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Damn.
“I, ugh, have a date.”
“A date? My little brother, all grown up. Forget I asked. That’s amazing. Tell me all about her.”
I opened my mouth, but all I could picture was the disappointment in her voice. With the operation coming up, date nights would be tabled for the foreseeable future. Will could be a useless jackass, but he loved my sister and was a damn good father.
“No, I can reschedule. What time should I come over?” I hung my suit back in the closet and looked between slacks and jeans, knowing whatever I chose would come home stained.
“Reschedule? When’s the last time you went on a date? Don’t do that, Simon.”
“It’s fine. This girl is different, Beth. She’ll understand.”
“If that’s the case, then bring her. I want to meet her. You’ll need my sisterly stamp of approval before it becomes anything too serious.”
I scoffed when she said serious, but talking to Drake this afternoon had me realizing I simply wanted Addison, not this fake dating bullshit. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Regardless, the offer’s there. And if you’re sure you don’t mind, could you be here around five?”
“Yeah. See you then.” The call ended, and I dropped the towel and pulled on my briefs before dialing Addison, already thinking of ways to make tonight up to her.
“Hey, you, how’s it going?” Her voice was like a warm blanket on a winter’s day, and I lowered my head, resenting that stupid babysitter for canceling at the last minute.
“Hi, honey. There’s been a change of plans. Beth’s sitter canceled, and she asked about watching the girls so she and Will could still have a date night.”
“Oh, I understand. It’s important they have time for themselves before the surgery. So we’re trading fancy food for crayons and french fries? What can I bring?”
She sounded genuinely excited, and it took my brain a second to realize she assumed we’d be babysitting together. Not that I minded. I was thrilled she still wanted to spend time with me. I’d take every opportunity to see her, but what date wouldn’t be put out having to spend the evening with two rambunctious girls?
“What? You’d like to come?”
“Oh shit. You meant to cancel our date, and here I am, inviting myself along like some stage five clinger. Canceling works out better for me anyway. I write a little on the side. Have I told you that? So I can catch up on that tonight and then get a head start on next week’s staff meeting.”
“No. You misunderstand,” I said, waving my hand back and forth like she could see me through the phone.
“It’s fine, really. More time to focus on the master plan of taking over the business, improving our image, all the things.”
“Honey, listen—” I started again, running a hand through my hair. “I want you with me but figured you wouldn’t want to come. I’d love for you to meet my sister and her family.”
“You would?” she said, her voice softer, like she didn’t believe my words.
“Yes. Haven’t you caught on that I couldn’t give a fuck about my reputation, some article, or a dance contest? This is more than that. You are more than that.”
She should be here, by my side, so I could tangle my fingers in her red locks and see the reaction in her eyes. The silence was deafening, but I didn’t want to fill it with empty words or reassurances. She needed to know I wasn’t prepared to let her go.
“Simon, I care about you too.”
“I sense a but coming,” I said, ripping a pair of black jeans from the hanger and throwing them on the bed.
“But I said from the start I’m no good at relationships. You don’t want to date me. We’ll fix this mess, have fun while doing it, and then part as friends.”
“Fun.” I let the word bounce around my head like a pinball, hating how it sounded. I couldn’t blame her for doing exactly what she agreed to, but a part of me hoped she’d felt the same.
“I understand if you’d rather I not come tonight. Maybe it’s better if we pull back a little, especially if we’re not going to do the dance contest.”
I drew a long breath, focusing on the small comfort I got from hearing how unsure she sounded. “No, forget I said anything. I’ll pick you up around four, okay?”
“Okay, Simon.”
