Page 27 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

“So you came to Tampa?” Lexi asks.

I don’t blame them for their curiosity. I would be the same way. I’m someone they know through the media, someone who’s been living in DC for years, and now suddenly, I’m standing in Sophie’s kitchen.

“Yes. I stopped in North Carolina for a while but eventually made my way here.”

“I guess I’ll be the one to ask the most pressing question. How do you know Tyler? He’s pretty social within our group, but outside of it, I didn’t realize he had any friends,” Lexi claims.

“That’s not fair. I’m sure he has other friends,” says Sophie, who scoops a spoonful of the ceviche out onto a plate.

“Really? Have you ever met them? He’s certainly never brought a date over,” Lexi reveals.

Does Tyler date? We haven’t discussed it. It seems like an inappropriate conversation for us to have and none of my business.

“Oh, I’m not his date tonight. We’re just friends.”

“You’re just friends?” She raises her brows, as all three of them stare at me, and my cheeks flush red with heat. Of course this was going to be asked too.

“Oh, I want to hear this,” Titan says from behind me as he and Tyler, plus Vivi, wander into the kitchen and join us at the island. Vivi moves next to Sophie, where she eyes the plate, and Sophie hands it to her with a fork. She scampers back to the living room with Molly following.

“You should probably just wait until Sully is in here too, or you’ll just have to repeat yourself,” Tyler grumbles.

“That’s a good point,” Titan says as he wanders out into the backyard to round up the others.

Heat prickles down my spine as I’m about to be put on the spot in front of everyone. I hate this. I really do. But Tyler asked me to come, and he’s been so gracious and patient with me. I can do this for him.

“It really is a boring story, and you’re all going to be disappointed,” I tell them as I take another sip and hear country music quietly playing throughout the house sound system.

“I doubt that,” Sully claims, giving Tyler a look that says he thinks he’s up to no good, but he doesn’t notice as he’s just looking at me. I know this conversation is going to make him uncomfortable too, and my stomach aches a little at the thought of somehow saying something that might upset him.

Without breaking eye contact, I tell them, “Tyler is my brother’s best friend.”

Tyler smiles at the mention of Lance. He can’t help it. It’s like one of those buzzwords that no matter what you’re doing or where you are, when you hear it, instant serotonin release.

“Wait,” Bryan says. “The guy from college?”

“Yep,” Tyler says, popping his lips and then dragging his gaze from mine to look at his friends.

“Lance,” Jonah calls out. It’s weird to hear someone else talk about my brother. “We met him a few years ago when he was down visiting.”

“You did. That was one of his trips. He’s been here several times.” Tyler runs his hand over the back of his neck, then drops it to his side.

“And you’re his sister?” Sully asks again, almost like this is not lining up, and I nod. “The same person who is dating Dean Davis?”

Reid lets out a deep sigh, and Tyler smacks him in the stomach with the back of his hand.

“What? Is that a bad thing to ask?” He looks around at each person, hoping for some sort of backup.

“Dean and I …” I shake my head.

“Oh. Sorry, then,” he says as if realizing he’d made an assumption and shouldn’t have.

“Don’t be. It was over a long time ago, and I’m good.” I take another sip of the sangria and do my best to look nonplussed.

Everyone stares at me for a moment, and then Bryan waves his hand back and forth between Tyler and me and asks, “So are y’all together now?”

I can’t help the laugh that sneaks out, and all eyes fall back to me. The longer I stay with Tyler, the more people will think this exact thing. In all the years I’ve known Tyler, he’s never once made a pass at me or led me to believe that he might be interested in a different way.

“It’s not like that. She’s just staying with me for a bit while she checks out the area and decides whether she wants to move to Tampa,” he says.