Page 78 of The Wrong Date Deal

Piper’s stomach twisted, certain he was about to call out their closeness and not wanting the electric energy between them to be broken by someone commenting on it.

“Yes?” August asked, somehow recovering faster than Piper and smiling at Hermes.

“Tell me your brother’s worst roommate qualities. What do I need to know before he moves in?”

“You do know he and I don’t live together, right?” August paused, the penny dropping. “Wait.Beforehe moves in? Does that mean you’ve agreed to let him?”

Hermes smiled, something very slightly smug but not in a negative way. It was the smile that told Piper Shea was right. Hermes was going to be absolutely fine with August.

“Maybe,” he said, inspecting his fingernails.

“Hermes,” Piper said, warningly.

He laughed, shooting her a look that conveyed he’d noticed exactly where her hand was still resting. He looked back at August. “Assuming you don’t have anything truly terrible to share, yes, I’m perfectly happy for him to move into my place.”

“Oh, my god,” August breathed, and, even if Piper hadn’t been touching her, she’d have been able to see the tension August was carrying over the topic. “And Ford agreed?”

Hermes raised an eyebrow. “Should he not have? Do I not seem like an absolute gift to live with?”

“No. Yes. You do. I just… Ford’s been so reluctant to move.”

“He said he’d told you he was ready?”

August nodded. “He did. I just wasn’t sure he’d actually be able to.”

Piper looked at her fondly, caressing August’s back with her thumb. It was a risky move given they were trying so hard to ignore that it was happening, but she could tell August needed the comfort. The responsibility she felt towards Ford and his living situation was even heavier than she’d let on. Piper still wasn’t sure it was hers to carry, but emotions were just like that, she supposed.

“I mean, clearly, I’m just irresistible,” Hermes said, sniffing lightly.

August laughed, the sound a little awkward. “He’s—I don’t know if he mentioned it, but he’s just had a bit of an awkward situation with one of his current roommates…”

“Holly. Yes, he mentioned.”

“I don’t want him to get stuck in anything like that.”

Hermes shot August a look. “You don’t need to worry. Your brother is hot and all—”

“I don’t need to know that.”

“—but I don’t sleep with my roommates. It overcomplicates things.”

Piper shot him a look. That had never been a rule he’d mentioned before. As far as she knew, since he stopped couch surfing, he’d never had the remotest bit of interest in anyone he’d lived with. Then again, he’d mostly lived alone and it hadn’t been an issue. Perhaps it wouldn’t be an issue with Ford, either, but Piper was hardly the authority on resisting Carmichael siblings. She hadn’t even been trying to date August and she’d still ended up here.

August nodded. “Okay. Great.” She looked like a huge weight was being lifted from her shoulders and she softened, leaning a little more into Piper’s side.

“So, any skeletons in the closet I need to know about?” Hermes asked. “I do know you don’t technically live together, but he mentioned staying at your place a lot.”

August glanced around, clearly still astounded things were working out for Ford and that he was willing to move out of his current place. “I think the biggest skeleton we have—at least that I know about—is our names.”

Hermes tilted his head. “How so?”

August laughed. “Our parents pulled from the family tree to name us.”

Hermes, for obvious reasons, wasn’t the type to ask whether the name somebody introduced themselves as was their birth name, but Piper could see he was curious about August’s comments. “Right…” he said slowly.

August smiled, taking pity on him. “Augusta and Buford. It’s not a secret, we just don’t use those names on a daily basis.”

Hermes watched her with narrowed eyes. “Your name is Augusta?”

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