Page 15 of Almost Perfect
“No! I’m not. I’ve just heard a few friends talking about it.”
The blush on her cheeks was saying something, but I couldn’t tell what. “It’s okay. Obviously, no luck for me yet. Everyone’s been nice, but no sparks or… anything yet.”
Warrick snorted and glugged down his entire water like it was a double shot.
“What?”
He raised his brows and waited a beat before saying, “This is your problem. You just said it out loud. I don’t get why you haven’t figured it out yet considering you are reasonably intelligent.”
“Do enlighten me.”
He chuckled and sipped his water. “You said they’ve all beennice. You’re always talking about how these girls you talk with arenice.”
“What’s wrong with nice? You’re the nicest person I know.”
“Of course I am. That’s not the point. There’s nothing else to these women other than nice for you, and that’s not what you want.” He pointed at me with his pinky finger before he took another drink.
“That’s just… stupid.”Brilliant comeback.“Everyone wants a nice girl. Don’t pretend like that’s something I—”
“Of course you want nice, and that’s great. But my point is,allthese women are to you is nice. That doesn’t mean all they are is nice. It just means that between you, there’s nothing else. You don’t see their picture and want to date them. You don’t find something out about them and say, ‘Gee, I’d like to know more about her.’ No, you just think, ‘Huh, she seems nice. I’ll date her,’ like that’s all you’ve ever wanted, and it’s BS. Samantha was so nice that you hardly knew she was there, and your breakup was more like a casual business lunch. You want more thanjustnice, and until you admit that, you’re hosed.” He crunched a chip loudly to emphasize his point.
Our traitor of a mother did nothing but duck her head and study her margarita.
Brodie delivered our food, which broke the moment open, thankfully, but I couldn’t let it go entirely. When he left us, I spoke up. “They’re not just nice. This girl I’m meeting tomorrow is a teacher, okay? I like that. I want someone who likes kids. That’s more than just nice.”
Warrick accentuated his unimpressed gaze with a slow-motion blink. “Two words: Leo. Morrison.”
I sighed. “Leo and I had no chemistry. None.”
“Yeah, but you crushed after her for at least a year before you figured that out, amiright?”
“I did.”
I wouldn’t deny that. Leo was intimidating as hell if you didn’t know her very well, and I hadn’t. I didn’t think of myself as easily intimidated, but she wasn’t someone you could just walk up to and ask out. In the end, our dates and our one and only kiss fizzled, and after that, we decided on friends.
“Leo drew you in because a, she’s freaking gorgeous, and b, she’s got fire. She’s also really nice and thoughtful to the people she loves. But mostly? She’s got a backbone like a steel rod and attitude for days.” His affectionate smile was for Leo since he seemed completely annoyed by me.
“I won’t disagree with any of that. All true.”
He widened his eyes, somehow even more than they already were, and jutted out his neck as if to say,Well?
“What? Yes, I liked her. She’s great. We’re friends. She’smarried.”
He rolled his eyes, complete with a head whirl to follow and a frustrated sigh. “It’s not about Leo specifically. My point is you’ve got to find someonelikeher—with a personality that challenges you and makes you think—rather than some nice, vanilla girl whose name you can hardly remember.”
“I remember their names—”
“Notmy point.”
“Let’s talk about something else, okay? And Wyatt, you enjoy your date and don’t worry about your bossy brother. But… also maybe consider what he’s saying.” She gave me a soft smile, and I nodded to show I’d heard her. “And now, we need to talk about Wilder.”
Thinking about Wilder, the middle of us, never failed to bring all thoughts about the future to a screeching halt. Because talking about Wilder reminded me of how I’d failed him, even if I knew there was nothing I could do to help him if he wasn’thereand wouldn’t let me in.
Someday, he’d be back. I hoped. Mom confirmed whenever she could that he planned to come home when he retired, and supposedly, he always said yes.
So I had to get my crap together before then so I could be the brother he needed me to be because that day was fast approaching.
As though I needed another reason to figure myself out. But… how?
