“Tavi? What’s going on?”
“Hi,” I call into the phone. “I’m Dylan. Just a harmless small-town plumber who doesn’t tell secrets.”
“Oh God, we’re doomed,” the voice replies.
I lean over the table and dangle the bag of vegan ice cream.
Tavi’s covering her face with her hands.
I want to hug her and promise I won’t hurt her, but I get the feeling she hasn’t had many people in her life who’d tell her that and mean it.
She’d probably think it was code forI’m going to fuck up your world like it’s never been fucked before.
“Peace offering,” I say. “I’ll clean up the mess.”
“Not necessary.” Her voice is muffled.
“Let him clean it up and then threaten to spill his darkest secrets if he tells anyone yours,” the person on the phone says. “Don’t tell me he doesn’t have secrets. I’m from a small town too.Everyonehas secrets. Use it. Use it to destroy him, Tavi! Oh my God,who am I?”
Tavi slides her fingers apart to peer at me through one eye, then sighs and scoots out from under the table. “I know his secrets,” she says as she stands.
I don’t correct her.
Not very nice when she’s clearly already having an off night with some confidence issues.
“You let me do the dirty work,” she continues with a glance at the phone, “and you stay exactly as you were five minutes ago. I’ll call you back. I have to clean up a mess before another freakinggoatsmells it and invades the kitchen and eats a faucet or something.”
“Email me. I’m about to go talk to Sebastián about some things he wanted to show me, and then I’m having dinner with the Vargases. Let me know if you need me to fly in to bury a body.”
Tavi smiles a soft smile that reaches her eyes and softens everything about her, but she doesn’t aim it at me.
She’s aiming it at the phone.
Dammit.
“You know I’d never pull you into something that ugly,” she says.
“You should. I’d be awesome. No one would suspect me.”
“And you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself. I’m hanging up before you say something truly incriminating that makes it impossible for you to sleep tonight. Tell Sofia I said hello.”
“Later, Tay-Tay. Give Pebbles my love.”
Tavi hangs up, then looks at me.
And I startle even myself when I wrap my arms around her and pull her in for a hug.
She looks exhausted.
Eyelids puffy, dark circles under her eyes, and her posture is sagging.
Her body goes rigid, and I’m about to drop my arms when she melts into me, laying her face against my chest and wrapping her arms around my waist.
My heart kicks up.
So does my cock, and I have to adjust my stance so she won’t feel it.
This isn’t about physical attraction or about wanting her to aim one of those real smiles at me, and I have no intention of leading her on accidentally.
