Throwing my head back onto the overly bright cushion in annoyance, I groan as I dial Ria’s number. It rings a couple of times, and then she answers, sounding like she was half-asleep.
“Hello?”
“Hey, overly sickly chicky, how goes it?” I ask, and she half-laughs.
“You’re chipper tonight. I’m hoping the opening went well?” Ria asks.
“We’ll get to that. What did the doctor have to say at your appointment today?”
She groans down the line. “He told me I need to try to eat more. That I’m losing too much weight, but it’s hard to eat when all I do is throw it back up.”
Rolling my eyes, even though I know she can’t see me, I take a deep breath, knowing she won’t like what I have to say. “Well, you know it would be easier if you had someone by your side helping you through all this?”
“I do, Alex.You.”
I sit up. “You know what I mean. Yes, you know I’m here, and I will always be here for you, of course, but he’s miserable without you. All he wanted today at the opening was to share it withyou, Ria.”
She’s quiet for a short pause—I knew that would make her go into thinking mode.Good.She needs to know that her decisions have an actual effect on Nate, not just her.
“Did he manage to enjoy the opening at all?” she finally asks.
Slumping back onto the sofa, I answer, “He did. We sold out. The entire collection sold, Ria. The art scene loves him just like you knew they would. It was a smashing success, and then the three of us went to Finlay’s for a celebratory drink. The day was good.” I pause for a second or two, then continue, “He was sad you weren’t there, but he was happy he did well. It was the win that we wanted, Ria. He’s on the right track.”
She sighs down the line and is quiet again for a pass. “Good, I’m so glad. When you say the three of us?”
I smile, thinking of Matt. “His twin. He came to show his support today.”
“Oh, that’s so good to hear. I like Matt.”
Smirking, I lay down on the cushions. “Yeah, so do I.”
Chapter Five
MATT
Spending the day with Nate and getting to know Alex, his new sidekick, turned out to be just what I needed. Alex seems like a whole lot of fun. She has so much pep, drive, and energy, whereas Annabelle—the fan we met at Finlay’s last night—seemed calmer and more natural. Well, before the fandom took hold, I suppose.
I’d love to meet a nice girl, but how the hell am I going to find that someone? It’s not like I can go to a club and find a girl the normal way. No, I have to do something out of the ordinary if I’m going to be introduced to new women.
Sighing, I walk into the kitchen, grab Nate’s leftover cereal bowl from this morning, and place it in the sink. Then I move to the refrigerator to get the milk for my cereal. That’s when I spot a business card stuck to the door. It’s for Whisper’s Fung Shui, and my memory is jogged when I recall he once said he was delving into internet dating guidance or something. Closing the fridge door, I take a deep breath, wondering if this is something I could really do.Internet dating?I mean, plenty of people meet this way, but above all, it means I could have some anonymity in the beginning stages. This could actually work out to be perfect.
Since I don’t have to go into the office today, I turn around and reach for my cell to dial Whisper’s number.
Not long after I end the call, I hear the door. I step over to answer it with my stomach churning. I know I don’t have to go through with this, but at least I can talk to Whisper and see what my options are. I pull the door open, and he stands there in his usual monk attire, holding a tiny bonsai plant and a packet of what look like kale chips.
“Oh, sexy boy, it so good to see you,” he says, stepping into the house and walking straight past me into the kitchen area, where he sniffs the air like he’s testing the smell of the house. I should be used to his strange behavior by now, but no, he still manages to surprise me.
“So, I smell the demons. This bonsai absorbs all the bad qi, yes?” he states, but I think it’s a question. He raises it up and closes his eyes like it’s doing something, so I simply stand here smirking. I love this guy. Sure, he’s probably not doing anything at all, but it is entertaining.
“Um, hi. What’s the kale for?”
“Shh… absorption first, then talking,” he reprimands.
I try to swallow my laughter as he moves the bonsai around the room, held up high, with his eyes shut, as he walks into the furniture, mumbling some crap or other under his breath.
Raising my brow, he finally makes his way over to me by the kitchen as he hums. Then he finally opens his eyes and lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. “There, all cleansed.”
“Oh, good.”
