Page 20 of The Housekeeper's Billionaire Boss
She swallowed the sip of coffee she’d just taken. “That’s it. I had no idea what she was talking about.”
“How did your brain turn that into burgers and fertility?” He laughed.
“My brain? The better question is, how did you get Borg and resistance is futile out of burgers and fertility?”
They quietly drank their coffee for a few minutes before Carrie Anne set her cup down. “She likes you, you know.”
How did he know that was coming? “You put me on a dating website, and I will never speak to you again.”
Carrie Anne scoffed and feigned being mortally wounded. “I was being a wonderful, loving sister by putting Bear on that website. And it’s been, like, what? Two years now. Let it go.”
“I haven’t watched that movie.” He grinned, and his heart said,Yet.If Ellie wanted to watchFrozen, he’d be right there with her, Milk-Duds popcorn and Twizzlers as well.
“Whatever. I’m right, though. She likes you, and you like her.” She leveled her eyes at him. “You’re perfect for each other, and you know it.”
Shaking his head, he engulfed the rest of his coffee before standing. “That might be, but she doesn’t want to date, and I’m not going to push it. Besides, I can’t think about that right now. I have my own reasons for not dating at the moment.”
Carrie Anne stood and grabbed his arm. “Wait. I actually wanted to talk to you about something else.”
He set his mug on the kitchen island counter, expecting her to ask why he couldn’t date. “What?”
“Molly mentioned something during lunch while we were shopping last week, and it’s been bugging me ever since.”
Slowly, he took his seat again, and so did Carrie Anne.
“She said when I call you weird it hurts your feelings.”
“Uh…” Molly told her that? Definitely not what he expected.
“I had no idea. I meant it as a good thing, but I guess to you, it felt like I was making fun of you. I promise I wasn’t. I like that you do things differently. You’re a great person. I love you to pieces, and I wish I’d known all this time that I’d been hurting you.” Her eyes turned glassy. “I’m so sorry.”
Whoa. He’d always just tried to let it roll off his back. It had hurt for a second, but he knew she wasn’t trying to be mean. All of his siblings ribbed him, so it wasn’t like she was the only one. “It’s okay. I know you weren’t.”
“No, it’s not okay. I’m really sorry for hurting you. I’ll try to be conscious of it from now on.”
He hugged her and smiled. “Thanks.”
When he lifted his gaze, Molly was standing in the doorway, chewing her lip. He mouthed,Thank you.
She winked and stepped back, deliberately making a noise as she reentered. “Good morning. Ellie’s asleep, so I’m grabbing a quick cup of coffee.”
Carrie Anne quickly wiped her eyes and walked to the door. “Uh, I’m going to get ready for the day. I’ll see you guys in a while.”
Josiah waited until she was out of earshot before asking, “How did you know being called weird bothered me?”
“Your lips turned down when she said it. We were having lunch in the middle of all that shopping, and I mentioned it.” She filled her mug with coffee, took a sip, and wilted. “I might have to figure out a way to have this shipped to me.”
She approached him and set her cup down. “You’ve been so good to me. I think I’d fight off a bear for you.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Grizzly or black?”
“Sugar-free gummy.” She giggled.
“That’s a serious bear. Have you read the reviews?”
She covered her mouth with her hand as she leaned on the counter, laughing. “Yes. They’re hysterical.”
He was laughing as hard as she was. Then he began telling her that his sister couldn’t remember the Borg. By the time he was done, his stomach was hurting from the laughing.
