“Did you have fun last night?”
He scowled. He knew what she thought—that he’d been out with Aubrey. Thathewas the one talking to and laughing with and kissing her. That he’d gotten to taste that hollow between her collarbones again, maybe pressed her against a wall while he lapped at it with his tongue, made her make that little sound where—
Ugh. He crammed some eggs into his mouth to stop his brain from churning out lurid fantasies. That was Gallant’s territory, now.
“I’m guessing that’s a yes,” Tansy said.
“I was with Jackson.” Nick moved on to the bacon. “Not... her.”
She eyed him. “I told you, I don’t care. Fuck whoever you want to fuck. I hope she blew your mind. Among other things.”
His headache roared back full force. Had she really just said that?
Well, yeah. It was Tansy. “It’s not like that. Really. I haven’t seen her in days.”
Her eyes slitted. “Come on, at least be straight with me. I deserve that much.”
He tightened his jaw and plunked down his fork. “Iambeing straight. It’s like I said, I wasn’t with her. I haven’t touched her since she’s been back. At all.”
“What, I’m supposed to believe you’ve just suddenly lost interest? After all that pining?”
“I don’tpine.” His scowl deepened. He totally fucking pined. “And no, of course I haven’t lost interest.She’sthe one who—” He cut himself off with a clack of his teeth. “You know what? We’re not discussing this. This is too weird, even for you.”
Tansy rolled her eyes and rose to bring her plate to the sink, but a quavering voice from the other room brought her up short.
“Daddy? Mom?”
The bottom of Nick’s stomach dropped out. Shit. What was Paige doing home? Had sheheardthem? It sounded like it. A hesitant note soured her usual sunshine.
He jumped up and squeezed past Tansy, forgetting her existence before she’d even left his eyeline. “Peanut? I thought you were at Maria’s. Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back until ten?”
In the living room, Paige stood by the couch, her eyes wide, her overnight bag on the floor beside her. “Itisten.”
He winced. A glance at the clock on the mantel proved her right.
“What were you and Mom talking about?” Uncertainty dampened her tone. “Just now?”
He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his flannel pajama pants. He wouldn’t disrespect her by lying, but he wasn’t about to provide the details. “Um... personal stuff.”
Paige’s blue eyes were uncharacteristically clouded. “It sounded weird.”
Well, it had felt weird, too. But he’d rather stab himself in the face than admit that Tansy had just accused him of having a sex marathon with their float-building partner, so he said, “Mom was just confused about something. And I was explaining.”
“Oh.” Surprisingly, Paige sounded at least mildly reassured. “Okay. Well... I thought maybe we could go grab breakfast before heading out to the farm.”
His heart squeezed. “What, just you and me?”
“Yeah.”
Despite everything, he melted around the edges. “I’d love that. Just let me go get dressed, all right?”
“Okay.”
Nick retreated to his bedroom, where he swapped his pants and undershirt for the first items of clothing he laid hands on. Tansy followed him in, her eyes sparking.
“I hadonecondition,” she hissed. “One. And that was that this Aubrey thing doesn’t affect her. Which means you need to fix it. Now.”
“I know,” he hissed back. Never mind that she’d been the one so dedicated to prying. “Iknow.”
