Page 108 of Hold Me Today

Do I need to come over to your place and personally help you remove your head from your ass?

ANSWER ME, NICHOLAS, OR SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE YOU CRY.

I haven’t cried since I was seven years old when I somehow managed to crush my junk at my elementary school’s jungle gym. For the record, tire swings are hell personified if not treated with care.

“Nick! Nick, you open this door right now!”

At the telltale sound of fists banging, Bill’s left eyebrow starts to twitch. “Should we let her in?”

And have her berate me for ignoring her calls and texts for all of three days? Sure, why not. It’s not like I’m not miserable enough already after everything that went down in Maine.

Ignoring the pinch in my heart, I jerk the head of the sledgehammer toward the door. “Go ahead.”

Vince and Bill shove Mark forward with commentary about him having survived prison, so an angry woman should be no trouble at all. If they honestly think that, then they don’t know Effie. But they praise Mark’s boldness, gussying him up to the front door like a sacrifice to the gods, then promptly turn tail and shout at me that they’re taking a lunch break.

When the door swings open, Effie spares Mark a once-over that could drop a man cold, then swings those dark eyes of hers over to me. She jabs a finger in my direction. “You,” she growls.

“Me,” I confirm with a nod.

“You—”

I cut my little sister off with a glance over to my employee. “Mark, get lunch with the guys.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice.

Scurrying from the room, he leaves me alone with Effie, to which she wastes no time in verbally sinking her talons into my flesh. “You’re being the absoluteworstright now,” she snaps, hands on her hips as she swivels on her heels and takes in the renovation project. “I just want you to know that. Also, this place smells like shit.”

It smells like sawdust, mold, and, yes, shit.

Gotta love the stray cat population in Cambridge.

I drop the sledgehammer on my makeshift work desk and get right to it. “I’m giving her time to think, Effie. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

She makes a buzzing sound with her tongue. “Incorrect,KyrieStamos.”

Rolling my eyes, I cut the corner around the desk and lean my ass up against it, arms crossed over my chest. “Effie, do you remember that time Sarah dumped you after you were all up in arms about opening your tour business in Charleston of all places?”

My sister’s mouth purses. “First, Charleston is known for its ghostly lore. Second”—her mouth flattens even more—“of course I remember. I was devastated.”

Understatement of the year. For no less than a week straight, Effie had looked like a walking zombie. She didn’t sleep. She didn’t shower. All until she came to the lightbulb realization that theonlyreason she wanted Charleston as her home base was because Sarah had asked her to move in together and my sister had freaked out.

Not unlike Mina had done when I said that I loved her.

My stomach drops with the memory of Maine, and I ruthlessly shove the emotion aside. To my sister, I say, “Sarah gave you time to figure out what you wanted. She didn’t pressure you. She didn’t hound you for an answer. She letyoucome to your own decision.” I swallow, hard. “I’m doing the same with Mina.”

Effie narrows her eyes, lashes fluttering sharply enough to appear lethal. What the hell are women putting on those things nowadays? Miniature knives?

My sister turns her nose up at me. “You’re being a chicken shit.”

Even my ass clenches in indignation. “I’m not being—”

“You are.” She sticks a finger toward me, wiggling it around like she’s drawing abstract shapes in the air. “You think Mina’s scared? How about the fact that the last time you went AWOL like this, it was because Brynn ditched you?” Effie meets my gaze, and I’m not at all surprised to find the love mingling with annoyance there. It’s a natural emotional cocktail for the two us. “Mina isn’t Brynn, Nick.”

I groan loudly. “I know she’s not Brynn. There’s no comparison between the two.” Because whereas my ex-fiancée thought of no one but herself, Mina is selfless, kind, and—I slam my eyes shut. The biggest difference of all is that Mina is my best friend and the one person I can’t imagine living without.

Oblivious to my inner thoughts, my sister rants her heart out. “But you’re worried she won’t love you back, just like Brynn didn’t love you back and Savannah Rose didn’t—”

“I didn’t love Savannah.” Feeling uncomfortable under her astute assessment, I re-cross my arms and shift my weight. “And I can promise you, what I feel for Mina is . . .” I lift my arms, hands curving over the back of my skull in frustration. Blowing out a breath, I catch my sister’s gaze and hope to make her understand. “Mina needs space to figure out whatshewants without my presence making her feel guilty that she’s done something wrong by not loving me back.”

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