Page 108 of At First Smile
“Figures,” he mumbles.
“Rowan says your mom doesn’t know. Finn is keeping your secret from her.”
He lets out a hard breath. “It doesn’t matter. It will all come out soon enough.”
“Oh,” I say.
He grunts.
I grab an onion and start to chop. “My mom’s on her fifth husband. She’s been divorced three times.”Really, Pen?
“Five husbands? Three divorces? How does that math work?”
“My dad died. He was her first husband.” The pungent onion aroma awakens my tear ducts. The gathering tears are not about my dad.
“I didn’t know.”
“How would you?” I shrug. “Rowan and you aren’t really the chatty brothers.”
Again, he grunts.
“Case in point.”
“And you say your friend JoJo has no filter,” he scoffs with a teasing lilt.
Eyebrows lifted, my head tips his way. “Funny how somebody who isn’t your type left such an impression.”
“I didn’t…That’s not what I meant….” He lets out a long breath. “I’m not good with words.” He pivots and faces me. “Did I really hurt JoJo?”
“You did.”
“I am an asshole,” he murmurs, remorse radiating from his tone.
“I won’t disagree.” I offer a cheeky grin. “But I think your impact was only temporary. JoJo wears her feelings on her sleeve and by the next day she was back to her charmingly unfiltered self.”
“Good.” He nods. “Just another reason that I’m not her type.” It comes out as if it was only meant to be a thought and not something he’d meant to say out loud.
Her type?My brows shoot up.
He pulls something out from his back pocket and places it on the kitchen island beside the cutting board. “Would you mind giving her this?”
“What is it?”
“A letter.”
“You wrote her a letter?” I gape.
He raises his hand and coughs. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know... I just did.” He turns back to the stove.
Chopping the onion, my eyes drift to the envelope on the counter. “Is it an apology? Because I won’t take it to her if it’s just excuses?—”
“It’s an apology. I truly didn’t mean…what I said wasn’t what I meant. I’m just… I’m just sorry.” he says, softly.
“You should be.” I blink back the brimming tears from the onion’s sting. “I’ll give her the letter, though.”
