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“I want an update,” he said when I answered. “What’s happening?”
Right. Ava’s brother. My best friend. “What’s happening,” I said, catching Ava’s eye, “is that your sister is taking me to learn to like sushi.”
“Okada will like that,” Aidan said with approval. “He used to run a chain of sushi restaurants.”
“Why does everyone know that except me?”
“Probably because you only care about his software achievements, and not all the other ones. Are you and Ava getting along?”
“Are we getting along?” I asked, looking at Ava, trying not to think of the fact that I’d kissed her raw last night. In response, she flicked her skirt above her knee, kicked out her high-heeled foot, and leaned back onto the hood of my Lexus, stretching her arms out and arching her back like she was about to get sprayed with water in a 1980’s music video. “Take me, bear-man,” she said, trying to goad me.
I shook my head. “Sure, we’re getting along. As long as I feed her margaritas, she stops complaining.”
“Hey,” Ava said from the hood of my car.
“Okay,” Aidan said. “Sounds like things are going smoothly. What are you wearing?”
Jesus. “Sorry, dude, but you’re not my type.”
“You know what I mean, asshole. Has she dressed you?”
“For fuck’s sake,” was my answer. I held out the phone to Ava. “He wants to know what I’m wearing.”
Still lying on the car, she took the phone from me and put it to her ear. “Italian pants in dark charcoal, Italian shoes, leather belt with a brushed-suede finish, shirt from the Zegna collection that dropped two weeks ago. He’s supposed to be wearing the designer underwear I bought him, but I refuse to check. Oh, and I trimmed his beard.” She paused as Aidan asked a question. “No, he hasn’t had a haircut yet. I’ve achieved miracles so far, Aidan. We are going to Nobu for sushi. Do you understand that? Dane Scotland is going to Nobu for sushi, wearing designer Italian clothes, and Okada doesn’t get here for five more days. You’re welcome.” She handed the phone back to me without waiting for an answer.
“Any other questions?” I asked Aidan.
“I guess not. Sounds like my sister is in her element. Just let her do what she wants.”
I held out my hand to Ava, helping her off the car before she could fall off. “She’s going to do that anyway.”
“I’ve been worried about her,” Aidan said. “She’s more fragile than she looks.”
I helped Ava get her balance, wobbling on her heels. She let go of my hand to adjust her dress, which had hiked up in the back during her little stunt. “You don’t have to worry when she’s with me.”
Ava looked up. Why had I said that? What did it even mean? Considering our history, Aidan probably should worry when his sister was with me. And Ava should, too.
“I trust you,” Aidan said, making me feel even worse. “You’ll look out for her like a brother. If she wants to visit our mother’s nursing home, talk her out of it. I think that’s a bad idea.”
“I don’t think there’s much chance of that,” I said, watching as Ava’s eyes narrowed in curiosity.
“You never know. She’s unpredictable. Just be nice to her, okay?”
Nice? I couldn’t take this anymore. “Say hi to Samantha for me,” I said. “I have to go.” I hung up.
“What?” Ava said as soon as I put the phone in my pocket. “What did my brother say about me?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“It wasn’t nothing. You got a pained look on your face. What did he say?”
I decided to tell her half of the truth. There was no need to bring up the topic of her mother when I didn’t have to. “He asked me to be nice to you.”
Her dark brown gaze met mine, and for a long moment all of our history passed between us. The good and the bad, the nice and the not-so-nice. And the spectacular.
“We’re going to have to tell him sometime, you know,” Ava said.
“I know.” Aidan was my best friend. My brother in everything but blood. We’d been cowards all this time, not telling him.
