Page 42 of The Sebastian Guarantee
Getting the message, he scooted his chair over to join her in the frame. “Hello, Rowen. It’s so nice to see you, Penny. I’m back in Colorado and attending LETIS as well. So, Phoebe and I will keep each other company,” he finished, settling in next to her—andnotreleasing her hand.
Penny gasped—an action that was a little over the top, even for her emotive aunt. “Sebastian! Hello, sweetheart.” She beamed, then pressed her hand to her heart and turned to her husband. “Oh, Rowen, isn’t that wonderful news? Sebastian and Phoebe are together.”
“Yes, yes, wonderful news. So very wonderful,” her uncle replied with an odd lilt to the words. It was as if he and her aunt were role-playing or reading from a script.
What was up with them? Did her aunt and uncle think she and Sebastian were dating?
Phoebe shifted in her seat. “Sebby and I aren’t together-together. I mean, sure, we’re physically together in my apartment, but I’m also physically with”—she glanced around wildly and zeroed in on the first thing she saw—“a cucumber,” she announced, spying the vegetable on the counter next to the blender. “Yes, I am also in the company of a cucumber,” she reiterated, wishing a sinkhole would crack the ground beneath her apartment building and swallow her whole.
“I think Phoebe is trying to say that we got together yesterday to talk shop,” Sebastian added.
He glanced at her, and in the second their gazes met, she eyeball-thanked him for intervening and saving her from the insane cucumber comment. He eyeball-replied,I got you, then tossed her a wink.
He returned his attention to her aunt and uncle. “I’m utilizing some of the techniques I’ve researched about meeting one’s life goals to help Phoebe wow the investors at LETIS,” he continued, sounding damned knowledgeable.
“He’s guaranteed my success,” she supplied. “He’s given me the Sebastian Guarantee, right?” she said, turning to the man.
“Exactly,” he answered, but his tone sounded a touch muted.
“We certainly know Phoebe will be in good hands,” Penny gushed. “Libby was right about a shift yesterday.”
“You saw Mibby yesterday?” Sebastian asked. “I thought she’d already gone to Rickety Rock.”
Penny slapped a wide grin on her lips. “Your stepmom got away for a little while. We had an . . . appointment . . . plans . . . in Denver,” she stammered, which was odd for her aunt.
“Have you spoken with your dad since you’ve returned, Sebastian?” her uncle Rowen asked, shifting the topic, then glanced at a cell phone on the table in front of him.
Sebastian’s posture stiffened. “No, not yet. He was already in Rickety Rock when I got home. I’m sure we’ll connect when he gets back to the city.”
Rowen looked up from the phone. “I know he’d like that. And Phoebe?” the man continued, returning his attention to his cell.
“Yeah, Uncle Row?”
“What’s going on with your Info Darling page?”
Phoebe’s cheeks burned with mortification. “It was Aria being silly.”
“That’s a relief,” her uncle replied and adjusted his glasses. “Don’t get me wrong. I understand you’re a grown woman with needs and urges. I was worried that . . . I understand they’re your favorite food, but . . .” The man trailed off.
Phoebe’s mouth fell open as absolute humiliation set in. She’d sell her soul to the devil if he could guarantee she’d never have to hear her uncle mention herneedsandurgesagain. She checked the little square on the laptop’s screen with her and Sebastian’s image. She’d gone full-on ripe tomato. And again, she couldn’t help but wonder where that damn sinkhole was when a gal needed it.
“Uncle Row,” she yammered. “I would never . . . I’m not attracted to . . .”
What the hell was she supposed to say? Hot dogs don’t make me horny?
Penny glanced at Rowen’s cell phone. “My goodness, that’s quite a description. Then again, Aria is a songwriter. It makes sense she’d be good at painting a picture with words.”
When would this end?
Phoebe twisted the collar of the trench coat. “It’s a joke—just a joke.”
She’d barely gotten the words out when Sebastian started vibrating. She looked over to find the guy on his cracked-to-hell cell phone perusing her Info Darling webpage while shaking with pent-up laughter.
“All of you, stop reading! Get off the Info Darling page. I’ll fix it when I have a spare second. That’s the problem with websites,” she fumed. “They’re like the Wild West. You better believe Go Girl won’t have those kinds of shenanigans. When it’s fully funded, we’ll have admins monitoring to ensure it’s safe for all ages, and quality control managers to ensure the content is accurate and appropriate. That’s the sort of thing I’ll share with potential investors at LETIS.”
“What about the Munch Match app?” Rowen pressed.
Her brows knit together. “What about it?”
