Page 63 of The Dating Ban
“Ouch,” I laugh.
“Brutal,” Jasper adds.
Geoff tilts his head back dramatically. “Fine. I can take rejection.”
“You should be good at it by now,” I say.
Jasper grins. “It’s almost impressive, really.”
Geoff narrows his eyes at us. “You both suck.”
“Language!” I warn.
“Ivy is the single one,” Christa says with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
I catch the look that passes between my brothers—one of those silent, devious exchanges that means nothing good is about to happen for me.
Geoff turns to Christa, looking far too pleased with himself. “Well, Christa, since you are clearly the expert on happy relationships, got any tips for Theo? He’s been single so long, I’m starting to worry he’s forgotten how it works.”
I frown. “Excuse me?”
Jasper jumps in, grinning. “Yeah, maybe you two can give him some pointers. You know, help him out a bit.”
I shoot them both a warning look whilst trying to ignore that my ears are burning. “I do not need help.”
Christa leans back against the edge of the hot tub with a thoughtful expression. “Well, Theo does have some good qualities. He makes excellent coffee. He’s not terrible to look at. He’s occasionally charming.”
“Wow,” I deadpan. “So generous.”
Geoff nods, playing along. “Yeah, but he works too much. He’s always busy. That’s probably his main issue.”
Jasper strokes his imaginary beard like he’s Sigmund Freud analysing my psyche. “Maybe he should practice flirting? You know, get back into the game.”
I groan loudly. “Okay, we’re not doing this.”
But before I can fully shut it down, a little voice pipes up.
“My daddy doesn’t need a girlfriend.”
The entire hot tub falls silent.
Lucy, still floating between us, looks very serious. She lifts her chin with determination. “He has me and he has Ivy.”
My mouth slams shut.
Ivy, beside me, stiffens slightly.
Jasper and Geoff share a look that screams victory whilst Christa is in a fit of giggles.
Geoff is the first to recover, pressing a hand over his mouth like he’s trying so hard not to laugh. “Well. There you go, Theo. Sorted.”
Jasper grins. “No need for a girlfriend when you’ve got Lucy and Ivy, huh?”
I feel Ivy shift beside me, but I don’t dare look at her.
Lucy nods firmly. “Daddy and Ivy are best friends,” she announces. “She’s fun, and she makes nice Santas, and she brings me yummy snacks. That’s way better than a girlfriend.”
Jasper chokes on a laugh. Christa snorts into her drink.
