Page 24 of Book Boyfriends
He chuckles and plops down. “I just came from pickleball with Davis.”
“Oh,” I say, ignoring the sudden queasiness in my belly, and propping the bat against the bookshelf.
No doubt Davis regaled him with me leaving mid-way through our first drink. Even if there’s a good reason why I pulled the plug on the date, Jackson may see it as Rem does. That this is just another example of me being picky or still being hung up on Will. That I sabotage every potential relationship before it’s even left the ground.
“How’d it go last night?” Jackson tosses his cap onto the cushion beside him, his strawberry blond hair tousled and a little damp. From the almost dry sweat dotting his gray T-shirt, the damp hair is no doubt also part of the afterglow from his pickleball match.
“He didn’t say?”
He plucks up a muffin from the plate that rests on the coffee table beside the mug Lord James had been drinking from. Heart racing, I scan the room for any signs that I’m not the onlyone here. Anything that would catch the attention of my nosy younger brother. Outside of the bat, it’s all textbook for my place; a laundry basket full of now folded clothes, a single mug of tea, and carbs.
“This is good,” he moans with his first bite of muffin. “Did Hope bake this?”
“New bakery.”
“And it’s gluten free? It’s too good to be.” He flashes an apologetic expression. “Sorry.”
“Back to Davis.” I gesture impatiently.
Curiosity almost pulses inside me to know what he’d told Jackson about our date. Though could the forty-ish minutes we spent together even be considered a date?
“He said you were lovely.”
“What?” I gape. “He did not.”
Lovely?None of this makes sense. Had Davis had a second date after us that he’s confusing me with? In what world would the appropriate response to last night be “she was lovely”?
He shrugs. “He did.”
Head cocked to the right, I nibble on the corner of my mouth. “What specifically did he say?”
“Other than you were lovely, nothing. The guy’s a vault?—”
“Ha!” I bark a dismissive laugh. “Surprised you’d set me up with somebody you couldn’t get all the details from.”
“Trust me, I’m as shocked.” He smirks. “Was the smutty audiobook you claim you weren’t listening to in aid of some pent-up tension after your date with Davis?”
“Gross!” My nose crinkles. “You’re my brother.”
He rolls his eyes. “Says the older sister who gave me condoms before I took Mark Soto to the prom.”
“In fairness, they were the ones you’d gifted me for my birthday.”
“We are a safety-first family.” He chuckles.
With an eyeroll, I shuffle to the kitchen and open the fridge to grab a bottle of iced tea. “Why don’t I grab us some drinks and we go sit outside?”
It’s best to get Jackson out of here. I’m not sure how long Owen can keep Lars and Lord James quiet. Not to mention, my brother’s spidey sense may go off at any point. Just like Lars, Jackson also seems to sense things others don’t.
His head tilts. “You trying to get rid of me?”
“No!” Guilt is evident in my laughing reply. “It’s just such a beautiful day.”
He arches an eyebrow.
“Why did you set me up with Davis?” I ask, hoping to deflect his curiosity and satisfy my own.
“Besides him being a snack, I thought you’d be perfect for each other,” he says through a mouthful of muffin.
