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I jump to my feet and then…I crack up. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard since the curse reared her ugly head for the fourth time. I’m already ruined. Which means I should take him up on his offer. But I can’t stop laughing.
Cannot stop.
And from the look on Finn’s face, it pisses him off.
Which only makes me laugh harder.
Chapter Seven
#SacrificeFly
Finn
As far asdistractions go, Chloe is the worst.
And the best.
I sit back in my chair and watch the beauty that is my grandmother unfold. We’re seated at a round table in the middle of Ethan’s restaurant, Royal. It’s closed to the public on Mondays, so every Monday Grandma Rosemary has lunch here. She’s not big on crowds and Chef Louis adores her and is happy to come in on his day off and cook new things for her. She’s his guinea pig, which thrills her culinary cravings and scores points for Ethan from both of them. Today’s lunch was supposed to be the two of us, but I called ahead to make it three. My grandmother is loving, smart as a whip, and inquisitive doesn’t begin to cover her interest in her grandsons. Hence, a buffer is sometimes nice.
“How about a punny LA birthday hashtag?” she says. Like my brothers, my grandma is intrigued by Chloe and has made it her mission for the past twenty minutes to find out everything a social media manager does. That my grandmother understands hashtags and used the word “punny” makes me grin.
Chloe taps her chin in thought. “Hashtag Malibu Barbie—B-A-R-B-I-E—Q, for a barbecue-themed party in Malibu. Get it?”
“Not only do I get it, I think you’ve just given me the best idea yet for my party next year.”
“Aren’t you too old to have played with Barbies?” I ask. Nicely. I don’t think the toy has been around for eighty years.
Grandma tries to glare at me. Tries because let’s just say she’s had some help to defy her age and her face doesn’t move all that much. “You, young man, can zip it.”
Chloe giggles. “Is next year a big birthday?”
“Yes. And we’re having a blowout. I’m not privy to the planning, but I shall pass along the Barbie idea because I love the hashtag.”
“Are you even on social media?” I ask.
“Not yet, but now that I’ve met Chloe, I may want to hire her for my next decade.” She takes a sip of her Arnold Palmer.
“You don’t have to hire me. I’m happy to get you started whenever you want.”
I have the same blue eyes as my grandmother and right now hers are gleaming. She pulls her cell phone out of her handbag. “Put your digits in, would you?”
Digits? My grandmother is a riot.
“Absolutely.” Chloe quickly types in her name and number then hands the phone back.
My buffer is working out better than I expected. Not that I should be surprised. Chloe is a natural people person. My grandmother can sniff out bullshit from a mile away and I could tell a minute after I introduced the two of them that she approved. Otherwise she’d be askingmeall the questions.
“What do you do when you’re not social media managing?”
See? This is so much better than her hounding me about my personal life.
“I like to hike, hang out with my best friend, go to the movies, and read.”
“Have a boyfriend?”
“Grandma.”
She waves me off with her hand. “Chloe can fend for herself.”
