Page 35 of Stuck With the Billionaire Grump

I raise my eyebrows at her. “Mischievous?”

Josie beams. “A prank. I mean, I’ve really only been planning it since, like, today, but still… hold on. I’ll be right back.”

We all wait, vaguely confused, as Josie scurries upstairs to her old room, where a bunch of half-packed boxes are still waiting to be transported down the street to the new Cromwell abode. Less than a minute later, she returns to the living room with flushed cheeks.

Slightly breathless, she sets down a handful of Walmart bags—the contents a mystery—on the armchair she just vacated. “Okay, so the boys are all over at the new house, right? They’re doing boring guy stuff in the backyard, I think. Grilling meat and drinking whiskey and talking about stocks or whatever. Elijah said it was just alow-keything, and he only planned it because he knew I’d be here tonight. So, I was thinking, why not make his little bachelor hangout a bit less boring? With a fun little prank!”

Mabel raises her eyebrows questioningly at Josie. Ruby quirks her head to the side while Amy smirks, a devious glint in her eyes the moment she heard the wordprank.

Josie lets out a nervous bubble of laughter and then reaches into one of the bags. She pulls out a colorful plastic package and holds it high above her head like she’s hoisting a trophy into the air. It takes us a moment to realize what it is.

Water balloons.

Josie bounces on the balls of her feet as everyone breaks into smiles. “It can’t be a real slumber party unless we cause a little bit of trouble, right?”

I glance into the bags. She must’ve boughthundredsof little, rainbow-hued water bombs.

“Absolutely, Jo,” I say. “You’re a genius.”

Chapter Twelve: Theo

“These are straight from Milan,” Eric boasts, holding out the tin of Italian cigars for the guys to take one if they’d like. “They’re the best you can possibly get, I swear.”

With a smile that looks somewhat forced, Elijah takes one—probably just to be polite. “When did you go to Italy?”

Eric laughs. “I didn’t. I order these from a special website. I’ll send you the link.”

“Oh… thanks.”

Elijah frowns down at the cigar. Even for recreational purposes, or masculine bravado, I know that Elijah doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t do much of anything at all in that regard, except enjoy a good bottle of whiskey. And even though I don’t like to boast, I know nothing can top the fresh bottle of Macallan I brought to the party. If that’s what you can call this get-together. It’s more like seven of us guys, most of us Caltech alumni, gathered around the fire pit in Elijah’s backyard.

I haven’t participated in the conversation much, but that’s normal for me. None of the guys I knew from college pressureme to offer my two cents on whatever it is they’re inclined to talk about at this extremely low-key bachelor kickback. I’m grateful for it.

Eric offers me the tin. I shake my head, hoping to politely decline without offering an excuse.

“Come on, live a little,” Eric says.

For some reason, I really don’t like this guy. It’s not that he’s rude or impolite or boisterous. He’s good-looking, well-mannered, and generally friendly. Objectively, I can acknowledge that.

Despite that, he annoys me. I keep thinking about the way he was constantly gravitating toward Lucy at the barbecue yesterday, and the way he so casually and comfortably touched the sleeve of her dress. He’s one of those guys who can match her energy, with all his charm and charisma and chattiness. He makes people laugh with no effort at all, and he never seems to struggle with words.

Maybe that’s why I can’t stand him. Because I’m jealous of him.

Not because of the Lucy stuff.

Just… the other stuff. The social skills.

Then again, I’ve always known that I could overcome my introversion if I really wanted to. It’s not like I’m stuck in my ways. I could learn how to fake it well enough, at least. I’ve just never wanted to. I’m content with who I am.

And who I am is the complete opposite of Lucy. The complete opposite of Eric, too.

Which is why, once again, they’re clearly very suited for each other.

Good.

Fine.

Whatever.

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