Page 50 of Pin-up Girl

I could tell myself again I’d have to care for that to be the case, but apparently I did. “You haven’t told me why you’re really here.”

He grinned. Fucker. “Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Aubrey said you two had plans, that she hung out with you and Dee a lot. I was going to smooth talk my way into joining all of you, but if Dee has dance, that means you meant to have Aubrey to yourself. I won’t be a third wheel?—”

“Again.”

“—but since I was here,” he continued as if I hadn’t interrupted, “it seemed weird to just up and leave.”

The clang of a soda can falling from a vending machine echoed from down the hall. I wouldn’t hear it if the building wasn’t so quiet, but that meant Dee had the chips, and she’d be back soon.

“Does that mean you’re not trying to win Aubrey over for yourself?” I should wrap this part of the conversation up quickly.

“I already have.”

Won her over? He wished. That was can number two falling. “Does she know that?”

“She’ll have more time to think about it once Sylvie’s wedding is over. Or canceled,” Brodie said.

Wait. What?

That was the sound of can number three.

“Why would the wedding be can?—”

“The fiancé’s a dick,” Brodie said.

We knew that? “Does Aubrey know that?” I heard Dee running back.

“She does.”

I’d have to ask Aubrey directly, but this thread of the conversation needed to end, because Dee was back.

Plus, having her as a buffer would give me a few minutes to decide if I wanted to punch Brodie in his smug face for thinking he’d already won Aubrey over.

We all took seats on stools around one of the work tables near the front of the room, and Dee handed out our snacks.

Brodie pulled on one glove, and she looked surprised. “Can I do that, Dad?”

“You didn’t get cheesy chips.” I hadn’t expected her to react like that.

Dee opened her soda. “Not now. I mean at home when we have Cheetos.”

“Chopsticks are better than gloves,” Brodie said.

No, really. He needed to stop putting ideas in her head.

“Can I learn to use chopsticks, Dad?”

Fuck it. There wasn’t a good reason to tell her now. “Sure. Next time you’re at the house for dinner, I’ll show you.”

“Okay.” That made her happy and she dug into her snack.

While we munched, Brodie held up a piece of notebook paper that looked like it had come from one of my notebooks.

“If you mix those chemicals, they crystallize and become useless,” he said.

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