“I told you everything that happened at the office already.” Am I playing dumb? Yes. But procrastinating seems best, though I know Kaylee will get right to the point anyway.
“But I don’t know about you and Lucas. Last I heard, you were mortified and going to act like offering yourself to him never happened.” She raises an eyebrow. “But tonight, I go downstairs to wait for you, I see the Mercedes pull up and recognize Lucas’s profile, so I start down the walkway to meet you. Except when I look in the window again, you two are making out like teenagers, so I went back inside to wait.”
I frown at her phrasing. “I never said I offered myself up to him,” I mutter.
“You offered your mouth. Potato, potahto.”
Unable to hold back, I let out a much-needed laugh. “Fine. We kissed. Twice. Now, can I please get something to eat, because I didn’t have dinner and I’m starving.”
“Luckily for you, I have leftovers from the restaurant tonight. Chicken parm and spaghetti. I am so relieved I have my appetite back and can eat whatever I want again.” Though her eyes had opened wide when I said I’d kissed Lucastwice, she’s obviously taking pity on my empty stomach.
I reheat the food in the microwave and sit down to eat, grateful for the delicious meal.
“Now, spill,” Kaylee says in her most demanding tone.
“I really don’t know how to explain it. We were working and getting along really well, sharing ideas. I confided in him about what happened with Gregory Atwater, and of course I was upset. He said something to make me laugh… and the next thing I know—”
“You locked lips. Yep, got it. I don’t need a description.”
Shaking my head at her, I grin. “That’s about it.”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” she says, and I know, without a doubt, she means it. She’s always in my corner and I’m in hers.
I hold up one hand. “Not so fast. We kissed and then the brick came flying through the window. We’ve had no time to talk about what it meant, if anything.” Though my heart squeezes at the thought of me being just a blip on the man’s list of willing women.
Kaylee purses her lips and thinks before speaking. “He kissed you a second time, so I hardly think it meant nothing to him.”
“True. But I still think there are obstacles. Big obstacles like my brother. My father. Me not acting professionally if things go further.”
Leaning back in her seat, Kaylee shakes her head. “Brother’s best friend. Brother’s business partner. Forbidden romance,” she says.
“What are you talking about?”
“Romance novel tropes. I just listed three of them. They’re the things that keep the hero and heroine apart,” she explains.
“I forgot. You’re my true crime watching, romance reading friend.”
She smiles, proud of her hobbies. “Correct. So, with all my knowledge, here’s what I suggest.”
Having finished my meal, I push the plate aside. I’ll clean before bed because I’m a grateful and neat houseguest. “I’m listening.”
“Sleep with him.”
“What?” I’m sure I heard her wrong.
She props her chin in her hands. “I said, sleep with him. Call it a fling until working together is over and agree you won’t tell anyone who might get upset by the news. You’ll both know going into it, it’s not serious. That way, nobody gets hurt.”
Though she’s telling me about book tropes, I have to admit her idea makes sense. I haven’t ended up in love with any of the men I’ve dated long term, so it should be easy to keep my heart safe from falling for Lucas, right? That pesky organ in my chest thumps hard, as if disagreeing with me.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell her. Because the idea of jumping into bed with Lucas isn’t something I’ll take lightly. I rise from my seat and gather my plate.
“Think about something else while you’re at it. You deserve to be happy, no matter what your family or anyone else thinks.”
I sigh. If only it was that easy. She didn’t grow up a daddy’s girl, Ian Dare’s daughter who always wanted to make him proud. Sure, I’m twenty-nine years old and can make my own choices, but I’m still compelled to act as expected.
While I clean up, we talk about the brick attack, and who might be behind it, but we both come up empty.
Afterward, she turns out the lights and walks me to the room next to hers, a pretty second bedroom with neutral colors I’ve stayed in before. She lends me a T-shirt to sleep in and clothes for tomorrow. Since I’m curvier than she is, I hope the leggingsand top fit. Though I’m tired by the time I wash up and lay down in bed, I can’t sleep. The crash of the brick through the window replays in my head and my heart pounds as hard as it did when it happened.
