Page 12 of Operation Annulment
Knowing doesn’t stop the butterflies from fluttering in my chest, though.
Kate: Nah. Too fancy. I was actually thinking McDonald’s, and then, if we have enough time, maybe we can hit up a biker bar afterward.
Nate: You’re the boss, darlin’.
“You just couldn’t leave well enough alone,could you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shove my phone in the back pocket of my jeans and put some plates in the cabinet, pretending I don’t see my sister glaring at me from the other side of the kitchen.
I regret my decision to help Dakota move into her new place because she’s spent most of the day trying to set me up with the realtor who helped her find the house. Well, when she’s not sneaking off to make out with Thor.
So far, she’s grilled Jeremy about his love life and admitted she’s worried I’ll die alone.
Real subtle.
Little does she know… been there, done that. He and I slept together after a chamber of commerce event, and I may or may not have dodged his calls ever since.
“I’m talking about Nate, Mary Katherine!” She drops a hand to her hip with a huff. “Covered in tattoos? Has ex-wife drama? Does any of this ring a bell?”
“Are you really lecturing me right now? Because I don’t have to help you unpack.”
“You’re lecturing me now?” I raise an eyebrow.
She scrapes a hand over her face before taking a deep breath. “He’s no good for you, Kate. We talked about it at breakfast yesterday. I don’t know how you’re so good at counseling people, yet you go out of your way to sabotage yourself. What’s wrong with Jeremy?”
“He brought breakfast for everyone, Dakota. Please don’t make a big thing out of it,” I beg, feeling the start of a headache blooming behind my eyes.
“No. He’s totally into you, and it’s as if you’re blind to it.”
“Oh, I am very much aware of how Jeremy feels,” I bite out through gritted teeth. “And I do not sabotage myself.”
She cocks her head to the side with a snort. “Yeah, what would you call what you’re doing then—self-flagging?”
“Self-flagellation?” I guess I can say with extreme confidence that I am not flogging myself.”
I want to shake her by the shoulders andscream that she has no idea how many times I’ve forfeited my happiness in favor of hers—the times I went without so she could have. “Also, who died and made you relationship queen? Zane pretended you didn’t exist yesterday, and I didn’t try to tell you what to do.”
“That was more of a misunderstanding,” she says, rubbing at the back of her neck. “And I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I just want you to be happy, and I think Jeremy could make you happy.”
No, Jeremy would makeNanhappy.
Successful career.
Luxury vehicle.
Owns his own home.
