She gasped and slapped Jamison on the arm. “Gene just bought a condo there!”
My eyebrows shot for my forehead. “Oh,Gene, did you really?”
“Buying,” he corrected, his voice a little raspy. Definitely ringing a bit irritated. “The deals not done, yet.”
“He’s an environmental lawyer, and he’s been working between Lansing up in Michigan and Chicago, and it’s just hard to establish a life when you’re between two places.” Sally gestured with her hands as she spoke, her eyes bright as if she’d just solved an important issue. To Jamison, she asked, “How wonderful is this? You two can spend time together when you go back to the city.”
I shrugged a bare shoulder. “Well, ifGenehas been spending time in Chicago, I’m sure he has his people and places there. I don’t know if I could show him any more than he already knows.”
“Oh, please, you love bragging about your secret corners all over the city,” June scoffed. “Actually, Gene, she works in environmental conservation as well. She works for, like, a water preservation company.”
“Do you really,” he remarked, and it seemed that only I caught his sarcasm.
Sally’s eyes widened. “Well, isn’t that ironic! That’s exactly what Gene does.”
“The coincidence is almost unbelievable,” he agreed.
His smug expression was doing wonders to counteract any attraction I’d felt for him—which wasn’t much—since arriving to dinner.
“I don’t know if I believe it myself,Gene.” My pleasant expression was stuck on my face, but my eyes shot daggers at Jamison.
“Why are you saying his name like that?” Mom asked.
I let out a slow breath. If everything blew up in my face because I couldn’t pretend that he was a stranger well enough, I’d never forgive myself. And he’d never let me live it down.
Leaning forward, June nodded at her. “I thought she was saying it weird too.”
Dad shrugged. “It is his name.”
“Seems like a little extra push,” June explained.
“Yeah, a little more emphasis,” Mom agreed.
“I don’t know.” Grabbing my glass of wine, I lifted it a few inches from my lips. “So, what’s on your schedule tomorrow, Peanut?”
June opened her mouth, but Sally interrupted, “Oh my goodness! ‘Peanut’ is the cutest nickname!”
Rolling her eyes, June said, “It’s less cute when you find out she’s allergic to peanuts.”
Everyone laughed, and my mom started telling how I began calling June “Peanut” when I was diagnosed with an allergy at thirteen to convince them to “rehome” June when she was ten.
But Jamison’s eyes had gone wide and stricken. “You don’t think you should have said something?”
Mike’s eyebrows pinched together considering his brother.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s mild. It’s not like I’ll die, I just don’t feel great.”
Jamison leaned forward, placing his fists on the table. “Can a nut allergy even be mild?”
I glanced around the table, Mike looked a little embarrassed, but everyone else just looked confused. “Mine is. I just get itchy.”
“I eat peanut butter every day.”
“Well, as long as I don’t eat it, I’ll be fine.”
I’d seen this side of him before. It was the version most everyone else experienced, with his intense stare and biting tone, but I was not used to being on the receiving end. The response he was bringing out of me was...confusing. I didn’t even want to admit to myself that I kinda,possibly, didn’t hate it. But also, I had a very real desire to push back and be a little shitty.
Sitting back in his chair, he brushed his fingers over his lips. “Got it.”
