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“No, I was kidding. I’ve been giving him shit, is all.”
Was dating me something he would be teased about?
Orlando dropped his hand. Damn it. Why hadn’t I shaken it? I wanted Gideon’s brother to like me.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” Orlando added. “You’re all the talk around Little Beach Island, especially from my brother. But he’s made me swear not to stop by the bookstore or the apartment to meet you.”
He laughed, but I didn’t feel it. My stomach flipped uncomfortably. “Gideon doesn’t want us to meet?” Was he embarrassed of me? He didn’t seem like it. We went shopping together and sometimes went out to eat, but mostly we liked cooking at home.
“I don’t think that’s what he means,” Rachel said just as Orlando replied, “Shit, no. Not at all. I suddenly feel like I’m screwing this up.”
I was sure it wasn’t him, but me. I wished I could veto this whole conversation.
Orlando forged on. “He probably thought I would say something stupid—and I’m pretty sure I did—but it’s not that he doesn’t want us to meet.” His voice was soft and unsure, but for whatever reason, it just pissed me off. Or maybe I pissed me off because this was Gideon’s brother and Gideon was my friend. I didn’t want him to wonder why Gideon liked me. I didn’t want Gideon to have been right when he didn’t want us to be introduced to each other. “He says you’re remodeling the bookstore and doing some of the work yourself.”
“I’m capable. I’m not stupid,” I snapped. My heart was beating too fast, my hearing a little echoey.
“I wasn’t trying to imply you’re stupid or incapable. I’m impressed. I couldn’t do it. Gid is the one who’s good with his hands.” Orlando laughed uncomfortably and took a step back. He wanted a quick escape because I was a mess and I’d screwed all this up.
Rachel said, “Shit. I’m going to be late. We should head out, Milo.” She was doing it to save me. That was the kind of thing friends did, and while I’d always wanted that, in that moment, I resented her for it because she’d had to try and save me. And I resented myself because she had to as well. I wasn’t going to turn down the helping hand, though.
I fought to keep myself calm because Gideon was embarrassed of me and didn’t want his brother to meet me, and he was right; I’d gotten this all wrong, and what if he didn’t want to be friends with me after he found out? I didn’t want to lose him.
“It was nice to meet you.” I stood and forced myself to hold my hand out. Orlando took it, we shook, and then Rachel and I left.
“Don’t tell Gideon,” I told her when we reached the sidewalk.
“I won’t. Hey, you wanna come have dinner at our house tonight? Or I can hang out at your place?”
I shook my head. “It’s too much. I need to be alone right now.”
We walked back in silence. Rachel hugged me goodbye at her car. I went upstairs and unlocked the door. Once inside, I took my shoes off and placed them in the stand. Then I removed my pants and hung them over the rack I’d put there for when I wasn’t going straight to my room.
I’d totally screwed that up. Gideon had been right to be embarrassed of me.
CHAPTER TEN
Gideon
My brother was frowning at me when he arrived at Conflicting Ink. I tipped my head, silently telling him to follow me. I was pretty good at seeing when Orlando wanted to talk or was serious about something. We might not have a lot in common, but we were close and we got each other.
I headed into the supply room and started putting away the new delivery of ink we had gotten in earlier. I heard him say hi to Freddy before he stepped through the door with me. “So…I met Milo.”
My fucking brother. I was sure he’d made a mess of things. Groaning, I dropped my head back. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t mean to do anything! I was just joking with him, and I called him your husband. He got flustered and confused. Afterward I mentioned the work he was doing at the store, and he thought I saw him as too stupid or incapable. I don’t know what happened, if I’m being honest. He left right away. I could tell he was upset, though. He’s…not what I expected.”
A flare of anger shot through my chest. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Jesus, it doesn’t mean anything. Simmer down.”
He was right. I was overreacting. He hadn’t said anything bad about Milo, and Milo wasn’t what I had expected either.
“I just hope I didn’t somehow offend him. I really wasn’t trying to be a dick, but maybe I came off that way. The one thing I do know is that he doesn’t have an appreciation for my sense of humor.”
