Page 36 of Rebel Secrets
“Yeah.”
Rain flopped next to me on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with me.
“Is she really that bad?”
I sighed like a hormonal teenager.“No, she’s not.Of course, she’s not.We actually had a nice day.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
The problem was I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Rebel since our not-date Monday night.And that was a major problem.I’d seen another side of him.The non-grumpy side.So what?I was sure he’d be back to his same grumpy self the next time I saw him.
“I feel like I’m still twelve when I’m with her.But that’s a ‘me’ problem.”
“You wanna talk about it?Or do you wanna go have some wine and whine?”
I glanced over at Rain, who had a goofy smile on her face but was clearly pleased with her wordplay.I grinned and shook my head.
“No on both.I’m on a self-imposed alcohol freeze until the wedding.I don’t want to have to worry about fitting into my dress.And I’ve got a therapist for whining.”
“Did you decide to go to your cousin’s wedding stag?”
My nose curled.“I hate that word.It seems so…male centric.”
“Would you rather I ask if you’re going alone?”
“That sounds pathetic.”
Rain rolled her eyes.“Are you taking anyone with you?Jeez, I should know better than to fight with verbally spar with a writer.”
“Except I’m not really a writer.”
“Sounds like something your mom said yesterday.”
“She’s not wrong.I wasn’t trained as a writer.Actually, I wasn’t really trained to do anything except take tests and do very, very well on them.”
Rain’s expression hardened.“You went to college for four years and didn’t learn anything other than how to read textbooks?I call bullshit.You write articles for the newspaper, articles that make people laugh.You’re really good at those, you know.And you run two businesses.Well, three if you count how much you do for your granddad at the paper.”
Rolling onto my side, I bent my arm and propped my head on my hand.“You’re a really good friend.Will you marry me?Ooh, or you could come to the wedding with me.”
“You know I would except Brian and I are going to the shore that week.”
“Shit.I forgot.”I really hadn’t but I could hope something had changed.“I just…really don’t want to go alone.My sister will be there with her perfect husband, and my brother will be there with his flavor of the week, and she’ll be some beautiful woman with an amazing career.
“And all night, I’ll have to fend off questions about how I’m such a good person to give up everything to help my elderly grandfather manage his affairs.Like he’s on his deathbed, and I’m just waiting for him to die so I can collect his money.”
“Your family reunions must be loads of fun.”
“We don’t have reunions.We have board meetings, and no, they’re not fun.”
“Wow.Your family drama sounds made for TV.”
“I swear my parents’ staff leaks info to the tabloids.It’s a nightmare.”
“Did you just say your parents have staff?Like, ‘maids and butlers’ staff?”
Erin and I had been friends since the moment we met in the Tea Room where Granddad and I had had dinner the first night I’d arrived.He’d introduced us and, when she hadn’t run from my initial obnoxious, anxiety-ridden verbal assault, I’d immediately realized she was a keeper.
But even though I’d told her a lot about me, I hadn’t exactly told her a lot about my family.I mean, sure I bitched about my mom like a normal person, and I’d told her a little about my dad, though that was a touchier subject.I didn’t feel like I had a real relationship with him.
