Page 340 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“Sounds great.”
“You want a menu?”
I wave a dismissive hand. “Whatever you have extra is fine.”
Lennox leaves me in his office, and I kill time by pulling out my phone and checking my messages. I regret it the minute my phone is in my hand. Kenji has sent over another Instagram post from Claire. This one is a picture of the two of us. I recognize it immediately—we took it in Costa Rica when we were still dating and still filmingTurning Tides.The background of the photo is dark enough that you can’t really tell where we are, something Claire uses to her advantage because her caption makes it sound like the photo wasjusttaken.
Kenji:She isn’t leaving much room for debate, man. If you don’t say something soon, you’re as good as confirming your relationship.
Lennox pushes into his office holding two steaming plates and puts one down on either side of the desk. I drop my phone onto the desk and reach for the fork he just pulled out of his apron pocket.
“Baked salmon with mango creme fraiche, tropical chutney, and coconut lime rice.”
“Sounds amazing.”
He sits down across from me and shovels in an enormous bite. He motions toward my phone. “Who’s the woman?” he asks around his food, his words almost too muffled for me to understand him.
“Don’t get me started,” I say glumly. I take my own bite, the flavors immediately exploding on my tongue. “Dude, this is amazing.”
“One of my favorites,” Lennox says. “Is that the squirrel lady? Audrey, right?”
“What? No. It’s not—it’s Claire McKinsey.”
“Really?” Lennox takes another bite—the man is eating incredibly fast—then reaches for my phone. “Her hair’s darker. I didn’t recognize her. Did she just post this?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“So sheisstill your ex.”
I sigh. “Definitely. But apparently, she’s happy to let the world think she isn’t.”
“That really sucks.”
“Whatever. I don’t want to talk about it. How are you? How’s the baby?”
Lennox smiles wide. “She’s great. Sleeping like a champ. You should come by and see her some morning. She’s growing so fast, man. It feels like she’s different every time I see her.”
“Yeah? I’d like that.”
Maybe this has been my problem. Instead of thinking like a bachelor, looking for nights out with my brothers, I need to think like a dad and show up for breakfast and playdates.
We eat in silence for another minute until Lennox drops his fork, his plate clean. He nods toward my phone. “So what are you going to do about Claire? Is this one of those situations where you’ll get in more trouble if you respond?”
“Maybe. It’s more complicated because ofTurning Tides.I don’t want to start something and have it reflect poorly on the movie.”
“Who cares about the movie? She’s yanking you around, and that’s not cool. If it were me, I’d take back control however I could.” He stands and motions toward my plate. “You finished?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
He takes my empty plate, stacking it with his own, then heads toward the door. “I’ve got to get back to work, but seriously, come by anytime. You’re always welcome.”
He leaves me in his office, promising he’ll send in dessert if I have time to wait around a few more minutes. I reach for my phone—I’m not about to turn down one of Lennox’s desserts—and scroll back to the picture Claire posted.
Lennox is right. I can’t let her keep doing this.
Making sure I’m logged in to my public Instagram account, I post a comment on Claire’s picture.I remember this night! We’d just filmed our last scene together for #TurningTides. So many happy memories! See you at the premiere!
Then I text Joni and ask her to send over Audrey’s address.
