Page 94 of Someone to Tempt
“The guy’s seriously whipped.”
The smile I offer him wobbles at the corners. “What can I tell you? I’m irresistible.”
“Runs in the family.” He disappears toward the kitchen, and I pick up my phone, which is set to Do Not Disturb.
Me: Thanks for having Nick check on me. I’m fine. Just a bad headache.
Jake: Want me to come over and massage your temples?
Me: Appreciate the offer, but I’m going to bed early.
Jake: Want company?
Me: Not tonight, but thank you for?—
I don’t know how to finish that sentence.Caring about mesounds stupid.Your concernis too formal.
What I’d like to say isThank you for making me feel loved, but talk about how to lose a guy in one text.
Me: For everything.
He responds with a kissy face emoji, and I smile. Jake is a big fan of emojis, which would probably surprise most people who know him. It surprises me every time one pings on my screen.
“What’s going on?” Nick demands as he hands me a frothy milkshake.
I close my eyes to savor the creamy perfection. “This tastes like heaven and nirvana had a food baby. How do you do it?”
“It’s three ingredients,” he says with a chuckle. “Not exactly complicated.”
“That’s my point. Three ingredients. When I make a milkshake, it tastes good. This one is an ideal summer night at the local drive-in movie or county fair. It’s happiness in a glass.”
Nick shakes his head but I can tell my effusive praise makes him happy. “I do add a few tears of the unicorn I have chained in your basement to everything.”
“You wouldn’t even have to chain the unicorn,” I tell him. “Any creature would happily do your bidding just to be part of this moment.”
“You give me too much credit, Iris.”
“That’s funny, because I sort of thought I wasn’t giving you enough.”
He pats my leg. “Come on, Sis, tell big brother your troubles.”
“I can’t. You’ll hate me. Or think I’m an awful person.”
“You’re joking, right?”
He slurps his own milkshake, then turns to face me fully on the couch. “Iris, you gave up your dream house savings account to pay my debt one last time. If that’s not rock bottom, I don’t know what is. If you think there’s anything that will make me turn on you, you are sadly mistaken.”
I stare at the melting ice cream in my glass, my voice barely above a whisper. "I had an affair with a married man."
Nick continues to polish off the milkshake, vacuuming the bottom of the glass with the straw to get every last bit of goodness.
“Are you going to finish that?” he asks, reaching for mine.
“Yes,” I tell him, pulling it away. “Areyougoing to react to what I just told you? I’m just like Mom.”
He barks out a laugh. “That’s a stretch.”
“Nick, he wasmarried.”
