Page 103 of Don't Quit the Day Job

He nods and kisses me again. "You might be right about that. So, shall I get a red room?"

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Max

"Marie, I would like to introduce you to Lila. And Lila, I would like to introduce you to my sister, Marie."

My sister looks up from the couch and stares at Lila. Her eyes widen as she jumps up, and there's a huge smile on her face.

"Lila? Who is Lila exactly?"

Marie looks at me and I glare at her. I look over at Lila and hope she's not upset.

"It's okay, Max. I don't expect you to have told your sister about me with everything that's going on."

"Is this your girlfriend?" Marie gushes. "Oh my gosh, you have a girlfriend and you didn't tell me? And she's so pretty!"

"Oh my gosh, you're so sweet," Lila says, stepping forward. "You're absolutely gorgeous. You must have got your looks from your mom, because you're way better looking than Max."

"I love you already," Marie says, giggling as she leans over and gives Lila a hug. "What are you doing with my doofus of a big brother?"

"Oh, just making his life the best it's ever been," Lila says in response as she looks over at me.

My heart races as I stare at them. I love both of these women. The thought hits me, and all of a sudden, I feel stiff. Do I love Lila? How on Earth have I fallen in love with her already? But then it strikes me that maybe my spirit had known who she was from the very moment it had seen her walking in the street. I dismiss the thoughts of love from my mind, because I'm not a believer in love at first sight, and I certainly don't believe in true love, and I certainly don't want to turn Lila's already too-romantic brain into a whirlwind.

"Max, are you ignoring me?" Marie says, swatting me on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What's going on?"

"I was saying that we should all go to dinner, and then maybe we could watch a movie, and?—"

I stare at Marie and shake my head. "Darling, I love you, but I want to spend some alone time with Lila."

"It's okay," Lila says quickly. "I'd love to get to know Marie, especially because you're going to be moving to The City, right?"

"Yeah," Marie says, nodding slowly. "Did Max tell you he bought me the apartment next door?"

"He did?" Lila's eyes are wide as she shakes her head. "No. Wow, you've certainly been busy."

"Well, if Marie's going to be going to college and having a baby and staying in The City, she needs to have someone to look after her. And while I love her, I certainly don't want to live in the same apartment as her forever."

"Thank you, big bro. That makes me feel great." Marie giggles.

"I mean, you know that I love you, and if you really want to stay here, if it makes you safer, you can, but?—"

"I'm joking. Of course I want my own place. Plus, he said he's going to give me an unlimited budget to furnish. How awesome is that?"

"I want an unlimited budget to furnish something," Lila says.

I stare at her for a couple of seconds, at her laughing blue eyes, and I want to tell her that I would give her an unlimited budget for anything she wanted. She's joking, and I know that she wouldn't accept a penny from me, but I want to make her life easier, I want to make her life more comfortable, and I'm going to have to figure out a way to do that without making her upset. I know that she won't move in with me, not right away, and that's probably for the best because we really don't know each other that well, and even though I would love for her to move in, I understand how much she is enjoying her independence, even if she is living in an unfurnished shithole.

"Hey, Marie, do you mind if I take Lila to the bedroom for a second?"

"Are you about to make my baby a cousin already?"

"No." I glare at her. "I just want to talk to her about something."

"Fine," she says. "I was just about to watch 27 Dresses anyway." She grins at Lila. "I'm so glad you're dating my brother. He is already a better person for knowing you."

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