Page 9 of The Secret
“Oh, the adorable-as-fuck Ross kid.” She smiled brightly. “You know, I think you might be protesting too much.”
I exhaled an exasperated breath. “God, no. He’s ridiculous, Leandra. He’s so immature.” I threw a hand out in the direction of his booth. “As you’ve witnessed.”
“He’s charming!”
“Ugh. Et tu, Leandra?”
She snickered. “He’s young!”
“So?Iwasn’t like that at his age.Youweren’t.” I rubbed a hand over my forehead, fighting to encapsulate all that Constantine was. “He’s a loose cannon. He just shows up as late as he wants, says whatever he wants. Bursts out with a joke or an insult and never considers the consequences. He’s like… the antithesis of all I stand for.”
I glanced at her and saw that she was looking across the aisle at Con, a small smile playing on her face.
“What?”
She shrugged. “Just thinking. It’s funny how you deal with thebitchiestbrides and grooms, all these people who act like you owe them something and expect you to kiss their asses, and you’refine. You’reMicah Bloom,” she said, mimicking my deep voice. “It all rolls right off you, because you’ve got aplan.” She looked at me and wrinkled her nose as she grinned. “But the Ross kid tells one little joke…”
“It’s not the same,” I said sourly. “And it wasn’t alittlejoke.”
“No, it was actually a really funny and well-executed one,” she said, chuckling again like she was replaying it in her mind. “The kind you usually appreciate. But you seem hell-bent onnotfinding this one funny. Why is that?”
Because being teased by the cocky little shit was intolerable? Because we were absolutely not friends? So many reasons.
I chucked a spool of wire back into the box with more force than necessary, and Leandra watched with that annoying little smile still fastened to her mouth.
A second later, she added, “You know, I did a little research on the Rosses.”
“Research?”
“With the internet, Micah.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a powerful form of magic that exists even in Baxter, New York.”
I rolled my eyes in return. “I think I’ve heard of it once or twice. But there’s no O’Leary TMZ. And besides, why would you lookhimup?”
She grinned. “Okay, first, I’m really proud of you for knowing what TMZ is, big brother. Sincerely. You’re making strides every day. But second, whywouldn’tI look them up? They’re your biggest competition. It’d be foolish not to.”
I frowned. I’d never considered that before, and it didn’t sit right with me now. “Leandra, I’m not stooping to gossip and smear campaigns.”
Leandra propped her hands on her hips and widened her eyes. Her little buns made her look way younger than her actual thirty-something years. “Psssht.Am I Olivia Pope? Are we onScandalright now?”
I blinked in confusion and Leandra grimaced.
“The TMZ reference made me temporarily forget who I was talking to. I bet you haven’t watched actual TV in years, for anything other than sports and snowfall predictions, have you? Still watching your VHS tapes?”
“Leandra.”
She waved a hand dismissively and levered herself up onto the table. “Fine, fine. But come on, you know I’m not gonna dig updirton the Rosses.Dirtimplies a secret no one else knows, and I don’t think that exists in this town. I just meant that details are important to get a read on people. Frankly, you probably should’ve done that before you moved here—studied the playing field, learned who the big players are, figured out your common interests, madefriends.”
I shook my head. “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to—”
Leandra cut me off. “Do you even hear yourself?” she demanded. “Running a business and having a personal life are not mutually exclusive concepts.”
“Wow, is this déjà vu? Because I feel like we already covered that ground this morning. Next.”
“But—”
“Next.”
“Fine. Whatever,” she grumbled. “Wait until next week. If you think I’m bad, see how fired upLaurenis about this.”
