Page 114 of Rebel Bride
“It doesn’t matter. While he might otherwise meet my requirements, that exhibited a cruel streak that I would not like to be part of my child’s genetic make-up.”
Something about this sounded off. “When did this happen?”
“When I was seventeen.”
“Twenty-one years ago!” Rosie yelped. “When Jason was … thirteen?”
“Correct.” She sat up straighter. “It’s set the tone. Any time we meet, he makes it clear he finds me to be a weird egghead type. I once overheard him tell Sean he doesn’t understand how we’re friends. Suffice it to say, I wouldn’t take his genetic material if he begged me. And I certainly won’t be begging him.”
Okay, then. A couple of minutes later, Franky excused herself to go to the bathroom. (A snail-free space, I hoped.)
“Poor Franky,” I murmured. “Maybe it’s good Sean said no? Give her time to think if this is really how she wants to do it.”
Rosie shook her head in wonder. “That Jason business is wild, isn’t it? I wonder what he said, though he probably doesn’t even remember … because he was thirteen!”
I giggled and covered my mouth. “Sorry, but it’s kind of funny-sad to still have a beef with someone from childhood.”
“I know!” Rosie laughed, too. “I’ll have to ask Hatch if his uncle even remembers this shocking name-calling.”
The mention of Hatch provided the perfect opening. “So, I hope you don’t mind, but Addy mentioned that you had a thing for her brother.”
“Conor?”
“No, Hatch.” Weird that Conor was her first thought, though.
“Oh, that’s old news. I’ve known him all my life—we were born a week apart—and people used to joke that we were the Rebels’ arranged marriage. Hatch and I were always, eww, no. We hated the teasing. But then a while back I started to … not hate it?” She shook her head. “I’d see him with other girls and wonder what it might be like. To be honest, getting away for a year of world travel really helped.”
“Well, you had no shortage of man adventures on that trip.”
“A woman in her prime has needs!” She cackled. “I can’t be waiting around for Hatch Kershaw to notice me. Also this last year, he’s been kind of moody and withdrawn. I thought maybe he had some girl he wasn’t telling anyone about, but if he had, he’s not fessed up.”
Maybe that business with Ava had hurt him more than he let on.
Rosie continued. “Anyway, I realized that we wouldn’t be compatible. At all. I need a guy with a more outgoing vibe.”
“Hmm, like you?”
“Right. Don’t get me wrong. Hatch is one of my closest friends and I want only the best for him, but frankly, I don’t think he could handle me.”
Rosie exhibited main character energy, for sure. “Not sure any guy could.”
“I am a lot of woman.” She leveled a hard-nosed gaze at me. “So, are you doing a sisters-before-misters check-in before you go for it with Hatch?”
“What? No! We’re not—I mean, we haven’t—” I sighed. “Oh fuck it.”
“Knew it!”
I covered my face in my hands. “I don’t know how it happened.”
Oh, don’t you, Summer?
Argh, Shelby Mae!
“I saw how he looked at you over dinner. And he’s always acted so weird around you.” She pulled my hands away. “That’s you in the photo that’s doing the rounds, isn’t it?”
“You’ve seen that?”
“Yeah, but honestly it’s not obvious. And the Motors cap? That shit’s as good as Clark Kent’s glasses.” She added a knowing wink that had me giggling. It really was absurd that more people hadn’t seen that photo and caught on to the facts.
