to make sure everything had been returned that morning as scheduled. No one bothered me for a blessed hour until Dad loomed over my desk, bearing donuts.

That was never a good sign, but I took a glazed treasure from him anyway.

“What’s up, John?”

“Did Parker tell you about the Idaho trip?”

“Yes.” I kept my eyes on my paperwork. “Is it worth going all the way to Idaho for? I haven’t seen the specs.”

“We’re in negotiations with the owner now, but yes, it’s worth it.”

“I don’t think Parker needs me along then, do you?” I looked up, trying to appear nonplussed, as if the thought had only just occurred to me.

“I’d really like you two to go together.”

“Clay could go. He’d actually get Parker to take turns with driving the thing.” I knew from experience Parker would have to be on death’s door to let me take the wheel.

“I need Clay here, and it would be good for you and Parker to spend some time together. I trust you’ll get the job done no matter who’s driving.”

Parker was going to hate me if I failed him. I took a bite of donut and tried to think of my next plan of attack.

Dad shrugged. “Of course, maybe I could let you off this one time if you’ll promise me one thing.”

Crud. He’d led me right into a trap. I’d never been the one ahead in this conversation. “Oh yeah?”

“Your mother is planning a nice family luncheon for this Sunday and we’d love it if you’d bring the young man you’re dating.”

“Dad, that is so unnecessary. We’ve only been out on a couple of dates.”

“How many is a couple?”

“Like four or five.” It was actually more like six or seven, but you couldn’t call it a date if you stopped for Burger King, right? “He won’t be asking for my hand anytime soon if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried, but you seem to be. I promise we’ll be nice. No grilling whatsoever. Except for the steaks.”

He smiled at his own joke, and I couldn’t help smiling back. “And if I bring him, I don’t have to go to Idaho? That’s what you’re saying?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

This was so unfair. But maybe Denver wouldn’t be available anyway. I didn’t have any control over his schedule. “Fine. Deal.”

Dad left me in peace to finish my donut and my work. Unfortunately, peace at work was a fleeting thing. Within minutes, Evan came over and pulled up a chair. He needed to log information on the laptop we kept on the end of my desk, but that never stopped his mouth from running while he did it.

“Hey, Lauren. How’s it going?”

“Not great.” I closed up the invoice I’d been looking at and crossed my arms. “The next time you see me around town, forget you ever saw me, okay?”

Evan’s eyes widened. “Okay.”

“I’m not saying don’t come say hi to me. I’m saying, don’t come in here the next day and report on who I’m dating. It’s rude.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it, but I can see now why that might bother you.” Evan looked down at the keyboard, continuing his hunt and peck method of typing. Somehow, even when he did the stupidest things, it was impossible to stay mad at him. He was just so nice, and he’d gained enough experience in apologizing that he’d gotten really good at it. Evan also had wholesome, boy-next-door looks that let him get away with more than he should. Luckily, he was too sweet to know he could use it for evil.

Evan looked up from his typing again. “Clay’s truck didn’t start this morning. He and Parker went to go get him a new battery.”

“I know.” I didn’t want to admit to giving Clay a ride, but if Evan found out, he might wonder why I’d tried to hide it. “He rode with me this morning.”

“Oh yeah?” Evan smiled. “I think it’s so cool the three of you got to grow up together. My family moved all over the place.”

I’d heard Evan talk about moving a lot when he was growing up, but never with the wistful tone he had now. It made me feel guilty for fighting so much with Parker and resenting Clay’s very existence. Well, a little bit guilty. They were stinkers, and we would be eternally locked in a battle where I had to fight for my place in their stupid loyal friendship. I wasn’t naïve enough to think Parker would be nicer to me if he didn’t have Clay, but sometimes it seemed like Clay fit in better with my family than I did.

Evan scratched his head. “Yeah. The last time we moved was a week before Prom. And being a dumb teenager, I asked a girl, hoping the move wouldn’t work out.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah, she didn’t take it well.” He was quiet after that for several minutes, which might possibly have been a record. I pulled up the next invoice due for payment.

“Do you think my scruff is annoying?” he asked, scratching his chin. At some point or another, the guys were always trying out facial hair, and Evan must have decided it was his turn. He looked like he was two weeks out from a good shave.

“Well, it’s obviously annoying you. Quit scratching it like that.”

“But do you think it looks annoying?”

“Yes. I think you should shave.” He’d asked, so I decided to be honest. It was growing in uneven, and would only look worse with time.

“Good to know. My girlfriend won’t ever tell me if she doesn’t like something, but I knew you’d give it to me straight.”

I laughed. “I’m mean like that.”

He tried to backpedal and only made it worse, which was so typical Evan. I got another of his splendid apologies, followed by a story about how his dog learned to open the refrigerator by pulling on both sides of the kitchen towel on the door. Evan was great at distracting people. Not something to put on a resume, but helpful today, when there were so many things I didn’t want to think about.

It wasn’t until the drive home, when I realized I now had to actually invite Denver to my family’s luncheon, that I felt like hitting something again. I waited to text him until I was home, with my shoes off, and I’d watered my house plants. I typed out a message while scanning the fridge for dinner options.

Lauren: Hey, want to be my plus-one at a family luncheon this Sunday?

Denver: Cool. Cool. This sounds fancy tho. What do I wear?

Lauren: Preferably clothes. It’s a BBQ.

Denver: Clothes optional. 10-4.

“What a dork,” Jenny said, from right over my shoulder.

I jumped, and my phone jumped out of my hands before I reclaimed my grip on it. “Jen, don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I was standing right here. You had phone blindness.”

I had been concentrating awfully hard, debating whether to warn Denver that my family could be intense or just let it be a surprise. Maybe, as good natured as Denver was, he wouldn’t notice.

“What’s this about a clothes-optional barbeque?” Jenny reached around me and grabbed a yogurt.

“I was inviting Denver to my family’s thing on Sunday.”

Jenny put her hands on her hips. “I thought you didn’t want your dad to meet him.”

“I don’t.” I took out the milk and put it on the table before getting a bowl and spoon. Cereal for dinner, baby. “I got tricked into it.”

Jenny sat across from me and tucked her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. “This ought to be good.”

I relayed my dad’s evil plan to make me choose between two things I didn’t want to do. The more I thought about it, the more diabolical it seemed. My dad had clearly missed his true calling as a CIA interrogator.

Jenny reached over and took a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios out of the box next to me. “Who comes to these Sunday lunches? I mean, besides your brothers and your sister-in-law and the kids? Is that it?”

“Maybe the O’Dells. They’ve lived across the street from us since I was in diapers, and they love free food and family drama. We provide large helpings of both. And Clay sometimes…” Shoot. Clay might be there. Since I’d never brought a guy home, that had never bothered me before, but there was no way I’d bring Denver over if Clay was there to observe us like specimens in a jar.

I looked up to see Jenny watching me, eating another handful of Honey Nut Cheerios like it was buttered popcorn and I was her favorite movie. “Clay and Denver and your family. Have fun with that.”

“Not Clay. I’ll make sure he’s not there.” If luck was on my side, I wouldn’t have to say anything, and he wouldn’t show up. But luck was rarely on my side, especially when it came to Clay. Considering he had responded with “make me” after I asked him to wear a seatbelt, I wasn’t getting my hopes up.