Page 31 of My Totally Unfair Deal

“What exactly are you supposed to be teaching your new friend, Mr. Jones?” Harold whispers from the living room, handing me another bag of designer heels.

“I honestly don’t know…”

PLOP!

Eliza goes down again—but this time, she doesn’t immediately spring back up.

“Yeah…” Harold pats my shoulder. “Maybe you should find tennis shoes that look like heels instead...”

“That’s what she’s wearing right now.”

“Oh…” His eyes widen slightly. He leaves the room without another word, abandoning me completely.

“You’re not going to help me up?” Eliza groans from the floor. “I could be dying.”

“I honestly think you’d still find a way to talk if you were dying…”

“I can’t feel my thighs.”

I smile and walk over, slipping my hands around her waist and lifting her with ease before carrying her to the couch.

There’s a solid knot forming on her forehead, so I head to the kitchen, grab a couple of ice packs, and gently position one just above her eyebrows.

Her eyes start to drift shut, and for a moment I consider calling my doctor?—

But then she blinks them wide open.

“Can I ask you something?” she murmurs.

“No.” I shake my head. “Get some rest.”

“One question won’t make that big of a difference.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you still shirtless?” She narrows her eyes. “You promised this morning.”

“I did not promise.” I grin, grabbing the shirt from the cushion beside her. “I took it off after you spilled tea on me, remember?”

“Right... I have another question.”

“I’m out of answers.”

“If I dressed more like your ex and didn’t have a deep accent,” she continues, “do you think you’d even need to help me at all?”

I blink. I wasn’t expecting that.

“I don’t think we should use my ex as a template for anything,” I say. “And between you and me—because I’ll deny it like hell if you ever repeat this—the only thing you need to work on is your smart-ass mouth in my book. The rest of you is pretty much perfect.”

Her cheeks flush pink.

“Can you call my brother and tell him that so I can go home?”

“I saidin my book.” I prop her legs onto a pillow and place the second ice pack on her left knee. “The people you need to impress are an entirely different story.”

“Why did you break up with Kristin?”

“Why are you still talking?”

---