“Good to see you too, sis.” I lean in and side-hug her.
“Yeah, yeah, good to see you. I’m starving.”
“Well, you’re in luck because it’s fajitas tonight.”
“Fuck yes.” She bounds to the kitchen, and I know she’ll start cooking all the veggies.
Rina walks in silently and gives me the side-eye.
“Rina…”
“I know the rules, Dad, don’t worry.” She rolls her eyes, and her words make me cringe. I don’t want to make any of them feel like I’m tellingthem what to do. But this is different. This involves someone who isn’t here and has said she isn’t okay with people knowing.
By the time everything is cooked, I feel a little less high-strung. Until Lennox opens his mouth.
“So, when were you going to tell everyone about you and Ainsley?”
I nearly spit out the sip of beer I just drank. I look over at Rina, and her pale face tells me this wasn’t her doing.
“Umm…”
“Yeah, it’s like you actually think you’re being sneaky,” Willow says with a smirk.
“Fuck.”
“Don’t stress it, big bro. I think we’re the only ones who have figured it out. You know the entire town would be talking if they knew.” He takes a huge bite of his overfilled taco.
I wipe the sweat off my brow and push my plate away.Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Hey.” Rina puts her hand on my forearm. “It’s okay. You know he’s right. If everyone knew, it would be the talk of the town. We can keep it between the family, I promise.”
She looks around at Lennox and Willow, who both have their brows furrowed.
“Why are we keeping this a secret?” Willow asks gently.
“Because Ainsley is nervous and doesn’t want everyone in our business. She’s been burned before, and I’m her boss. She doesn’t want the repercussions that can have. Not that I blame her, even if I would never screw her over.”
“Shit, I didn’t even think of that,” Willow mutters.
“Please keep this to yourselves,” I beg.
Rina and Willow nod so hard their messy buns flop everywhere.
Lennox is looking at me weirdly, though.
“And how do you feel about keeping this all on the down-low?”
“No one says on the down-low anymore, Lenny,” Willow adds.
“Whatever. You know I’ll keep this between the four of us, but how do you feel about it all, Ledg?”
This is the most serious I’ve seen Lennox in a long time, and it unnerves me.
“Honestly?” The three of them nod again. “I hate it. Or rather, I hate that I have to hide my affection. That I’m planning dates forty-five minutes away just to have some semblance of normal. Everything else is fucking perfect. She’s fucking perfect. But the sneaking around? I’m too old for this shit, even if I understand her concerns.”
What a clusterfuck. This is not how I imagined family dinner going.
“Downside to a small town.” Rina says it so quietly as if she knows firsthand what this feels like. I tilt my head at her, wondering what she could be talking about. As far as I know, she hasn’t had a boyfriend since maybe college, and even then, I’m not so sure.
