Page 30 of Always a Chance
“And I see Talia being in town has reverted you to high school.” He grabbed the rag. “For your own good, I’m taking this. Johnny, you’re supposed to be the calm one of the two of us.” He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “What is happening right now?”
He was right. I never got rattled. Whether it was reading reviews that tore my books apart or even confronting my family after I lied to them for years, I stayed cool. “I’m fine.”
“Are you? Most people who are fine don’t have to say it.”
A knock at the door made me jump. I definitely wasn’t fine. The oven beeped, and Aidan left to retrieve the cookies, which meant I had to greet Talia. I could do this, pretend like it didn’t hurt every time I saw the way she looked at me, thought of the way she’d pushed me out of her life all those years ago. It used to make me angry. Now, it was just sad.
When I didn’t answer, she knocked again. “Johnny, you better be home. If you forgot about this meeting, I’m going to—”
I pulled open the door, and her voice cut off, her eyes going wide.
“Hey.” I tried to lean on the doorframe but missed it and stumbled sideways.
Talia lifted one eyebrow. “Smooth.”
Standing up straighter to try to retain some level of dignity, I stepped aside to let her enter. “Welcome to my humble abode.” I cringed at how much I sounded like an old man with those words.
“Humble.” She snorted. “Right.”
She walked straight in, not waiting for me as she entered the living room and immediately went to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Gulf City. She was right. It wasn’t exactly humble, but I worked hard to earn what I did. I gave back when I could and spent wisely. So what if I liked nice things?
I realized she’d never actually criticized my life, but the feeling of being scrutinized was still there.
Aidan saved me from the awkward silence. “Tali.” He smiled easily, not a normal occurrence for him, but he’d known her most of his life as well. He held out a plate of warm cookies.
The first smile graced her lips, bringing light to those familiar green eyes. “Oatmeal?”
Aidan nodded. “Of course.”
“Aidan James, you are a prince.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and took a cookie.
Red crept into Aidan’s cheeks. He didn’t spend his time dating or hanging out with the women of Gulf City, unless one counted his sisters, niece, or ex-girlfriend. Talia’s attention made him uncomfortable. I could tell just as easily as I knew the jealousy rising in me was as normal as the setting sun.
I spent my teenage years pushing down the raging green monster any time the guys at school realized how amazing my best friend was. It just took me too long to realize what that meant. Now, I knew.
I was screwed.
Talia and Aidan carried on a conversation revolving around cookies and arguing over which ones were the best. It was small talk to the nth degree, nothing chatter to fill the silence, and still, I felt on the outside.
“Want a tour?” Aidan asked.
Talia nodded with a smile that was just for him. She hadn’t looked at me since walking in. “Sure.”
I stood rooted to the spot as Aidan showed her around the place we’d shared for years. Having her here in my space felt right and at the same time so wrong. She didn’t belong to this life I’d built, and I didn’t belong to hers. We were simply author and journalist, brought together by our jobs. Soon, she’d leave and it would be like she’d never been here at all.
I had to protect myself against her ire.
The two of them were chatting easily when they returned, but her smile fell when she focused on me. “Shall we begin?”
The cold professionalism of her voice hit me, and I took in the dress she wore, a pale blue bodice that turned to black at the waist. It was meant for business meetings with its square neckline and low hem.
Her hair was pulled back into rows of tight braids that were looped over each other, a style she wore when we were younger.
“Earth to Johnny.” She crossed her arms.
“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “Let’s start.” Gesturing for her to take a seat, I lowered myself to the couch. Aidan sat on the other end, and Talia took the farthest chair.
Talia set her phone on the coffee table and hit record. “I should inform you this will be a recorded interview, but when I write the piece, I’ll edit it for clarity and pacing.”
