Especially at my parents’ house.
For Sunday dinner.
“What the hell,” I mumble.
Vivian giggles at me, but she doesn’t tell me to put a dollar in the swear jar becausegirls rule and boys drool.Obviously.
“How is that fair?” Graham asks, ignoring the elephant in the room like the rest of us. “Tessa cursed, but you didn’t tell her to pay up.”
Vivian, with a scrunch in her nose, gazes at him. “Life isn’t fair, Uncle Gam.”
His jaw slacks. “Your father is really rubbing off on you.”
She smiles happily but quickly turns her attention to Rome, who looks more tense than usual.
“Who are you?”
“Viv,” Van stresses her name.
“Rome,” he says flatly. “And who are you?”
“The language police,” Graham mutters.
She nods. “I’m Vivian, and if you use a curse word, you have to put a dollar in the middle of the table.”
Rome blows a breath out of his mouth. “That’s good to know. Thank you.”
Dad chuckles.
“We’re already up to three dollars,” she adds.
Rome keeps his attention on Vivian. “Who gets the winnings?”
Vivian smiles, proudly showing her recently lost tooth. “I split it with Aunt Tessa.”
Rome slowly cranes his neck over to me. Our eyes snag, and unfortunately, the novelty of his blue eyes hasn’t worn off. My pulse quickens, regardless if he’s been nearly impossible to work with all week.
“Well, in that case…” he drags his words out, flicking a brow in my direction.
I fake a smile for the better of my father’s health, but my body language tells a different story.
One that I’m certain Rome can read.
Chapter Ten
ROME
Stepmother Dearest is calling.
Ignore.
Five seconds pass, and my phone vibrates again.
Stepmother Dearest is calling.
Beatrice is out of her mind if she thinks I’m going to listen to her whine about how ungrateful I am, or how I need to stop being a spoiled rich prick and come home. It’s been days since my conversation with her son, and my father hasn’t reached out since the first call I ignored.
Her name flashing against my screen tells me that he’s still angry.
