Page 13 of Flipping the Script

He smirked. “Magnanimous and generous mean the same thing. You’re that guy who asks for chai tea or naan bread, aren’t you?”

“Nope. I’m just so awesome I needed to say it twice.”

He cracked a smile. “Might as well toss benevolent in there if you’re going to toot your own horn.”

“Who else is going to toot it?”

Sebastian opened his mouth like he was going to answer but closed it with a shake of his head. “Yeah, I’m not touching that one.”

Not bothering to hide my smile, I waved at my truck. “Hop to it.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Bossy much?”

“Only when I’m being benevolent.” I had no idea if that even made sense, but I took the win when Sebastian’s frown deepened.

“Whatever.” He walked past me and to the back of my truck. “You just stand there, Mr. Benevolent, and I’ll do all the work.”

“Sounds good to me.” I leaned against my truck and casually crossed my arms.

His exasperated grunt tickled my ear, and I fought back a smile.

Pissing Sebastian off was fun. I had no idea why I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t deny the little thrill I felt every time he glared at me or tossed one of his angry barbs my way.

It had always been like this between us, and after almost eighteen years, I didn’t see it changing anytime soon.

Sebastian lowered the tailgate of my truck and reached under the cover to grab two of the boxes. He hauled them out and stacked them in his arms.

Not wanting to be shown up, I pushed off my truck and went to grab the last two boxes. I didn’t need him calling me lazy or making cracks about me not being able to carry some stupid boxes.

“I thought you were too busy being benevolent to help?” Sebastian paused with his back against the door, keeping it open for me as I caught up with him on the porch.

“Didn’t want you to strain yourself.” I walked right past him and into the cabin. “Where do you want these?”

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “up your ass.”

“What was that?” I asked cheerfully.

He smiled sweetly at me. “I said, anywhere you like is fine, thank you.”

I contemplated dropping them on the floor but put them on the couch instead.

The inside of the cabin looked pretty much the same as the last time I’d been here. It wasn’t especially fancy, but it was cozy and had an eclectic charm that was interesting.

Most of the cottages around here were giant luxury homes with brick facades, huge pools, and massive entertainment areas.

The cabin had a large living room with a giant fireplace, a wall of windows, and high ceilings. Overlooking it was a loft that had been split into multiple bedrooms and a bathroom. A functional kitchen, a small dining room, a huge pantry, a powder room, and another door that I assumed led to a storage area were all tucked under the second floor.

The decor was a mix of rustic and old world, like a Tuscan villa or something like that, with lots of wooden accents, intricate woodwork, and tons of natural light.

It was the type of place I’d pick over a giant McMansion if given the choice. Not that I’d ever tell Sebastian that.

“Is that it?” he asked.

“Yup.”

“Thanks for bringing them up,” he said awkwardly, like the act of thanking me was physically difficult for him.

“I’d say it was no problem, but the roads suck.” I followed him outside. “Glad I don’t have a low-rider, or my undercarriage would be strewn all over the forest.”

---