Page 19 of Love Unexpected
“Her name is Ana,” I said defensively.
“It could be,” Alex said. “But you can’t know for certain, no matter what Jade says.”
I rolled my eyes and stood, moving to my desk. “Why are you so cynical about this? Where would she have found someone willing to hold up their driver’s license and pose for a picture in the ten minutes it took for her to respond to Jade? She is who she says she is. I’m sure of it.”
Alex shook his head, his expression making it clear he was hardly convinced. “You can’t be sure. Not unless you’ve met her in person.”
“Okay. I’m mostly sure. Sure enough to keep getting to know her.”
Alex sat on the edge of my desk, his posture rigid, his face stern. I got the distinct impression that he was infused with his own worry as my business manager, combined withDani’sworry as my sister. “Is she the reason you broke up with Bridget?”
I immediately shook my head. “Not at all. I got the first message from Ana before we broke up, but I didn’t respond until after. And Bridget and I were destined to break up anyway. Ana didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Alex’s shoulders dropped a tiny fraction. “That’s what Dani said, too. That breaking up with Bridget was a good thing regardless of whether or not this new woman had anything to do with it.”
I reached a hand out and squeezed Alex’s shoulder. “I don’t want you guys to worry about it. I’ve got a good feeling about Ana. And I promise I’m being careful.”
“You think you’re being careful,” Alex said. “But if you’re spending hours chatting with her every night, you’re bound to tell her things. Things she could use against you if she felt compelled to do so.”
“She could, but Jade had her sign a nondisclosure agreement. If she tried, we’d have reason to sue her. Not that she would,” I said. “She isn’t like that. I just need you to trust me on this one.”
He shook his head, his arms crossed firmly across his chest. “Dani doesn’t like it.”
“That should be a feeling she’s used to.” I settled into my chair and turned on my computer. I didn’t have anything specific to do, but if I looked busy, Alex might quit with the interrogation. “She didn’t like Bridget, either.”
“Your sister just wants what’s best for you. And you can’t say you have the greatest track record. You always date the same kind of women, and so far, none of them have been right for you.”
I abandoned my email and swiveled to face Alex head-on. “You and Dani are always saying that, and I still have no idea what you mean. What kind of women do I date?”
Alex paused like he was giving the question serious consideration. “Beautiful ones who love the glow of your spotlight?”
That was it? That was the thing they were focusing on? “Why is that a bad thing?” I smirked. “I amalsobeautiful and love the spotlight.”
“Maybethat’sthe problem,” Alex said. “You’re dating women too much like yourself.”
I tried not to let his observation sink too deep, not wanting to consider what his observation said about me. Bridget had definitely loved the glow of the spotlight. Is that why I’d broken up with her? Because she was stealing some of it from me? I pushed the thought away, immediately recognizing it as false. I hadn’t minded that Bridget liked the spotlight. I just hadn’t liked how much she’d wanted me to change, to conform to what she thought our relationship should look like.
“So what’s Ana like?” Alex asked. “Is she like Bridget? How does she feel about your celebrity status?”
“Actually, I think she likes me despite my celebrity. She’s not like Bridget at all.”
He ran a hand over his jaw. “I’m willing to concede that it’spossibleshe’s a real person and she might be good for you. But I still want you to be careful. Letting someone in that you don’t know, telling them things, personal things, it isn’t safe.”
That sounded like something my very professional business manager would say. “I hear you. And I heard you when you said the same thing five minutes ago. I promise I’m being careful.”
He nodded. “Fine. Just keep me in the loop, all right? If she ever says anything suspicious—
“Alex,” I said, cutting him off. “I got it.”
He sighed and nodded.
“How’s Dani feeling, by the way?”
Alex frowned. “Horrible. She pretty much throws up every morning like clockwork. It’s painful to watch, but she says she doesn’t mind it because it makes her feel better enough to eat. Otherwise, she just feels nauseous all the time.”
I liked to think of myself as a pretty chill guy. But the thought of becoming an uncle when Dani and Alex’s baby was born ignited a level of excitement inside me that I’d never experienced before. I already had a stack of toys that I’d collected back at the house and Dani wasn’t even three months into her pregnancy yet. At leastthatpart of my life wasn’t up for public consumption. Dani’s rules. No public discussion of my soon-to-be niece or nephew until Dani was past the six-month mark in her pregnancy. It was killing me not to talk about it, but I’d only recently rebuilt my relationship with my twin sister; I wasn’t about to screw it up.
“That sucks, man,” I said. “Will it last the whole time?”
