Page 114 of Scorned Beauty
“Why are you sorry?” she said. “This is still your penthouse. Looks like she’s the one who owes you an apology.”
“What?”
“Boundaries,” she said. “You asked me to stay here. I’m not feeling guilty about that anymore.”
“You shouldn’t.”
She nodded to the foyer. “Your mother was civil enough not to call me a gold digger to my face, even if that sentiment is closed-captioned over hers.” She laughed in a way I wasn’t sure was mocking or pure humor. “Aaaand, judging from the look on yours, she did say it to you, and no, I didn’t hear it.”
And as though the subject was closed, she walked to the kitchen. “That looks good.”
“Here.” Lucy slid a bowl toward her. “I’m still hungry, though. I’m not sure pastina is going to cut it.”
“We can order takeout.” Sloane fished out her phone from her pajama pocket.
“For fuck’s sake,” I growled and walked toward the fridge and opened it. “The fridge is full. I called in a whole grocery order.”
“Yes, and we’ll have to cook it,” Lucy retorted.
“What do you feel like eating?” Sloane asked.
I forgot I was in the presence of two women who didn’t like to cook unless it was simply to boil water. “Put that phone away.”
I grabbed the marinated short ribs and broccoli from the refrigerator. “I can bake it or fry it.”
“Fried,” Sloane and Lucy piped up in unison.
After dinnerof Korean short ribs, rice, and steamed broccoli, Sloane shooed me from the kitchen, insisting that Lucy and she were on cleanup. My sister protested that she was sick, but I now knew she was full of shit. She was exhausted because she’d been eating crap when I wasn’t around. I wondered how she survived in DC, probably on delivery and eating out.
I’d finished packing more clothes into a duffel and several suits into a garment bag. When I returned to the main living area, the women were already browsing streaming channels.
“What are we watching?” Sloane asked.
“Action,” I suggested.
“There’s this new political thriller about an ambassador,” Lucy said. “It’s two seasons. I’ve been avoiding it since I already worked in DC, but I’ve been missing the rush.”
“I’m game,” Sloane said.
“You don’t have to go with what Lucy wants,” I told Sloane.
“Sit your ass down, bro.” Lucy pointed to the comfy armchair.
She was using her phone to control my home theater system. What the fuck? “You reconfigured my shit?”
Lucy laughed. “What did you expect? You own a high-end club, yet you’re still relying on so many remotes for your different crap.”
“I change my phone all the time.” I sighed, resigned to let my sister take over. “And I wasn’t good about backing things up.”
“Don’t say that to me,” Lucy teased. “Or I can use that against you.”
“Have at it.”
I glanced at Sloane to ask her if she wanted a drink before settling down for the show, but the warm look on her face gave me pause.
“You two are so cute when you argue,” she said.
“Cute?” I drawled, but if it was something that would change her mind about what she thought of me, that I was a regular guy, an older brother joking around with his kid sister, then I was all for it. I caught Lucy’s secretive smile.
