He grinned. “If I didn’t want to listen, I’d say so.”
“Well, you asked for it. It was Mitch’s apartment, so it’s not like I could ask him to move. But I gave up my place to move in with him. We dated for two years, lived together for one. And by the end, I couldn’t leave fast enough. But— God, sorry. I’m off track. My breakup with Mitch was just two weeks ago. Well, really more like two months ago, but I kept trying to make it work. I just got too tired of always trying to please him.” She snorted. “It’s like, that’s my pattern. Trying to make everyone else happy at the expense of my own happiness. Something Aunt Rosie used to lecture me about.”
“You’re aunt’s a smart woman.” He moved some plates down and continued jostling things at the stove. “And that’s pretty insightful. Just what I told my mother last night. Women do that a lot. Bend over backwards for everyone else, putting themselves last. But you never did say, what happened at the end of dinner?”
“Oh, well, when we finished, the guys went in one room while the rest of us went to hang in Mom’s sitting room. It’s kind of tradition. We sit and talk with an after-dinner drink.” She liked the togetherness with family. She just wished they’d get off her back about the way she lived her life. “It was going well until bitchy Angela opened her mouth. Then my mom was on my case about dating and who I planned on bringing to Mallory’s wedding.” She paused. “And I don’t like Ted, her fiancé. He’s a huge jackass, but my parents like him, so of course Mallory will marry him. And be miserable.” She sighed.
“What’s wrong with Ted?”
“He flirts with anything with breasts.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.” She still hated the thought of her sister anywhere near the guy. “But I can’t say anything, because in my family I’m the outsider, the one who didn’t go into finance and has no intention of doing anything my parents like. I want to make them happy, but a big part of me likes that they disapprove.” She looked at him, saw him nodding. “Should I be paying you for this therapy?”
“Nah. I’m on a break from work.”
She blinked. “Wait. You’re an actual therapist?”
He turned to watch her. “I am. An LMFT—Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Masters, so technically I’m also an MA.” He shrugged. “I’m a good listener.”
“Now it all makes sense.”
“What?”
“That you’re so easy to talk to.”
He gave a small grin that made her belly do flipflops. “My gift of gab is on account of Auggie. We’re twins. She got all the headstrong, aggressive tendencies. I’m the good guy who’s charming. Just ask my mom.”
Justine laughed. “Okay.”
“Good. Now relax and finish your story.”
“Right. So where we left off... I was arguing with my sisters and mom about having to bring a plus-one to the wedding. Why can’t I go by myself? Then I had to explain, yet again, that I was the one who broke it off with my ex—they all think he dumpedme. Fortunately, my dad and the guys joined us, talking about investing in tech companies, one of which was a gaming company. And I went off about how much I loveArrow Sins & Siegeto throw off any attempt at matchmaking. Gamer girls aren’t cool, you know.”
“They aren’t? Who says?”
“Something I read in a magazine. Utter crap, but I figured the type of people who work with my dad likely aren’t into video games. Too sophisticated for that kind of nonsense.” She frowned.
“What?”
“Cal didn’t seem to mind. I could just feel him getting ready to make a move. It was cowardly, but I took off.” She sighed. “Mom’s been leaving me texts I’m pretending I haven’t seen.”
“You can’t avoid her forever.”
“I know.” She sipped her water, feeling glum. “But that was my dinner. Now what about yours?”
He laughed as he plated their food, and Justine helped him bring it to the small kitchen table, where they fell upon the meal like starving dogs.
“I’m sorry. But this is so good, and I was so hungry,” she said between mouthfuls.
“Me too. Benji’s burgers were killing me, they smelled so good.” After a few more bites, he said, “Dinner with Mom and Auggie was fun. Great food, and I love my family. We’re a lot more easygoing than your folks, it sounds like.”
“Congressional debates are a lot more easygoing than my parents,” she grumbled.
He laughed. “Yeah, well, even though we had a great meal, that didn’t stop my mom from giving me and Auggie ‘The Lecture.’ It’s basically her talk about how it’s just fine if we never want to get married... except it’s not really fine, and she finds all these soft, kind ways to tell us we’re disappointing her if we don’t get married and give her grandkids.”
“Ouch.”
