He Bet I'd Still Drive Them to the Airport, So I Did novel · Chapter 6 of 24

Chapter 6: Flowers at the Door

All Monday night I lay on Jo's couch with Biscuit on my feet and Padraig's words in my head.

Nobody ever finds out about this.

Six months he had thought his brother was dying.

I had spent those months thinking my husband was grieving with me, and he had been hiding a paper from both of us.

I did not know what a lab like that counted, and I would not ask a search bar at two in the morning.

I decided to ask the one person who knew.

Travis found Jo's apartment on Tuesday evening, and he brought flowers, and he brought Shelby.

I heard them in the hall before Jo opened the door.

"Althea," he said, in the warm voice he uses on customers. "Can we come in? Five minutes."

Jo planted one clog against the bottom of the door.

"Absolutely not," she said.

"Jo, let them in," I said.

"Why?"

"I want to hear what he's selling."

She stepped back with a look that promised violence if either of them touched the furniture.

Travis came in with a bunch of grocery-store roses and sat on the edge of Jo's couch with his knees together.

Shelby carried a tub of soup and a card.

She had been crying, and had fixed her makeup afterward.

"I made chicken and rice," she said. "You looked thin on Saturday."

"I'm fine," I said.

I set my phone on the arm of the chair, screen down, and pressed record with my thumb.

"First, I'm sorry," Travis said. "I handled the trip badly. I should have asked you. It was a stupid thing to bet on and I hate that I made it a joke."

"Okay."

"Shel's been sick about it. She hasn't slept."

"I really haven't," Shelby said. Her chin shook. "You've been the closest thing I have to a sister."

I looked at her for a moment.

She looked right back at me with wet, open eyes.

← Chapter 5 · All chapters · Chapter 7 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend