Page 15 of Give & Take

I’d still have time to work on my dissertation at night. I was fooling myself thinking I could spend all day doing it. I’d go stir crazy.

“You’d have to live up here for the summer,” Deanie says, seeing I’m serious now.

I sweep a hand up to the blue sky and trees around us. To the ocean and mountains on the islands beyond. As if on cue, a series of bird warbles sound in the trees,perfectly punctuating the soft wash of the ocean down below. “Such torture. Deanie, I have literally nothing keeping me in Vancouver for the summer. Except you, and you’re sick of me.”

“Did you forget about your dissertation?”

“It’s portable.”

“You’d be doing kid stuff all day,” she counters. "You might be too tired to work on your own stuff at night.” Before I can argue she keeps going. “Also, it’s a live-in job. You really think she’s going to let youlivewith her? I don’t even think she’d consider you working for her, let alone living with her. You didn’t exactly make a good impression on her yesterday.”

I can’t help making each argument my sister puts forward a challenge. “Kid stuff all day? Sounds the best. Too tired to work on my paper at night? I’m a machine with boundless energy. A live-in job? I’m fucking homeless, sis.”

Plus, I get a sudden image in my head of Lana, walking around in pajamas shorts, and my groin does a little twitch.

“Besides, even if she didn’t want me living with her, I could stay here, couldn’t I? Mac loves me.”

Deanie frowns.

“He does, right?”

She snaps her mouth shut. “Somehow, yes. But Raph, I was just annoyed with you yesterday. I suggested it with my tired pregnancy brain. I didn’t actually expect you to?—”

“No, Deanie. You’ve convinced me. I’m going to do it.”

“I wasn’t trying to convince you!”

“Well you did. Good job. The worst she can say is no, right?”

“Really? You think that’s the worst she can say?”

I laugh. “Fair point. But I’ve got a pretty sharp tongue.” A pretty skilled tongue too, but my sister doesn’t need to hear that.

“She’s interviewing people this week, Raph.”

“I’m great at interviews.”

“I’m willing to bet all of them are withwomenfar more qualified than you.”

“Then I’ll just have to get creative, won’t I?”

Deanie covers her face with her hands. “You’re going to embarrass me, aren’t you?”

“If I do, that’ll just be an added bonus.”

I crack my knuckles, suddenly feeling amazing about this whole thing. Yes it’s going to be a challenge getting Lana to believe I’m the best candidate for the job. But Iamthe best candidate for the job. And I fucking live for a challenge.

Especially when it’s packaged like a sexy little minx who hates my guts. And two amazing kids.

The front door opens inside the house and I stride across the deck, clapping my hands. “MacGregor!” I call.

“Hey, Raph,” Mac says, looking genuinely happy to see me.

Shelby holds up a smoothie. “Hungry, sweetie?”

I grin at my sister. These guys love me, and I’m sleeping on their couch. Just wait until Lana sees me in action.

I look back at my sister, giving her a wink.

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