Page 84 of Best Frenemies

“Mack.”I scowl at him. “You can’t be serious? I’m lucky I didn’t flash your family like some kind of deranged pervert, but your sister knows exactly what this getup means. She doesn’t want some floozy staying here and watching her daughter with you.”

“You’re not a floozy or a deranged pervert. At least, not outside of the confines of the bed.”

“You are seriously not right in the head.”

“Just stay,” he pleads and steps forward to place his hands on my face. “I’ve missed you, Katy. I want to see you.”

Goodness, when he says it like that, it’s almost too much for me to deny.

“But your niece is here…”

“She’d love for you to stay and hang with us tonight.”

“Mack.”

“Katy.”

“Uncle Mackie!” Gracie yells at the top of her lungs through the door. “Will you ask Katy if I can know the secret, andoh!Ask her if she wants to eat pizza with us!”

“What do you say, Katy?” Mack eyes me with a big, knowing smile. “Are you really going to be able to let down that little girl in my apartment? I can tell she’s already excited that you’re here.”

I huff out a sigh, knowing full well I can’tnotgive in to his request. His niece Gracie’s cute little face has made that impossible. “How do you always manage to get what you want?”

Mack’s smile consumes his face as he leans forward to whisper into my ear. “If you’re a good girl and eat all your dinner, I promise I’ll make sure later tonight, after Gracie gets picked up, I’m going to be a good boy and eat all of my dessert.”

Well,hell.That’s quite the promise, huh?

Looks like you’re going to get what you want too.

Mack’s sweatshirt and sweatpants might dwarf my body, but they’re certainly an improvement over what I showed up in ten minutes ago. Obviously, I still feel awkward and on edge—I mean, who wouldn’t?—but I’ve made my bed, and now I’m going to woman up and lie in it.

Gracie comes running up to me and grabs my hand. “C’mon, Katy! We need to decide on pizza!”

Mack grins at me from across the kitchen, where he stands chatting with his sister Lizzy and a man I can only assume is Gracie’s father.

Gracie guides me toward the group of adults and points to a takeout menu that sits on the kitchen island. “You gotta choose your toppings! I like peppers, but that doesn’t mean you have to get ’em. Uncle Mackie doesn’t care if we each get our own pizza!”

“You likepepperoni,” Lizzy corrects with a soft smile. “Not peppers.”

“That’s what I said,” Gracie counters with a tiny hand to her hip. This little girl can’t be a day over five, but she has the attitude of a teenager. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen—especially since I can give her back to her parents if the ’tude gets too strong.

“I actually like that topping too,” I tell her, and she does a little happy dance.

“Yay! We want pepperamies, Uncle Mackie!”

“You got it, Gracie Lou,” he says with a smile and pointer finger to her nose. She pulls down a fist of victory and takes off for the living room. In her wake, Mack does the official introductions. “Katy, this is my brother-in-law Tom and my sister Lizzy, whom you…sort of already met.”

Tom’s smile is neutral and friendly, but Lizzy’s smile is all-knowing.Oh, we met each other, all right.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” I try to smile rather than cringe. “I probably would’ve worn something else if I’d known I was meeting Mack’s family. When he invited me over, I swear I had no idea you’d be here.”

Lizzy grins at that.

Gracie, despite being in the living room, is a little girl who hears everything. “But I liked your dress!” she exclaims. “I think you should go put it back on, Katy!”

Hahahaha…help me.

“Uh…that’s so sweet, Gracie,” I manage to push out through a dry throat. “But I think these sweatpants are going to make it a lot easier to eat pizza and play some games tonight.”

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