Page 56 of Bordeaux Bombshell
I cut them both off as I set my glass down less gently than anticipated. “Now you’re both just being greedy. Kel’s had this whole day to celebrate, and Philip had a whole week in Vegas to celebrate his marriage.”
Kel grins at me, head lolling a smidge, giving away how not-sober he really is. “Are you jealous, Nathaniel?” His voice has gone a little singsong. “Can’t have a bachelor party without a fiancée. And you gotta have a girlfriend before you can have one of those.”
“No you don’t,” Philip interrupts, then belches. “’Scuse.”
Scrunching his eyebrows, Kel stares Philip down for a moment before speaking. “You have a point. But Nate the Great heredoesn’t even have a best friend like you did. Best he’s got is my sister. His mortal enemy.”
“She’s not my enemy. Think I might be hers, but that’s just because I love her.” My words land on the table like a record scratch.
Oh fuck, I think I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. Still fuzzy-headed, I try to make it better. “I mean, like. I love yourwholefamily, man. Your family is like my family. I’ve always loved her—them—you. Shit.”
Still groping for the right words, I swing my gaze from Kel to Philip, who is grinning at me, arms crossed and turned in his seat, watching us like a football game. Soccer. Football. Whatever.
Sucking in a breath that does nothing to sober me up, I sneak a glance at Kel.
He’s also grinning at me like a fool.
“I fuckingknewit!”
And then the pair of them bombard me with questions that I’m too damn slow at answering.
“How long? Since we were kids?”
“Is this why you’re such an asshole?”
“Must be. Unrequited love makes you mean.”
“Could have blamed it on the whole ‘his legacy was bought out by a billionaire’ thing, mate. But having blue balls the size of Oregon would do it too.”
“Gross, I do not want to think about his—”
“My balls are not blue, thank you very much,” I interrupt, finally wrapping my brain around a topic long enough to speak up. And I’ve said exactly the wrong thing.
“Never talk about your balls and my sister in the same sentence ever again.” Kel gags before downing some water. “Blech. Gross. Okay, wait.” His expression changes, and I know the moment he figures it out. “Hold the fuck on…”
Shit, shit, shit. Fuck. He’s going to kill me. I’m about to be murdered by my best friend in plain sight of his brother-in-law and the waitress who’s standing at the next table taking the order of that old couple. Who are now glaring at us. Oh fuck.
“Fuck. Wait—” I hold my hands out, attempting to placate Kel from across the table. “It’s not like that. That’s not what I meant. I mean, she was in Boston until yesterday, remember?”
Kel shakes his head like he’s trying to clear his brain, while Philip apologizes to the table beside us. Charming fucker has them laughing with only a few words.
“Okay, hang on. Be serious. You and Sydney?” Scowling, Kel stares me down. “How did you know when she got back? Have you seen her already? How did I not know this?”
“She—”
“You love her? Seriously? But I thought you—”
It’s my turn to cut him off. “Yeah, I do. I have since I was about seventeen, if I’m honest. But I’m also an idiot and, according to her, a petulant child. I swear, nothing has happened.” Nothing I’m about to admit to, anyway. “Honestly, until a few months ago, I thought I’d ruined any chance I had with her when I left.”
“Does she love you?”
“Once. Not sure if she does anymore, though.”
Philip turns back to us, slapping the table. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
Draining his glass of water, Kel doesn’t chime in, just stares at me expectantly. “Well?”
If I’d thought about how this conversation might go, I would have predicted more death threats and less acceptance. Maybe all that whiskey earlier was a better idea than I imagined.
