Page 74 of Heidi Lucy Loses Her Mind

I run my hand over my beard, taking several deep breaths as I pull my gaze away from Heidi. I’m staring, and I need to cut it out. Just because I’m crazy about her doesn’t mean I can be rude about it. So I drift over to the back of Eric’s SUV, where he’s digging around in the trunk. It’s the only car we brought, because it ended up being the four of us. And Eric seemed fine when we started out, but now he’s muttering to himself under his breath and looking grumpy, glancing over his shoulder at the women periodically.

“What’s up with you?” I say, making myself comfortable on the edge of the trunk next to where he’s rifling through his pile of supplies.

“Nothing’s up with me,” he says, but he stops to look over his shoulder again, and his rifling movements become more forceful. He moves aside what looks like several camping chairs in their bags, followed by a few sleeping bags, and then a toolbox.

“Uh-huh,” I say slowly, glancing at Heidi and Gemma. Heidi has a small smile on her face, while Gemma laughs outright, her head flung back. Then I look back to Eric again. “So why are you wearing that facial expression?”

He rolls his eyes and then turns to sit next to me, perching on the edge of the trunk. He nods to Gemma and Heidi. “It’s just—what the heck is shewearing?” He scoffs. “It’s ridiculous. I’m annoyed. That’s all.”

I can only assume he’s not talking about his twin sister and her plain black one-piece, so I turn my gaze to Gemma, taking a better look at her vivid red suit. It’s one piece as well, but the front plunges into a deep vee that ends somewhere around her solar plexus. I notice too, as she and Heidi walk around in the spring, that it’s almost completely backless. Other than a tie at the back of her neck, there’s not a scrap of fabric until it hits the base of her spine.

A slow grin spreads over my face.

“Ah,” I say, nodding. “I see.”

“What do you—I don’t—you don’tseeanything,” he splutters, looking indignant. “There’s nothing to see. Stop looking at my girlfriend.”

“Sorry, sorry,” I say with a shrug.

He sighs. “Sorry,” he says. “She says I’m toocaveman, whatever that means. I’m not allowed to express opinions on her clothing. But…” His jaw clenches shut, and it looks almost comically like he’s forcing himself not to speak. I watch his struggle for a few seconds, his face turning redder and redder until finally the words burst out of him.

“Butlookat her! She looks like that, and I look like this, and someday soon she’s going to realize how completely out of my league she is.”

I shrug again, trying to hide what’s left of my smile. I know how to spot a man who’s head over heels but completely insecure. “You need to chill, man.”

“I know,” Eric says with another roll of his eyes. “I don’t need you to tell me. Go flirt with my sister or something.”

“You know,” I say, turning to face him more fully. “Most brothers are all sensitive about men with their sisters, aren’t they? Don’t they get huffy and overprotective?” Not that Heidi would stand for that kind of behavior; she’d put her foot downrealquick.

Eric snorts as he pivots and begins rifling through the trunk once more. “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, Man Bun.”

“Hey,” I say, frowning at him as I reach up to touch my hair. “Only Heidi gets to call me that—”

“Nope,” Eric says. His movements are aimless as he continues to dig around in the cluttered trunk, and I get the feeling he needs something to do, something else to concentrate on besides Gemma. “Here’s the secret: I’m an impeccable judge of character. And you?” He looks me over. “You’re harmless, and you’re whipped.”

My cheeks flush, but I don’t deny it.

“It would do Heidi some good to socialize,” he goes on. “She’s terrified of relationships, and half the time she doesn’t even realize it. Why would I get huffy and overprotective when I think you’d be good for her?”

Well. When he puts it like that…

“Don’t get me wrong,” he adds, throwing me another look. “I’d intervene if I thought you were a problem, but I don’t. Besides”—he glances over his shoulder at his sister—“Heidi doesn’t appreciate being told what to do. You know that. And she might be emotionally stunted in some ways, but she’s smart. She can take care of herself.”

I clap him on the shoulder. “You’re a good brother,” I say. “So I’ll let you in on a secretI’veobserved.” I lean in the tiniest bit. “Heidi isn’t the only woman here who can take care of herself.” I clap him on the back. “So stop worrying about Gemma. She’s right where she wants to be. She wouldn’t put up with you otherwise.”

Eric doesn’t even look away from the stuff he’s pushing around in the back of the car; he just raises one hand and swats me away. I laugh, standing up and then heading toward Heidi and Gemma.

“Ladies,” I say with a little nod as I slip out of my shoes at the edge of their pool. I pull my shirt off over my head and then fold it neatly, setting it down by the stack of towels.

“Ooh,” Gemma says, her eyes roving over me. “Not to reduce your multifaceted existence to one mere trait, but…you’ve got quite the body, Man Bun.”

“I don’t know how to respond to that,” I say awkwardly.

Gemma laughs. “That’s fine. No response is necessary. I’m just a girl who appreciates a view.” Then her gaze shifts to her best friend. “And so is Heidi, apparently.”

She’s not wrong; Heidi is staring at me with interest.

The feeling is mutual, babe.

---