Page 99 of Talulah's Back in Town

Brant was watching her closely as he slid up against the headboard.

“You’re sleeping with him,” Paul said as if he’d known it all along and yet couldn’t believe it.

Talulah gripped her phone tighter. “Paul, I never expected this to happen. I—”

“You know what? That’s it. As far as I’m concerned, you can go to hell,” he said and hung up.

Dropping her phone in her lap, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Brant took her hand and kissed her fingers. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t open her eyes, but she nodded.

“I can’t believe you told him about us.”

“Should I have lied?” she asked miserably, finally looking over at him.

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Because...”

“It proves that you’re taking what’s happening between us seriously.”

But...should she? That was the question.

A knock sounded on Brant’s door. “Hey, Talulah!”

Shocked that anyone else knew she was in the room, Talulah turned to Brant for an explanation.

“It’s Miles,” he said, seemingly unconcerned.

“I know who it is. But how does he know I’m here?”

“Maybe he heard us talking. Or he went out to check on the cattle and saw your car behind the barn.”

In case Miles opened the door, she pulled the bedding higher before answering him. “Yes?”

“So many people have told me you can cook.”

“Um... I have a culinary degree,” she said. “I’d like to think I can cook.”

“Great. Any chance you’d consider making breakfast?”

“Whoa, Miles,” Brant said, but Talulah waved him off. The prospect of getting to know Brant’s brothers, of cooking them a meal, appealed to her, enough that she decided to put her most recent spat with Paul out of her mind. Whenever she was with Brant, she had a wonderful time. And they had only fourteen days left. Why let anything ruin it?

She’d just have to pick up the pieces of her life after that. “Sure,” she called back. “When do you want to eat?”

“Any time you’d be willing to leave Brant’s bed,” he said.

“It might be a while,” Brant called out, jumping into the conversation.

“IfI can force myself,” Talulah said, joining in on the joke, “what do you want me to make?”

“We’ll eat anything,” Miles told her. “You choose.”

“If all you have in the fridge is a jug of milk, there might not be much I can do.”

“We’re pretty well-stocked,” Brant volunteered.

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