We sat at the kitchen island, now clear of the wooden chest, which I’d brought to my room to keep it safe from the littles’ imminent arrival. We mixed hot cocoa into our mugs. “I was thinking.”
“A monumental feat, I’m sure.”
I clutched my mug, inhaling the rich scent of chocolate, and tried to speak delicately. “I’m not very good with boys.”
“What do you mean?”
Okay. The blunt version, then. “I suck at flirting. I don’t know how to make guys like me.”
“Just be you.”
“I’ve tried.” My voice came out sharper than I’d intended. “It hasn’t worked.”
His smile had an edge. “I suppose your other option is to be someone else, then.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Never mind. Shira, you want to be with someone who genuinely likes you.”
“Right. Yeah. But how do I get them to like me? I could usehelp. And when you need help, you get a tutor.” I took a steadying sip of hot chocolate. “So. Tyler. I have a proposition.”
“Aproposition?”
“You’re easy to get along with. Everyone thinks so. And you’re good at hooking up.”
“I feel like I’m about to be insulted.”
“I don’t mean it in a bad way. But you’ve had a lot of practice. More practice than me, obviously.”
“Where’s this going?”
I pinned my gaze behind him, at the blue and silver tinsel we’d arranged around blue and silver ornaments. “Look—I’ve never even been kissed.”
He looked taken aback but reined it in quickly. “Okay.”
“I don’t even know how to get there.Youknow how. You understand the whole flirting game. So teach me.”
Sheer astonishment took over his face. “Are you serious?”
“Please.” I turned imploring. “IknowIsaac and I would be a good fit, if I could only figure out how to talk to him instead of chatting about the weather every time I see him.”
“God.” He shoved his hair. “Right. Isaac.”
“He’s going to be here this week. And I don’t know how to switch from being his boss’s grandniece to a romantic prospect, let alone how to get to the about-to-kiss point.”
He kept frowning. “So what are you asking for? Kissing lessons?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I said, alarmed. “No. I don’tthink so? I want you to teach me how to flirt. How to talk to boys. How to make them like me romantically.”
“Wow.” He stared at me a moment, stunned. “Why would I agree?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you could get something out of it, too. What do you want?”
He studied me, and I thought he was considering this bizarre, inane idea of mine. But then he shook his head. “Noah would murder me.”
“You need a better reason to say no than mycousin.”
“You might not believe this about me, but I try to live my life as stress-free as possible, and dealing with Noah is stress-inducing.”
