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“Right.” She took her phone back. “When I messaged him back—”
“Why did you do that?”
“Curiosity. Why didn’t I need underwear? Were we seeing a gyno? That’s the only reason I think underwear is useless,” she said. “Duh. So, I message him back, and he tells me he has a leather sofa perfect for fucking on.”
I frowned. “He wanted you panty-less on his leather sofa?”
“Basically.”
“Doesn’t he know our vaginas clean themselves? There’s nothing remotely comfortable about not wearing panties. And you sure as hell don’t need to be panty-less on a leather sofa. Nobody wants to clean that up.”
Jayda made a gun with her thumb and two fingers and pointed it at me. “Boom. There’s my reply. Thanks.”
I blinked. “He’s not going to date you after you say that.”
“Oh, I know. That’s a good thing. But, hey—at least you’re not freaking out about Hot Dad anymore.”
Famous last words.
***
Oh my god, I was going to be sick.
I was a dreadful adult. I was a terrible businesswoman, a dreadful adult, and an inconsiderate human being.
All right, no, I wasn’t. But I felt like it.
I was definitely going to be sick, though.
No doubt about it.
That was dramatic. And untrue. Oh my god, what was wrong with me? Jayda was right. We were adults who kissed. I was there today to do a job and I had to do that.
I wish doing things were as easy as saying them.
Then again, if that happened, I would have given up Twizzlers years ago.
I pulled up next to Brantley’s car on the drive. The fact the car was there wasn’t even remotely reassuring to my hope that he’d be at the office again today.
Mind you, him going to the office had led to the kiss…
Man, I was between a rock and a hard place. And the only hard place I liked being up against was a penis.
I took a deep breath and got out of the car. I wore my usual uniform of denim shorts, a white tank, and a plaid shirt. I had to own more plaid shirts than the guys in Outlander did kilts, but I liked them. For work, that was.
I remembered to grab Brantley’s shirt—that I’d washed and dried overnight—from the passenger seat. Folding it up smaller, I held it against my stomach as I locked the truck and headed toward the front door.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Come in, Kali!” Brantley shouted from somewhere inside.
I stared at the door handle like it wanted to eat me.
The door swung open of its own accord.
And, standing there, in front of me, was Eli. Wearing nothing but striped underwear, rain boots, and a superhero cape. A red mask the exact color of the cape covered his eyes.
I blinked at him.
“Kawi!” he said enthusiastically. “Come in!”
“Um, thank you?” I stepped inside. “Nice…outfit?”
He beamed at me like I’d paid him the greatest compliment ever. Then, he pulled some ninja-moves, slicing his arms through the air before he lifted his leg and kicked the door shut. “Kachow! I’m Ninja-Man!”
“Eli!” Brantley groaned. “What have I told you about kicking doors shut?”
Eli sped into the front room and held his hands before him in a ready-to-attack position. “Ninja-Man doesn’t have rules! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!” He ran around the room in circles.
Ellie sat in the armchair, wearing a glittery tutu and a crown. Satiny-looking gloves covered her hands and arms up to her elbows, and both wrists and several fingers were adorned with plastic jewelry.
Ah.
They were playing dress-up.
Why Eli was wearing underwear and rain boots was something I was interested in, though.
“Hi.” Brantley shot me a weary and awkward smile.
“Hi. Should I ask?”
“As a rule…no.”
“Hi, Kawi! I’m a pwincess! You has to curt-saw to me.”
Brantley clapped his hand against his forehead. “Curtsey, Ellie. See, not saw.”
She frowned and looked at him. “Curt-sawing is more fun. Look see.” She jumped up and bent her knees, then rocked side to side. “See? That’s a curt-saw.”
I blinked at her.
She had a point.
Brantley clearly felt similarly to me. “Awesome. Would Her Highness enjoy a fruit snack?”
“A candy snack,” Ellie countered.
“Zoom, zoom, zoom!” Eli held his arms out wide, gripping his cape, and ran right between where Ellie was standing and Brantley was kneeling on the floor.
Brantley eyed him. “Someone already found the candy, so it’s fruit or nothing, I’m afraid.”
Ahh.
That made so much more sense.
“All right. Well, then. I’m going to head on upstairs and get started.” I cocked my thumb over my shoulder in the general direction of the stairs. “I’ll leave you to…this.”
Brantley coughed to cover a laugh and shot me a thumb up. “Thanks. Your support is noted.”
I shrugged, smirked, and disappeared upstairs.
Thank god for that.
There was only so much I could take of looking him in the eye. Especially when he was particularly exasperated with the twins—and there was no way he wasn’t given Ellie’s curt-saws and Eli’s apparently intense sugar high.
