I ignore Tom and turn to Betty. “He’s really handsome with his dark hair and green eyes. And he’s tall and lean. He even wears black-rimmed glasses.” A giggle escapes my lips at that, causing Tom to roll his eyes.
He stands abruptly. “I’m getting the cookies Betty made. Need chocolate to get through this night.”
“Only one for you! The doctor said to watch your sugar intake,” Betty calls after him. Then she turns to me with a grin. “He sounds like a total package. What’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
“You need a plan to get this man. He sounds like a gentleman, and in this day and age, that’s a rarity.”
Betty spends the rest of the evening giving me advice on how to show Bash I’m interested and how to pursue him. Most of the advice is half a century old, but it worked for Betty and her generation, so who am I to question it?
When Tom comes over and confirms Betty’s suggestions, I make up my mind. I want Bash, so I’m going after him. If Bonobo females can court their males, then what’s stopping me?
Chapter 18
Sebastian
Katerina’s glare burns into me from across the table. I’ve been avoiding her and Dom all evening. I almost skipped family dinner altogether but knew Mom would be upset.
Mom chooses this moment to stand and usher us to the sitting room. I glance around the crowd, trying to find a cover. Sofia’s small eyes bore into me, making her the perfect target.
“Hey, Sofia. How’re you doing today?” I ask as I beeline towards her.
“Uncle Bash, I want to play with my dolls.” She marches past me, pauses, then grabs my hand. “I guess you can come with me.”
I let her lead me to her mother’s bag and help her collect her dolls. As soon as I place them on the ground, an arm links through mine. A muscular, female arm.
“Sofia, why don’t you play with your grandmother. We need a word with Uncle Bash.” Katerina’s pulling me into Dad’s office before I can argue.
When we enter, I’m surprised to see all my brothers and their wives. Glancing around the room, I note that everyoneexcept Dom and his wife seem unaware of the reason for the gathering.
“Dom, leave it alone,” I demand, facing my brother.
“You know we can’t do that.” He tilts his head slightly, giving away that his wife is the one who orchestrated this.
“What’s going on?” Margot asks as she pulls her hair from her son’s grip. She glances at Cecilia, but Cecilia just shrugs.
“I’ve gathered us to discuss something alarming that has come to my attention.” I roll my eyes at Dom’s dramatics.
“It’s not alarming. It’s also not anyone else’s business,” I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest.
Katerina glares at me. “It is alarming! And it is our business! That poor girl,” Katerina snaps at me, which piques the interest of many in the room.
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on so I can get back to my girls?” Roman grumbles, already done with the conversation.
“Your youngest brother has been stalking a girl for SIX YEARS! We need to intervene. This is insanity.” Done with the blasé mood in the room, Katerina erupts with this information.
It elicits different reactions from all in the room. Cecilia looks horrified and turns to her husband for comfort, who looks angry at me. I guess having daughters has made him more protective over women, because this is not the same Roman who stalked his wife for a few months. Margot laughs, but it’s hysterical, on the verge of insanity. And Matthias just grins.
“Who is she?” Roman demands.
“His neighbor. She’s just a normal girl. But seeing as our hacker is the culprit, we couldn’t use him to find more information on her.” Dom runs his fingers through his hair as he explains to our family.
“She’s not a normal girl. She’s extraordinary. Perfect,” I counter, needing them to know she’s so much more than any of them could imagine.
“So, that’s why you moved to the suburbs? To get closer to her?” I’m surprised it’s Matthias who connected the dots seeing as he isn’t the brains of the family.
Before I can answer though, another voice pipes up. “That’s insane. You moved to stalk a girl! You Montclair brothers are psycho when it comes to your women.” Margot’s amusement is laced in her words.
