“What did you ask me to do, Teagan?”
“Not lecture me.”
He crossed his arms. “Not that.”
I shrugged. “I don’t remember,” I lied.
“You asked me to keep you focused.”
“Did I?” I settled a hand on my hip and let out a quiet hum. “Weird. That doesn’t sound like me at all.”
He shook his head. “Look, your education is up to you, baby. But I’m here if you need me to help.”
I sighed. “I know. I appreciate it. I just kinda hate it.”
“You’re not tied to bein’ an attorney, Teagan. Talk to your dad. Do something else.”
I couldn’t stop an inelegant snort. “My mother’s a New York Times Bestselling Author a hundred times over, my dad’s one of the country’s best attorneys. My siblings are all rock stars in their chosen careers, Grayson’s probably going to do something fantastic. If I don’t do well, I’ll be seen as a failure.”
He frowned. “Do you really think anyone’ll think that?”
“I don’t know, but the deal is we can live at home rent-free while we go to school. Otherwise, we have to pay rent or move out.”
“Same deal we had, what’s your point?”
“I don’t want to move out. And I don’t have the money to pay rent yet.”
“Teagan, take a beat.”
I let out a quiet huff. “You’re not getting it.”
“Iamgetting it. Whatyou’renot getting is that you can talk to your parents about switching majors. It doesn’t have to be law, does it?”
“I just don’t know what I want to do.”
“So?”
I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “So…I’m the only one who doesn’t know what they want to do, Cash.”
“Baby, that’s okay. You don’t have to have it all figured out.”
“Says the man whose whole life has been mapped out from the moment he was born,” I grumbled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve just always been… well… you. You know what you want, you do what you want, and no one tells you otherwise.”
“Newsflash, baby, you’re the female version of me. Well, as far as the rest of the world is concerned.”
“What’sthatsupposed to mean?”
“Which part? The fact the world thinks you’re just like me or the real truth that you’re the polar opposite?”
“I’m not thepolaropposite.”
“Close enough.” He smiled. “You’re Teagan the Tenderhearted Turtle. You have a hard outer shell, but your underbelly’s soft as a baby’s ass.”
I let out a quiet snort. “Is that really how you see me?”
