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Seriously? He had a horrible memory.
“Here’s what I’m getting at,” he said, stepping right in front of me to force me to look at him. “You see that teeny island out there in the middle of the lake? It’s small, barely enough for one or two boats and the trees. I’ll grab a blanket and some drinks and row us out there. It will be great to get away from all this and Uncle Charlie, who has been following me around, trying to tell me how cell phones give you brain cancer.”
I gazed up at Nathan. He was the same guy, but also different from the one I’d shared a home with during my sensitive high school years. I wished he’d been this nice back then.
“In total privacy, we can talk. I promise, you’ll feel better.”
I really just wanted to go home, put my PJs back on, and sprawl out on the living room sofa.
I sighed. “What if I don’t want to talk about my life?”
He shrugged, giving me one of his trademark grins.
Trademark irresistible grins.
Damn him.
“We can hang as long as we want, drinking and relaxing. Sounds better than waiting for Uncle Charlie to insult someone with his off-color jokes. I already told Mom I was not babysitting his ass this time. She could recruit someone else for that.”
I appreciated his effort. But why the hell did he want to spend the afternoon with my sad-sack ass?
“Is this a trick? Did my mother pay you to hang out with me or something?”
He wrinkled his brow and laughed. “Why would you say that? Why would your mom have to pay me to spend time with you?”
“Um, because she did when we were kids.”
Realization washed over his face. “Oh. Right. That. Look, Gigi, that was one time and it was a fuck of a long time ago. Mom just wanted to make sure you had a date.”
I’d overheard our parents trying to talk Nathan into taking me to the sophomore dance. He’d protested loudly, but when cash was offered, changed his tune.
I’d said no, anyway.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be seen on the arm of Nathan Lincoln, even if he were my stepbrother. It was just that I wasn’t a fucking charity case.
I remembered when I told them all to go to hell with their stupid plan. Nathan had actually looked a little disappointed. Guess he’d never been told no by a female, much less one like me with next to no social currency.
He sighed. “Gigi, I was a dick when we were kids. I know that, you know that, my brothers know that. It’s no secret. But that was then. All I can say is that I’m not the dumb kid I was. And you’d be doing me a favor. I’m not a fan of these gatherings. I came for your mom.”
“All right. All right. Let’s go then. Don’t know why it’s so important to you.”
“I do,” he said.
“What?”
His grin spread, and for the first time I noticed tiny crinkles at the corner of his eyes.
Only Nathan could get older and look better.
So unfair.
“I’ll tell you… on the island,” he teased.
I considered his offer, weighing the positives and negatives. On one hand, I’d have privacy, and only one person to deal with. On the other, this was Nathan I was hanging with. I wouldn’t be able to resist spilling my guts to him.
But maybe he was right… maybe I needed to just rip off the bandage and start talking.
“Sure,” I agreed, without much enthusiasm.
I got up and headed toward the rowboats.
“Pick one out,” he said, heading back toward the picnic. “I’ll be right there with drinks and snacks.”
I wanted to call after him to make sure my drinks were all diet. But why draw more attention to my shit?
* * *
