Page 51 of A Conflict of Interest

“Then we have a deal. Which means I should probably get to work on that project now… do you want me to work on it here so you can weigh in live?”

She smiled sweetly at me for a second before she sank into my side and pulled me into a quick hug, squeezing me once before she stood up. “That sounds like a plan,” she said. “I’ll grab your stuff. Anything else you want while I’m up?”

“Ah… a latte, maybe.”

“Maybe I owe you for one earlier,” she laughed. “It’s all yours.”

And even once I got back to my apartment later that night, I was reeling from it all, my head spinning with a dizzy, giddy sensation—how Kelcey and I had lingered so long at the door, and how I’d been replaying the split-second eternity of that kiss over and over and over… I was lying in bed when I realized I wasn’t getting to sleep anytime soon, watching fat snowflakes dance and twirl outside the window, thinking about Kelcey watching them fall too, and I absently found myself with my phone in my hands, reading a text from Anna.

Hope you didn’t butcher the date today, Veronica.

I fumbled the phone a little, staring at it, before I hit call, hoping they weren’t in the middle of another furious session of my supposedly cool sister turning into the world’s biggest bottom. She picked up after the first ring.

“Veronica,” she said coolly. “Judging by how you’re only getting back to me this late, I assume the date went well.”

“Did she call it a date?” I tried to match her cool, unbothered tone. I’d give my performance maybe two stars. Out of a hundred. Anna laughed.

“Not necessarily… but it was between the lines she was thinking it. So, how was it? Lunch date extended into something else?”

Kelcey getting excited about the prospect of a date with me… I really was a sucker. Officially could not even make fun of Anna and Lucy anymore. I settled back into bed, wrapping myself up in blankets, and I said, “It was kind of amazing… we were explicitly not making it a date because she needs more time than that to work out how mad she is at me, but we got lunch together, hung out at her place and watched some TV and tried one of her charcuterie boards—she’s kind of a savant with them, what do you know—and talked Christmas presents for her family, so we ended up going to the bookstore, and of course she got a book for herself too—stopped into Target on the way back and got the dopiest stuffed reindeer you’ve ever seen in your life, I’ll send you a picture, Kelcey named him Georg—and we read her new book together. Dramatic live reading, actually. Ensemble cast with the two of us. We think they’d be pretty popular as special unlicensed recordings. We’ve got a knack for it.”

Anna was quiet for a while before she said, “Damn.”

“What, jealous of our skills?”

She laughed. “Not in all my life did I ever imagine I’d hear you this in love with anyone.”

“I’m—” I scowled at the phone. “One date, and that’s all you need to decide I’m the most in love person in the world?” I paused. “And it wasn’t even a date. She was explicit about that, so I want to be clear I’m respecting her boundary.”

“Ma’am, I didn’t say a word about the date itself—or whatever you want to call it. Just the way youtalkabout her. You sound like she’s the most radiant thing ever born of this earth.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Okay, thanks for that. I’m in love with her, of course I’m going to sound like I’m in love with her. She’s wonderful. And I’m still working on that project to try to make sure it’s Kelcey’s name and Kelcey’s name alone on it.”

“Pretty sure you want your name and hers together on it. Or on anything else. Monogrammed items for your household… wedding invitations…”

I smiled dryly at the phone. “Was I this annoying about you and Lucy?”

“Worse, actually, since you were mostly talking about our sex life. Be glad I’m magnanimous, or I’d be here getting revenge.”

“We’re not having sex,” I said. “I’m trying to be very clear to her that I’mnotjust interested in her for her body. Nothing sexual was happening today.”

“Aside from your steady stream of dirty jokes, I’m sure.”

“I didn’t make any! Do you know how many openings I had? Jesus Christ, woman, she got a messy sandwich and was talking about how she couldn’t help getting juices all over her face while she was wiping them off her chest and looking at me the whole time, and Idid notmake a dirty joke. Do you know what kind of willpower that takes?”

“Damn. I don’t even recognize you like that.”

“I’m being respectful.”

“Are we… sure she wasn’t trying to make a pass at you? That sounds like she might have been leaving that opening on purpose.”

I could not entertain that thought. I’d die. The thought of Kelcey actually trying to hear me talk about the dirty things I… I dug my fingernail into my thigh to distract myself beforeI veered off into territory I wasn’t supposed to be in. “If she wants to make a pass at me, she knows where I stand,” I said lightly. “I’m not doing anything unless she very clearly and enthusiastically expresses interest in it.”

She laughed. “She’s done a number on you.”

“Man, I’m putting all this work in on personal development, and you’re just having a laugh at my expense.”

“Hm. I guess it’s what sisters do. It’s not like you’ve been any better on that front. Besides, I think you’ll react worse if I’m sincere, so, actually… let me do that. I’m proud of you, Veronica. And I’m really happy you found someone who makes you feel this way.”

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