Page 26 of Rush

It’s heavenly.

“Did Cooper do something to upset you? One minute you two were vibing, the next you stormed off,” Philippa asks.

“No,” I sigh, taking another bite. “He wanted to sleep with me. Even offered an NDA to seal the deal.”

Riley’s jaw drops mid-bite.

“And you weren’t interested?” Philippa asks brow raised.

“Of course not. The whole NDA thing felt…icky.”

“Well,” Philippa says, thoughtful, “for someone in your position, I imagine it’s standard practice.”

“Yeah, maybe. Still gross.”

Riley shrugs, spearing some eggs onto her fork. “I admire your self-restraint, babe. I would’ve broken that shiny Ken doll inrealgood.”

Philippa laughs. “Agreed. I had a crush on him in college, but I don’t think he was ever interested.”

Riley gasps theatrically, “This is a first for us, Pip! Secret sex deviant? I knew it—it’s always the quiet ones.”

“Hey,” Philippa protests. “I might be a little uptight, but I had my fun before Andrew.”

“Bet Andrew likes that you’re tight,” Riley quips with a smirk.

“Why do I tell you anything?” Philippa shakes her head, though there’s no bite in it.

Riley sticks her tongue out. “Elena doesn’t do casual.”

Philippa glances at me. “I’m assuming you and Alex sealed the deal?”

I shrug.

“I’m sorry he did that to you, Elena,” she says softly. “Some men are fucking assholes.”

“The good-looking ones always are,” Riley adds, tossing her hair into a messy bun.

“You’re just saying that because you don’t like him.”

“Well, you’re not wrong—on both counts,” Philippa says.

“Can I ask you something?” I murmur.

Philippa arches a brow.

“When I asked to bring Alex to the Hamptons…why did you agree?”

Her face softens. “Because you’re my sister, Elena. And I’ll never stand in the way of your happiness. Plus—at that point, I hadn’t seen you with him. I was curious.”

“And?”

“I think he cared about you,” she says gently. “But I also think he likes the attention that comes with being who he is. I didn’t like the way he flirted with my friends while holding your hand.”

A small ache tugs at my chest. I remember how awful that felt—though I imagine he’d felt the same calling me out for the times my gaze wandered toward Broderick from across the room. Neither of us were innocent, just two desperate people chasing validation. But she doesn’t need to know that.

“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion. “For being here. Through all of this.”

Riley squeezes my hand. Philippa brushes a strand of hair from my face.