Page 84 of My Irresistible Enemy

“Besides,” Gabe put in, “if there’s one person built for fame in this little trio, it’s definitely Aiden, not Brooklyn or me.”

“You know, he did get stopped and recognized four times on our walk over here,” Nora confided. “Asked for autographs and selfies. I think you might be onto something.”

“That might have had more to do with the fact that we were lugging giant camera equipment around with us,” I said. “But hey, I’ll take what I can get.”

“That sounds suspiciously similar to something you said early on in the season,” Nora said. “Regarding your goals for the show, and what—or should I saywho—you were looking to go home with.”

“What can I say? I’m an open-minded kind of guy.”

Nora looked back at Gabe. “Would you say that Aiden’s always been a romantic?”

Gabe snorted. “Romantic? That’s, uh, one word you could use to describe him. Not necessarily a very accurate one, but sure.”

“Hey!” I objected. “Don’t slander me in front of America.”

“You’ve been slandering yourself since day one,” he said. “Don’t pretend like you’re offended just because someone else is saying it now.”

“Maybe I’m a changed man. Maybe I repent of my whori—uh, horrible ways,” I said, catching myself at the last second when Nora shot me a worried glance.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Gabe laughed.

“So you don’t think Nolan’s had any kind of influence on him?” Nora asked.

“I’m more worried about the kind of influence Aiden is going to have on Nolan than the other way around,” Gabe said. “He seems like a great guy. And while I’m all for people making new friends, I kind of want to tell him to run away while he still has his dignity intact.”

“Excuse me, if I’d have known you were just going to be defaming my character this whole time, I wouldn’t have agreed to this interview,” I said.

“Yes, you would have, because you love being the center of attention.” Gabe arched an eyebrow at me, and I glared back mutinously. “See?” he continued. “You’re not even saying anything right now because you know I’m right.”

“I’m not saying anything right now because I know I’m doomed to be misinterpreted and maligned no matterwhatI say, so why should I give you more ammunition?”

“Just keep telling yourself that.”

“I noticed you called it a friendship,” Nora said, laughing. “Between Nolan and Aiden, I mean. I guess that means you don’t have any special insight into the nature of their relationship? Because neither one of them will confirm or deny anything on record.”

I gave Gabe the slightest shake of my head, and he smiled apologetically.

“Unfortunately, it’s theonething Aiden refuses to talk about,” he said. “Which, you know, read into that what you will. But I don’t know any more than anyone watching along at home.”

“And do you have any hopes for the semi-finals and the finale?” Nora asked. “I’m assuming you’re rooting for your brother to win it all?”

“Well, obviously I’d love for Aiden to win. But he’s got some fierce competition,” Gabe said. “I still can’t get over the challah Aisha made during bread week. Amazing.”

“And Lucinda’s been just fabulous the whole way through this season,” Brooklyn put in. “I honestly don’t want anyone to go home. Can’t we just have four winners?”

“I know, right?” Gabe agreed. “Though even if Aiden doesn’t win the whole thing, we’re so proud of him for making it this far.”

“And hey, even if he doesn’t take the trophy and the money home, he could still end up walking away with someone’s heart,” Brooklyn said.

Gabe grinned. “Who could ask for a better grand prize than that?”

It was, overall, a fantastic interview. I hadn’t told Gabe to tease me, but he’d seemed to understand it was the perfect way to make me seem more sympathetic while showing a brotherly bond. And he’d played the questions about Nolan perfectly, without even needing me to coach him.

I was feeling good when we wrapped the segment. Nora headed back to the Wisteria, her team rolling the camera, sound, and lighting equipment behind her on a little cart. Brooklyn had to go inside to work on some grading, but I hung around with Gabe for a bit longer. It really had been a while since we’d had a chance to catch up.

“That went well,” he said, coming back to the balcony after showing Nora out. “At least, I thought so. I wasn’t too mean or jokey, was I?”

“No, you were perfect.” I leaned down on the railing and looked out over the tiny courtyard below. Potted palms rustled in the breeze, and coral honeysuckle wound and looped along trellises.

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