Page 130 of Love is a Game

Chapter 38

Tuck

She’s excited.

Exhilarated.

And we’re talking more than ever.

About everything…exceptus.

The calls come at all hours: morning, midday, late at night. And somehow, we’ve fallen into the habit of FaceTiming more often than not. Maybe it’s because untangling the details of closing her studio—protecting her employees, her reputation, her profit margins—feels like something she needs to do face to face.

Not that I mind. After waking up with her almost every day in Blue Mountain Lake, being apart feels like hell. They say it’s best to rip the Band-Aid off, to make a clean break. But how can I when every call, every glance, every moment with her still carries the scent of hope?

We’ve mapped out a plan to wind down her studio over the next six months, phasing out production without causing chaos. Automatic resupply is off; from now on, materials are ordered manually, only as needed. We’ve streamlined processes, cutting inefficiencies and shifting key accounts to trusted partners. The goal? A clean exit. No loose ends. No unnecessary losses.

And I knew she was on a roll with Mia’s dress—but now that the details are emerging, I’m thrown off.

I shoot a look to the screen propped on the countertop as I turn from the fridge.

“What do you mean you’re designing jewelry? What about redoing the bodice?”

“It’spartof the bodice!” Pen gushes. “And I’m collaborating with Raquel—you know she’s an amazing jewelry designer, right? She was blown away when I suggested it.”

Great. Now, she’s opened a portal to more of Raquel’s endless wisdom.

“Why the strangled face, Tuck?” she asks, all innocence.

“Just thinking how Raquel had all that advice for you about having a baby.”

“Huh?” Pen frowns. “You mean, how she told me that sexual attraction is the most important element in determining the father?”

“She did?”

Okay. Not what I was expecting.

“Yep. According to Raquel, there’s like this wisdom built into our cells. An…‘evolutionary mastercode’, she called it.” Pen reflects. “That means we’re naturally drawn to people whose DNA complements ours. Something about improving the odds for the baby, healthy genes, and fewer risks. Nature’s way of improving the genetic odds.”

I pull up a stool, attempting to process that.

“Basically…” Pen gives a dramatic pause, “she said if I’m so into you—to the point we’re, you know, constantly acting on it—then maybe biology’s giving me the green light.”

I bypass the grin on my face to take a long, slow gulp of water.

Then, I glance up as the silence stretches. “What?”

Pen bites her lip. “Well, with everything Raquel said rolling around my head and you, um…well, your shirt—”

I snort. “What shirt? You’re calling at seven in the morning. I just worked out. Sorry if I’m offending your sensibilities,Miss Bennet.”

She giggles. “I forgot Susan’s high school reading list included a good dose of Jane Austen.”

“Oh yeah—always insists she’s still relevant. I guess if you’re into stuffy English period novels, she’s not the worst you could read.”

“I have to admit, Mr. Darcy’s proposal is super hot.” Pen smiles coyly.

I raise a brow. “Hissecondproposal, I assume? The first one didn’t exactly go over well.”

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