Page 7 of The Jellybean Dilemma

“And you’re going as his date?” Her eyebrows shot up. “A real date? Or a ‘just showing up so he doesn’t have to go alone’ date?”

Um. “The second one I think.” We hadn’t discussed it in precise terms. Speaking of dating, I desperately needed advice. I hesitated to say anything in front of my brother, but I needed their help more. “So, I’ve sort of had a crush on Greg since, well, a while now, and—”

“You’ve what?” My brother growled, stepping toward me.

Shit. I hid my face in my hand.

“Sorry, Rhonda,” Avery said as she glared at Derek. “I’ll handle this.” She shoved Derek down the hall as he ranted about me crushing on Greg.

Yes, Greg had been our chauffeur growing up, but I’d never thought of him as anything more until the summer after I graduated high school. When he first started working for us, he’d been awkward and gangly. But always kind. I could count on him to be there when he said he would. He was the first constant in my life, although he’d always conducted himself perfectly.

Our lines were firm, him the employee, me the employer’s daughter. Until I took matters into my own hands the fall after I’d graduated. And ruined everything.

I jolted back to the present as Derek’s voice echoed back to me. Gina shifted next to me.

Avery interrupted my brother. “You can’t say that! It’s elitist. Greg’s a good guy, and he’s our friend.”

Derek’s response was muffled.

Avery said, “I don’t care. They’re both our friends first and foremost. So shut up if you want to stay here, or pout in the bedroom. Your choice.”

When she huffed back into the living room, my shoulders sagged. “Is he really upset?”

“Nah, he’ll be fine. I think he’s just shocked to find out this has been going on for a while and he didn’t know about it.” She paused. “This isn’t just some phase, right, Rhonda?”

I felt my cheeks heat as I shook my head. Over two years of wanting the guy was more than just a phase.

“Are you sure it’s not just a reaction to getting over Kevin?” Gina asked.

A derisive snort escaped me, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. I hurried to answer. “No way. I was never into Kevin himself, just the idea of him.” I sighed, trying to find the words to explain. “Kevin and I were my parents’ ideal. He was the easy button. He’s an asshole, and I knew it.”

Derek started growling from the hallway. This time when Avery excused herself, the raised voices lasted for a few moments then all was quiet.

She grinned when she came back. “All right, your brother has been banished, and he knows the consequences if he comes out of that bedroom. Please continue.”

I hesitated. “Kevin only cared about himself. He used me for my status, to make himself look better, and I used him for the same purpose. The sex was okay. But that’s all it was.” I shrugged.

They were both quiet for several long seconds before Avery said, “Wow, Rhonda, that sounds…awful.”

“I didn’t know how bad it was until you came around.” The words came out as little more than a whisper. I was grateful my brother wasn’t here for this part. “You and Derek showed me what it was to have more, to want more.”

I paused for a long moment as the familiar ache opened in my chest. “Now, I can’t go back.” I sighed, crossing my arms. “But I can’t seem to move forward either.” The bleakness of my life threatened to overwhelm me, the emptiness of it like a gaping hole inside. “I thought maybe getting out of town would help, but I’ve already fucked that up, too.”

“Tell us everything.” Avery sat on the couch, patting the space beside her.

Gina nodded, perching on the arm of the chair across the room. So, I sat down and started from the beginning.

“Wait, you were crawling on your hands and knees when he came in the door?” There was mischief in Avery’s tone. “Rhonda, has Greg ever given any indication he likes you, too?”

A flash of gray eyes filled with longing flooded my vision. His lips formed my name before I slammed my shields back into place. “Maybe once.”

“I knew it!” She almost crowed in triumph. “And today you were practically ass in the air when he came in.” She smirked, sharing a knowing look with Gina.

I thought of his soft hands on my ankle, sliding on my shoe. “Perhaps.” That didn’t explain his anger, though. I told her about the water incident, my shirt plastered to my chest and how he’d yelled at me. “Then he stomped into the store.”

“Hmm. That doesn’t sound like Greg. He’s always so even-keeled.” Her brow crinkled.

Tell me something I don’t know. When she didn’t say anything else, I prodded. “So, any advice?”

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