Page 32 of An Inconvenient Plan
“No, just thinking. Tossing, turning.”
“That’s insomnia,” Jake said.
Josh avoided Claire’s sharp assessing gaze and focused on Jake. “It wasn’t like that. Usually I’m wired with insomnia like I need to get out of bed and do stuff. This time, I felt tired, but my mind kept whirling.” He hoped that was enough information to move back to happy baby land.
“Who’s on your mind?” Claire asked. She’d been after him to close the deal with Hailey, claiming their fighting was a front. So she turned out to be right. It sure didn’t help anything.
“You guys pick names for the baby?” he asked.
Claire put a hand on his arm. “I only want to help, Josh. I love you.”
His throat thick, he could only jerk his chin at her. HearingI love youdid something to him. He didn’t feel very lovable most of the time. Damn, he was turning into a crusty old bachelor at thirty-five.
“I have some sparkling cider to celebrate this occasion,” Jake said. “Let’s have a toast.”
“Aww, Jake,” Claire said, going up on tiptoe to kiss him.
Glad for the distraction, Josh took a seat at the bar. A moment later, Claire took the seat next to him. Jake went behind the bar, opened the cider, and poured them all a glass.
Jake lifted his glass. “To a healthy baby!”
“Hear, hear,” Josh chimed in.
“Cheers!” Claire said. They all clinked glasses. Claire took a sip, and they followed suit.
Josh hid a wince at the too sweet drink.
“So what’s the latest with Hailey’s prince?” Claire asked brightly, rubbing it in.Hailey’s prince.That right there said it all. Everyone saw the writing on the wall. Hailey was a princess who belonged with a prince. “I heard they had coffee,” Claire added. “Nice, but I thought a prince might offer something a little more exciting.”
Josh slapped his hand on the bar top. “He offered to buy Ludbury House for her! A fucking mansion! Exciting enough for you?”
“Josh,” Jake said sharply.
“Sorry, Claire,” Josh mumbled. “Didn’t mean to snap at you.”
Claire nudged him with her shoulder. “I’d much rather hear you say what’s on your mind than have you hold it all inside looking so miserable. So the prince offered her a mansion. What have you offered her?”
Josh glared at the bar top. He had one embarrassing gift and a date idea he’d thrown out the window. He couldn’t offer her the glitzy fairy-tale life she deserved. The prince was probably like a dream come true for her.
“Offer her what she’ll get with you,” Jake said. “Don’t even try to compete with buying her a mansion.”
Josh’s lip curled. “Thank you, Mr. Relationship Expert.”
Jake kept on doling out advice. “Offer to cook for her—you’re like a gourmet chef—invite her to basketball with the guys—”
“She’s terrible at basketball,” Josh said. They’d all witnessed her unathletic skills on the court back when she’d first become friends with Mad. And he’d abandoned the cooking plan. The prince probably had a chef on staff trained at some fancy French culinary school.
Jake went on like Josh hadn’t spoken. “Take her on a picnic at a park. Remember you were going to do that with Claire on the date we switched up? They’ve got paddleboarding too at the place we went. That’s fun and the weather’s warming up.”
Josh sent him ashut the fuck uplook. He was this close to smacking him.
Claire put in her two cents. “Hailey wants an old-fashioned romance. She wants to be courted, wooed, won over.”
He stilled. Now that he thought about it, Claire might be right about the romance thing. Hailey’s apartment was filled with romance novels and bridal magazines. Maybe he had to prove he was relationship material by doing something romantic. He’d thought the dinner-date idea should qualify, but maybe Claire knew something he didn’t. Maybe what Hailey wanted was something even more old-fashioned. He wasn’t sure what.
He gave Claire a sideways look, heat creeping up his neck as he mumbled, “You mean like flowers?”
“That could be part of it,” Claire conceded.
