Purposefully Accidental

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"So, when's Freddie coming back?" Cole randomly asks me as he's washing the dishes in the sink.

I dry off the pots and pans before putting them back in the cabinet. "I don't know. He didn't say."

Freddie has been away for almost two weeks now. He didn't give me much detail about the business he's taking care of beyond what I already vaguely know—he never really does, really, and I never ask him about it. In fact, I can't remember the last time I texted him. I probably should. I haven't warned him about the possibility of Code Maroon yet. I didn't want this to throw him off while he's occupied with whatever business he's doing right now.

"He's really busy," I tell Cole. "I don't know if he's gonna spend the rest of the holiday here. Summer break's almost over, anyway."

"Oh. Okay." I look up, noticing the unusual tone in his voice. His face doesn't give anything away, though, as he's rinsing the plate he's holding.

"I'll give him a call tonight," I promise him. Cole doesn't say anything back. I frown a little at the silence. "You okay?"

"Do you love Freddie, Hannah?" he randomly blurts out instead. I almost drop the kitchen towel I'm holding.

I open my mouth and close it again. He glances at me from the corner of his eye at my hesitance. "Uh, yeah. Of course. I love him."

That's not even a lie. I do love him. He's one of my best friends, whose last name I've legally taken.

"What's wrong, Cole?" I ask him gently.

He turns off the faucet and finally turns to me, although he isn't really looking at me. "I like Freddie."

Okay. "I know that."

"He's really nice. Even though he doesn't visit us often. But I get it. It's because he's busy."

"Uh-huh," I nod in agreement. "He's a really important guy, you know. He has a lot of responsibilities in his company."

"I really liked Jonah, too," he says then, looking up at me.

I keep my face neutral, even though I'm feeling confused. I don't know where this conversation is going. "Uh-huh," I repeat myself.

He adds, "But then I kinda didn't, because you hated him."

I blink a few times. "I... never hated him."

He eyes me skeptically. "Well, I've heard you say that you hated him—when you were on the phone with Gina. You also kept changing the channel whenever he was on TV after he won that cooking show. I know it was a long time ago, but still. I figured he'd done something and he really hurt you."

I sigh heavily. Cole was always too perceptive for his own good. Or maybe I just never kept anything subtle. "Well. Sometimes I get emotional, and I say things that I don't really mean."

The teenager rolls his eyes at me. "Duh."

I try not to take offense at his tone, and explain to him, "Jonah and I had a falling out. It was a while ago." Emphasis on the while. "But we saw each other at the reunion and we're cool now."

"Right." He nods once, then turns back to the dishes. I stop him before he turns the faucet on again.

Nudging his shoulder playfully, I ask him, "What are you thinking in that big brain of yours, huh?"

He shrugs, avoiding my eyes. "Are you gonna hate Freddie, now that you like Jonah again?"

"... Huh," I say instead of answering. "I'm trying to follow your train of thoughts here, buddy, but I'm kinda struggling."