AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He laughed. “Are you saying you’re not scared to ask her out?”
“I’mnervousto ask her out,” I said. “There’s a difference. What if she doesn’t feel the same way? What if I ruin our friendship? I don’t know if I can handle that kind of rejection, you know?”
“You’ll survive,” he said. “Trust me, you’ve been rejected plenty. I’ve had to witness it.”
“I’ve been going back and forth on this for weeks, trying to weigh the pros and cons,” I confessed. “On one hand, if she says yes, it could be amazing. We could have something really special. But on the other hand, if she says no, I don’t know if I could handle it. Or, if she says yes, we go out as a couple and end up in bed together and it’s terrible, that would be even worse.”
“Or it could be really good, and you might be walking down the aisle before I do,” he joked.
“I don’t know,” I groaned.
“Just pull your head out of your ass and call her,” he said. “You call her a hundred times a day, anyway.”
“I do not.”
“Fine, a week,” he said. “Just do it. Remember, life is too short to not take chances. You have nothing to lose.”
“Just a twenty-year friendship,” I muttered.
ChapterFour
Emmy
Ianswered the door and gave my cousin Izzy a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“I’m glad to be here.” She smiled.
“Come in,” I said and stepped out of the way. “I was just making coffee.”
“This is a cute apartment,” she commented.
I gave her a dry look. “It’s a dump. It was the best I could do.”
“Your dad wouldn’t help you?” she asked.
“I didn’t want his help,” I said. “I don’t want any of his dirty money. I’ve looked the other way for long enough. I can’t be a part of that. I just want to start fresh. Yes, I’m poor, but I’ll make it.”
“Has your dad done something?”
I filled her coffee cup and pushed it over. “My dad has done many things.”
“Recently?”
“There was an incident,” I said hesitantly. The more people who knew, the more people were in danger of being accomplices.
She held up a hand. “Say no more.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I’m tired of pretending I’m still the same naïve little girl who doesn’t understand what’s going on. When I tried to tell him I didn’t like the family business, he got mad. He acted like I was supposed to just accept it and be involved with it. I want nothing to do with what he does. He acted like he was offended. So, then I got mad, and you know how it goes.”
She smiled and sipped her coffee. “I do know how that goes. You two are both very stubborn and a little hotheaded.”
I snorted and filled my own cup. “It’s a family trait.”
“I can imagine the two of you arguing is like watching two bulls fight.” She laughed.
“My mom said something along those lines.” I smiled.
“Did you move out because you think you might be in danger?” she asked gently.
