Page 43 of An Inconvenient Plan
She pushed her plate away and blurted, “So now what?”
“You want dessert?”
“No, I’m stuffed. Dinner was great.”
“Glad you liked it. Now you can help me wash dishes.”
She hid her disappointment, pasting on a smile. “Sure.”
He shook his head. “Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Don’t fake smile at me. Just be yourself. Frown if you want. Do nothing. Just don’t be fake.”
“I was being polite.”
“Don’t do that either.”
She huffed. “Any more orders you’d like to send my way?”
He rubbed his jaw, his eyes glinting with mischief. “I’ll let you know.”
Later that night, Hailey was faced with the grim proposition of returning home having failed her mission to tempt Josh with her body-hugging dress, which she’d showed off to every advantage. She refused to make a blatant move after he’d turned her down, but she was getting very tense. It almost felt like they were an old married couple. Somehow they’d gone from frenemies to friends and skipped the lover part. After they’d washed dishes—she washed, he dried and put away—they took Rose for a walk, and then they’d watched a movie on TV. Okay, yes, he’d held her hand, but that was it. And he let her pick the movie. Of course, she had to introduce him to one of the most romantic movies in history, an oldie but a goodie,While You Were Sleeping.
She should’ve known the movie didn’t give him any great romantic ideas because when it ended, he said, “I don’t get it. How was that romantic? She loved a guy she didn’t know and then she went with his brother.”
“She followed her heart.”
“The guy was in a coma.”
“She saved him.”
He grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Rose lifted her head from where she was asleep on Josh’s lap and then settled back down. “You ever think you’d want to be with my brother?”
She gave him a wicked smile. “Which one?”
“Jake,” he bit out. “He’s just like me but with money.”
She blinked, surprised he was actually serious. He did have a chip on his shoulder about money. “You shouldn’t get worked up about his money. You just chose a less lucrative career path.”
He clenched his jaw. “I’m not worked up.”
She didn’t argue the point. So far they’d done really well getting along and she didn’t want to end on a bad note. On the other hand, it was clear he had a real, completely irrational concern over his twin. “Jake is…”
He leaned in. “What?”
“Don’t tell him I said this and don’t tell Claire.”
He gestured her on.
“Boring.”
Josh grinned. “Why is he boring?”
“I don’t know why. He just is.”
“And I’m exciting? Me working in a small-town bar living a quiet life is more exciting than a billionaire?”
