Page 60 of For Butter or Worse
“Yes, okay? You have excellent taste in wine and terrible taste in men, are you happy?” He took a long sip.
He was surprised when he looked over and saw her smiling.
“I do have great taste in wine, you’re right.” She took another, longer sip. “Where were we supposed to be going tonight?”
“I figured you wouldn’t be up for a bunch of photo ops after...” He didn’t want to finish the sentence.After your ex kissed you.
“Yeah.” She took another sip of wine.
“We were going to go to the Haunted Hayride.” He sat on the couch and glanced up at her. He’d been so excited to take her to the yearly festival—haunted houses, candy apples, the works. Anyone who loved Halloween would love the date he’d planned.
“Are you kidding me? The haunted houses are legit scary.” She angrily flopped onto the couch next to him. “Ugh, Charlie.”
He was secretly pleased she was mad at Charlie.
“Tom is going to be livid that we don’t have anything to post.” She gnawed on her lip.
“I have a solution for that.” He leaned forward. Then reached his hand down toward her bare foot. “May I?”
She cringed. “Whatever you’re about to do, please don’t.”
But she also didn’t protest when he gently lifted both her feet until they were resting firmly on the white coffee table in front of them. Then he placed his leather loafers next to hers. They were so close they were almost on the same couch cushion, and he didn’t move to correct that. “Hold up your wineglass and give me your phone.”
“I’m too tired to argue.”
He positioned the camera lens so it captured their clinking glasses and the way their legs touched. The gas fireplace was on in the background, andHocus Pocuswas on the big screen. The staged photo created the impression of a perfectly cozy night in, which was exactly what a real couple might be doing.
“You really do have striking feet,” Leo said. He opened her Instagram and added the photo. “The fetish porn site I’m uploading this to is going to have a field day.”
“I know you’re joking. Well, I think you’re joking.”
Leo gave a half grin back. She raised an eyebrow as she took another sip of wine. He’d been treading lightly around her all night, but now they seemed back to the place they’d left off before he-who-shall-not-be-named showed up.
He typed the caption:Wine, takeout, and a virgin lighting the black flame candle. Photo @LeoODonnell.Then turned the phone to show Nina. She grabbed it, deleted his caption, then typed her own.
I put a spell on you. Photo @LeoODonnell.She turned the phone back to him, and he saw she’d posted the photo. She had no idea how accurate of a caption she’d written.
He pulled out his own phone and began to type a comment:Because I’m yours...His finger hovered over the send button, and he realized his comment was just as truthful as her caption. It seemed ridiculous that the way he was revealing his true feelings was through an Instagram post. But, then again, it felt easier to couch them in the safety of his phone screen. He hit Post.
“Now, let’s eat Chinese food and watch Bette Midler deliver the performance of a lifetime. How does that sound?” He turned to face her. This wasn’t the night he’d originally planned, but hanging out at home with Nina didn’t feel disappointing, not in the slightest.
She studied him, twirling the stem of the glass in her hand. Then she licked her lips, shook her head and said, “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
He lingered too much on her words, spinning them around in his mind, hoping there was substance to them. If nothing else, she wanted the same thing he did, at least for the night. Which might be all he ever got from her, and it would have to be enough.
23
NINA
Jasmine:Are you at Leo’s?????? It’s alllllll over IG. What is happening?????
Sophie:What? You’re at his house?
Sophie:omg, just saw the photo
Sophie:he’s hot. You’re hot. Just DO IT.
Jasmine:No, no, no nonononononononono
