Page 40 of A Reluctant Boy Toy
“I see you couldn’t help yourself.” He acknowledged my hard work as he sat on the couch. I dried my hands before folding the towel over the handle on the oven door.
“It’s a sickness. I can’t go to anyone’s house without washing their dishes.”
“Your mother raised you right.”
I couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped me.
“What?” His look of confusion made me laugh harder.
“I’ve never seen my mother so much as rinse a glass.”
His bright-blue eye focused on my hands. “So how’d you get so well mannered?”
“Because…” I spent a few seconds deciding how truthful to be. “Because the world was alien, and I wanted to blend in. I love parties, so I picked someone I thought was good at them and learned to do the things he did.”
Stone stared at me, unblinking.
“What?” I folded my hands. “Is that too weird?”
“No. I just never heard anyone admit that.” He frowned. “A lot of people feel alienated. It’s a natural thing, choosing a mentor and emulating them when you feel out of your depth.”
“It seemed like a good way to go about things at the time.”
There was very little left in our second bottle of wine, so I poured the rest between our glasses and joined him on the couch.
“What about your mom?” He took the wine I offered and gazed at it thoughtfully.
“What about her?” I picked a wad of fur from my trousers and let it fall to the floor.
“Was your mother a role model in any way?”
I swallowed a laugh. “You could say Mom’s more of an object lesson.”
He chuckled. “So who is this person who taught you to do the dishes at other people’s homes?”
“My friend Enzo.” The memory of a couple shows on the catwalk with Enzo Giancarlo made me smile. “Everyone adores him. He knows wine, always brings treats to a party, and never leaves without helping the hostess tidy up. Even if it’s just to take things into the kitchen for the maid, he insists. His hosts enjoy doing the dishes with him more than their parties. He sings while he works. I thought, that’s whoIwant to be.”
“He sounds like a good person.”
“Comme si, comme ça.” I grimaced. “Fun people aren’t always good people. But he is, mostly.”
Knees bracketing Morrigan’s big body, Stone played with her soft ears. Her expression was pure rapture. She leaned her head against his thigh while he stroked the fur on her neck.
Abruptly, he said, “Can I ask you something, Sebastian?”
“Sure.”
“What triggered you today?”
I sighed and put my glass down. “Dang it, Molly.”
“She wouldn’t tell me anything.” He flushed. “I asked, and she said to ask you.”
“I can’t talk about it.”
“I understand.” He tilted his wineglass toward the light and looked through it. “I have a hard time talking about what happened to me.”
“It’s not that. I’ve made my peace with the past.” I reallycouldn’ttalk about what happened because it related to part of a lawsuit that ended with a very specific NDA.
