Page 28 of Simply Irresistible
Oh, I knew what direction she was headed in with that. “Don’t be sorry you have a family, Mel.”
“I just feel bad.”
I fucking hated pity. More than anything else. I strongly believed that some of my former girlfriends dated me because they thought I was a project. An orphaned boy who needed love and affection. My sister had given me plenty of love and affection, though. Sure, it was a different kind of love than what I would have gotten from my mother, but I never felt like I was lacking. Once I got over being pissed at the world for my parents’ deaths, I was okay.
“Don’t,” I told her. Maybe too firmly because she startled. I reached for her hand again. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you, of all people, to pity me.”
“I don’t pity you,” she said, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she at least felt sad for me. I supposed that was okay. Over the last several weeks, I’d learned she had a lot of feelings. Not that there was anything wrong with that. “Even though your pop culture preferences leave a lot to be desired.”
“You really want to go there now? We’re in public, Spice.”
She shrugged. “Maybe you won’t cry like a baby when you have an audience.”
“I had something in my eye!”
“Right, it had nothing to do with me winning the argument that the New Kids are a better boy band than ‘NSync and Backstreet Boys combined.” She looked so smug leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed.
I stretched my arms out in front of me, entwined my fingers, and cracked my knuckles, preparing for war. Banter with Melanie was like an aphrodisiac, and I couldn’t wait until later tonight. “Let’s do this.”
14
Melanie
The toe of my heeled strappy sandal tapped against the floor of the train car as Tyler and I sped down the tracks towards my parents’ home in Port Jefferson. He rested his warm hand on my bare knee and the movement stopped. He had that calming effect on me.
Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.
I had my man by my side—I hadaman, period. There was nothing fun being part of a large family and being single. Everyone was always asking “When are you going to settle down with a nice man?” or, my favorite, “You aren’t getting any younger.” I was in my early twenties, Aunt B, thanks a lot for making me feel like an old maid. At least my arrival with Tyler would keep them off my back. It was times like those when I wished I had siblings to take some of the heat, but alas, I was an only child.
Tyler popped the lid on the Tupperware and ate another chocolate chip cookie. I couldn’t even shame him for it since he made the cookies. I didn’t have a culinary bone in my body. Something else my family always had a field day with.
“It’s going to be fine,” Tyler mumbled around the cookie in his mouth. He was careful to catch the loose crumbs in his hand.
“You can’t say that. You haven’t met them yet.”
“Parents love me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever met a girlfriend’s parents?”
He seemed to consider my question, then shook his head. “Nope. Never really had a girlfriend I wanted to take that step with.”
And just like that, I was warm all over again. I wrapped my arm around his and leaned into his side, resting my head against the sleeve of his polo shirt. He smelled like fresh linen, but he couldn’t tell me what kind of detergent he used since he always sent his laundry out.
We’d unintentionally matched today, him in a pale blue and green striped shirt and khakis and me in a pale green gingham sundress. My white strappy sandals matched the lightweight sweater I brought with me for the ride home since the late summer evening may end up chillier than the warm day. Tyler was in brown loafers. He looked like a sexy prep. I wanted to demand the conductor turn the train around so I could take him back to my tiny apartment and do things to him.
Tyler smirked. “You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
I blinked, hating how my every thought showed on my face. Shrugging, I ignored his comment. “So remember, my Uncle James-”
“Doesn’t like to be touched, but his twin brother, David, is a hugger. I can tell the difference between the two of them because David has a full beard and James wishes he did.”
I gave his firm stomach a hard pat. “That’s not nice.”
He rolled his head back and laughed. “Spice, you said your Uncle James has been trying to grow a beard for years but can only manage to get a few patches here and there. Obviously, he wishes he had the beard his brother does.”
“Yeah, well he’s sensitive about it, so don’t say anything.”
He rolled his eyes. “As if I’d use your uncles’ beards as my icebreakers. I’m more concerned about not being Greek.”
