Page 93 of Homecoming

“This isn’t exactly a corporate monolith you’re talking about. It’s a small family business, and no one would think anything of you dating him.”

“Right. Everyone would be talking about it, which would freak me out.”

“One thing I learned after everything that happened to me was the opinions of other people are none of my business.”

“Huh, well, that’s rather profound.”

“It’s true, and once you start to live by that principle, life becomes a lot simpler. You strive to make yourself and your loved ones happy and don’t worry about the ones who were never going to be your people anyway.”

“When did you get so wise?”

“After life kicked me in the teeth and forced me to wise up. People will talk. That’s their problem, not yours. The big question is, do you like him?”

“I don’t want to like him.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Renata’s moan made Kara laugh.

“This reminds me of when I first realized Dan was seriously interested in me. I did everything I could to pretend it wasn’t happening.”

“And look at where that got you—married and knocked up.”

“Don’t forget blissfully happy.”

“Why did you try to fend him off?”

“I told you how overwhelming he was to me at first, right? Because I wasn’t in a good headspace to even consider being with someone else after everything here. But there he was, insistent and funny and handsome and incorrigible.”

Dan came to the bedroom door. “Are you talking about me, love?”

“Go away. I’m talking to my cousin.”

Rather than go, he came in and stretched out next to her on the bed. “Please, carry on. We were just getting to the good stuff.”

Renata laughed. “He is funny, I’ll give him that.”

“The worst thing you can do is tell him that.”

“What’d she say? That I’m a sexy devil or funny as hell or?—”

Kara used her favorite tactic to shut him up and pinched his lips closed.

“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full over there.”

“What’re you going to do about Myles?”

“I don’t know, but what you said helped, about other people and their opinions. Sometimes I dream about getting out of here and going somewhere where I could be totally anonymous. I could do whatever I wanted, and no one would care.”

“You can do that here, Ren. You just have to decide you don’t give a flying fuck what anyone thinks of you. Give it a try. It’s very liberating.”

Dan waggled his brows and fanned his face. “Hot asF.”

“On that note,” Renata said, laughing, “I’m going to bed. I’ve got the usual sugar headache from the shake, but it wassoworth it.”

“That’s been your favorite thing for as long as I can remember. I think it’s so sweet that Myles brought you one.”

“It was sweet.”

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