“I was trying to help! But all I did was push you over the edge. And now… now…”Bite. “Now, you have a strange criminal in your house, and that criminal has, like, twenty-three abs.”
“Eight, I believe. I’ve counted them a couple of times, but each time I got to six, my brain did this weird thing. It’s like…” I lift my hand, tilting it to the side to show her what I mean. “In my mind, I see syrup dripping onto the eight abs. And then my throat goes dry, and my stomach turns tingly. It’s all a bit strange, really, and then?—”
“It was a lot of abs!” she snarls. “I’m so glad we’ve cleared that up. Sadly, we still have thedangerous criminal in your houseissue, so I suggest we focus less on pouring syrup onto his stomach and more on finding solutions.”
“Why don’t we ask your fiancé? That smartass had plenty to say a moment ag—” I swing my eyes across the kitchen and stop on… emptiness. No Nick. No smartass. No Ramos with tears on his cheeks.
Gulping, I spin in place and search for six-and-a-bit-feet ofalways-has-a-comeback.“Where’d he go?”
SEVEN
DEAN
We hear them coming. Thundering footsteps, hushed squeals, gasping breath—because I’m not sure either of themearnedthe bodies they’ve been given.
Genetics did all the heavy lifting for those beauties.
Sitting on Anna’s couch, my head tilted back and my eyes closed to combat the mild ache in the base of my skull, I wait… wait… wait… and then I’m rewarded with the women crashing against the front door, thebeepof the thumbprint scanner, and then both women spilling inside.
I lazily crack my eyes open and watch the pair hunch side-by-side, hands on their knees, breaths racing—God forbid they run cardio for twenty-five seconds once in their day.
“Where… you…” Panting, Anna’s eyes bulge and search mine, then she looks across the living room to a stony-faced Nicolas Ramos. The dude is successful in business for a reason. His poker face, even under pressure, is one of them. “Why’d…” Anna exhales a wheezing, squeaking breath, straightening her back and licking her plump, perfect lips. “What’s going on?”
“Just hanging out with my new friend, Counselor.” I close my eyes again and settle in, because all that other shit aside, I reallywashunted down by a fuckin’ car last night. “Nick invited me to his wedding next weekend.”
“You did?” Mel gasps. Then Anna’s echoed, “You did?” comes right after. “Why the hell would you do that, Nicolas? You don’t even know each other.”
“Cos that’s what friends do. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, Anna Banana. I heard you have an upcoming date, too?”
Mel, so fucking predictable, gasps again. “What?”
“Ugh! With Carter.” Anna stomps around the couch and plops her perfect ass onto the coffee table. “Carter asked me out to this charity thing, and Dean thought it would be cute to accept on my behalf.Andinvite himself along.”
“As her brother,” I insert arrogantly. “Detective Douchebag wants to undress your bestie BFF, Ms. Hamilton. He wants to do the naked tango, and he’s not even ashamed to be a two-pump chump. Heespeciallyhates that I’m here, even though he believes me to be her brother. It’s messing with his head.”
“I’m not going,” Anna grumbles. “We’re not going. I’m gonna call him in a little bit and?—”
“You’re about my size,” Nick inserts, his hands dug deep into his pockets. “Shoulders are a little broader, but I reckon we could find you a suit in my closet that’ll get you through this week’s events.”
“Nick!” Anna booms. “No! He doesn’thaveevents this week. We’renotcreating this weird, three-way date for the charitything, and Deanwon’tbe at your wedding. He’s here to recuperate for a few days, then he’ll move along and?—”
“They have this thing in town later this week, too,” he cuts in, his expression entirely, infuriatingly—for Anna—neutral. “It’s a family event at the park where everyone gathers and the massive fir is lit up with Christmas lights.”
“Nicolas!”
“Anna’s family used to be in charge of the event.” He extends one hand and accepts Mel as she saunters across the room and slips under his arm. “It was a Maxwell tradition, but life got in the way over the last few years, which means tradition slipped.”
“Stop.” Anna pushes off the table with what Iswearare tears in her eyes. “Please, Nick?—”
“She’ll need help to move boxes out of her garage and into town,” Mel adds, suspicious and yet, cautiously intrigued. Whatever her fiancé’s plan, she’s willing to work with it. “Anna’s big on procrastination, though, so don’t wait for her to provide instruction.”
“You’re both jerks.” Stalking across the living room, Anna disappears into the kitchen. “Joke’s on me, huh?”
“Don’t fuck it up,” Nick growls, just barely loud enough for my ears. “You only get one chance before she tosses you to the curb and cuts you off for life. We’ll need help moving things over to the wedding reception venue, too. Hope your shoulder’s up for a little physical labor.”
“Where do you want this?” I push Anna’s front door open and stomp my snow-covered shoes on the mat, dislodging muck before I track it into her house.
Anna sits on her couch, her legs folded, and a billion manila files open all over the place. She wears a pencil in her hair, another above her ear, and keeps a third pinched between her lips. But as she glances across to me, her bored eyes dropping to the box of Christmas tree decorations by my feet, she shrugs and goes back to her work. “Put it in the exact spot you found it. We don’t need it.”
