Page 2 of His Beautiful Revenge
The door opened and Lucian stuck his dark blonde head around it. “Hey, you.”
Norah was surprised. “Hey …I thought I was meeting you at home.”
“I thought I would surprise you—and say hi to my little sister. She’s serving a customer, so I thought I’d come up.”
“The store’s still open …sorry. I mean, hi,” she chuckled and kissed him. Lucian was a typical preppy archetype—handsome, well-maintained …bland. What had attracted her to him in the first place …Norah was ashamed that she couldn’t remember, but she knew she had loved him once. Now …didn’t all relationships turn into this? Friends with benefits? If you could describe their stale sex life as a benefit.
They went back downstairs to see Zulika finally locking the store up. She grinned at Norah, half-ignoring her stepbrother.
“You will not believe the sale I just made; that complete leather-bound Dickens collection?Sold,baby.”
Norah’s jaw dropped. “The five-thousand dollar set?”
“The very one.”
“Holy moly …we’ve had that for years.”
Zulika grinned at Norah. “You wanna make out with me?”
“Always.”
“Okay, it just got weird.” Lucian pretended to be sick.
“Yeah, but if I wasn’t your sister …”
“Dude, stop. You really have no filter, huh?”
Zulika shook her head. “Nah. Not much of one. By the way, I have news. I have a date.”
Lucian and Norah looked at each other, then at Zulika.
“Holy hell.” Norah’s eyes were wide.
“Did the skies darken?” Lucian checked outside the window.
“Oh, you’re both so fucking funny.” Zulika gave them both the finger, but she grinned and chuckled.
“When’s the first date?”
“Tomorrow night. Oh, I was going to ask a huge favor.” Zulika fluttered her eyelashes at Norah. “It would be really nice if, say, I at leastattemptedto look like a lady. And seeing as I don’t own anything …”
Norah smiled. Zulika was always borrowing from Norah’s beloved collection of vintage dresses and Norah kept a few of them upstairs in her office for “emergencies” just like this one. “Yes. Here.” She threw her door key to Zulika. “Go nuts. Just don’t wreck it.”
Zulika kissed her cheek. “You’re the best.”
She and Lucian laughed at the speed with which Zulika scooted out of the door. Lucian shook his head.
“Poor guy doesn’t stand a chance.”
Norah grinned. “Who is it anyways? Not Rufus?” She looked hopeful and Lucian grinned.
“You wish, Reddy. How long have you been trying to finagle that? Two, three years?”
Norah tapped her head. “I’m telling you, it’ll happen. I know things.”
Lucian hooted. “Oh, youknowthings. Tell me, O Wise One, why do you want them to get together?”
“Because they are perfect for each other. Zulika is gorgeous, Rufus is cute, and he makes her laugh.”
