Page 33 of Once Upon a Boyband
“It’s not weird. He said he wasn’t ready. Why aren’t we celebrating a man being honest about what he wants and when he wants it?”
“Fine. I’m celebrating. But I’d be celebrating more if he’d slipped you a little tongue.”
I swat him in the shoulder, then gasp when Mimi says, “Mr. Martinson could give him some pointers.”
Across the room, someone calls out bingo, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Finally,” I say. “I’m done with you troublemakers.”
I clean off my board and start picking up my chips whenmy watch vibrates with an incoming call. I glance at it, my heart skipping the tiniest bit when I see Adam’s name on the screen. I grab my purse from the back of my chair and nudge Percy. “Adam’s calling. Clean up for me? I’ll be right back.”
He nods as I leave the table and move to the back of the room, where refreshments line the wall, and answer the call.
“Hey!” I say.
“Hey.” The deep rumble of even just that one word sends a delicious shiver down my spine. “How are you?”
“I just won bingo at Shady Pines, so I’m absolutely fabulous. How are you?”
“Actually, I’m in a little bit of a predicament, and was hoping you might be free to help me—but only if it won’t mess with your evening.”
“Not at all. Things shut down early around here, so we’re almost done. What can I do? Is Taylor okay?”
“Yeah. She’s great. Still no puppies. But none of my regular volunteers are free, and I’m stuck in Asheville traffic with Sarah. I know this is a really big ask, but do you think you could drive out to the rescue and handle the dinner routine for me? They usually eat around five, and we’re still an hour and a half away with no sign of any movement on the interstate.”
“Does she know I’m your sister?” a voice says somewhere in the background. The call must be on speaker phone or piped through the sound system in Adam’s SUV. “I’m his sister, Laney. He’s with Sarah who is hissister.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Adam says. “I’ve told her you're my sister.”
I smile at the irritation in his voice because it’s exactly how I talk to my sister when she’s driving me crazy.
“Just making sure,” Sarah says. “I didn’t want her to think you were on a date. You have to be clear about these things.”
“I just had dinner with Laney last weekend, and I’m seeing her again tomorrow night. You really think I would date someone else in between?” Adam asks, and his tone is so genuine, I instantly know he would never do something like that.
Sarah tsks. “You poor, innocent man,” she says. “Do you know anything about your own species?”
“Do you know anything aboutme?” he shoots back.
“Okay, that's fair,” Sarah says. “You would never do that. But I just wanted to make sureLaneyknew too.”
I chuckle at their good-natured back-and-forth. “It’s nice to finally talk to you, Sarah. I hope I meet you in person soon.”
“Me too!” Sarah says. “I’ve heard so much about you. Did Adam for real tell you about me already? The man doesnotlike talking about his private life.”
“He did,” I say. “He mentioned you pretty quickly, actually.”
“Aww,” Sarah says. “That makes me happy. And gives me a very good feeling about you. I bet he tells youallhis secrets.”
“Sarah,” Adam says, a slight edge to his voice.
“What? I didn’t sayIwas going to tell your secrets.” She clears her throat. “Or that you even have any. I was just talking about…hypothetical secrets. And saying that if you did happen to have any, you probably wouldn’t share them with just anyone.”
“Are you finished?” Adam asks when Sarah’s rambling finally stops.
“Completely,” she says. “No more secret talk.”
Somehow, Sarah’s insistence that he doesnothave any secrets only makes me more certain Adam does.
“What do you say, Laney?” Adam asks, ignoring his sister. “Can you help? I’ll try my volunteers again if you can’t, so no pressure to say yes.”
