Page 76 of His Secret Gift

She sits down on my bed and crosses her legs. “Why? Is it that plain Jane out there that has your heart now?”

My jaw clenches. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

“Oh,” she nods, “there is something there.”

“It’s none of your business.”

She’s obviously getting desperate because when she stands up again, she grips her belly and says, “What if it’s our business.”

I have to laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Due to severe endometriosis, she had a hysterectomy when we were still together, and I nursed her back to health.

“Dammit. That’s right.” She punches toward the ground.

Then, she giggles too. “That was really stupid.”

My lips curl in on themselves, and I tilt my head while still keeping her gaze. “You think?”

“I’m sorry. I just—I just want another shot.”

I unbutton my sleeves and roll them up. “Why? And don’t say the ‘l’ word.”

She crosses her arms and sways a little. “I guess I just realized what a stupid mistake I made by hurting you.”

Now I sit on my bed. “Well, I appreciate that. I really do. But…”

“It’s too little too late.”

She plops next to me, and we bounce up and down.

“Honestly, yeah.”

“So, is it that girl that I saw you with by the pool?”

I sigh before making eye contact with her again. “No.” I know her all too well. Even if she’s acting like my buddy now, if I tell her about whatever it is that’s going on between me and Kayla, she’ll do her damnedest to insert herself somehow. “Right now, the only thing I’m hoping to score is a contract with Yannis Drakos.”

“Oh!” She takes some folded paper out of her clutch. “About that.”

I can’t make heads or tails of whatever is handwritten on it.

“My father wrote down a few phrases you can use to impress Yannis. He wrote them out phonetically.” She shrugsone shoulder and smiles enough that her dimples show. “I don’t know. I just figured it might help you.”

That’s right. Her dad is Greek.

“The translations are on the back.”

I flip it over and read, “The food is delicious; This is a beautiful country; The local people are very friendly; People are always very helpful here; The history in this country is so extensive; and others.”

“Thank you, sincerely.”

“You’re welcome.” Then, after patting her thighs, she stands up and excuses herself for the night.

I’m impressed. Either than showing up out of nowhere and the bizarre fake baby thing, this was one of the most mature conversations I can remember us having in a long time.

The next day,I’m sitting out in one of the chairs on the shared patio when Harper comes up to me. I turned her list into flashcards.

“Need some help?”

“I’d love it.” I can’t figure out how to pronounce some of the words.

---