Page 6 of Turnabout Is Fair Cosplay
“And you ended up onmybed? Readingmybook?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to end upinyour bed reading your book.” He tossesAnna K. back on my nightstand.
“Get off.” I fold my arms across my chest, proud that I can stand without support once more.
“But it’s so comfortable. Smells nice too.” He sits up, leaning on his elbow, resting his chin in his hand. “Like ginger and oranges.”
Those intense honey eyes are fixed on me. “The party is downstairs. It’s rude to wander around a house uninvited.”
“I was invited. ‘Make yourself at home.’ I have. It’s a good exercise.”
“So is taking the stairs two at a time and then doing some laps in the pool. Out.”
“You learn a lot about a family when you make yourself at home.” He rises and tugs the wrinkles out of his Hawaiian shirt. He’s tall. Taller than me, but that’s not unusual, as I’m only five foot four. Well, five seven today. I’m wearing my platform flip-flops because being the shortest in the family after my mom is not a fun conversation starter. Mike prowls toward me, and my mind flashes to the best thirty seconds of my life—my face inhis hands, his lips hovering dangerously over mine, and the sun setting over the Pacific.
“Oh really?” My tone is bored. At least I hope it is. It’s hard to tell when my insides are turning into gel.
“A Del Mar heiress goes to law school to prove she has a brain to rival her old-money charm. Meets a promising, handsome, young, third-year student, falls in love, drops out of law school when she realizes she’s pregnant…” He nudges a small potted cactus on my bookshelf. “Thus, only one diploma hangs in the family study. Baby number two comes heavy on the heels of baby number one. Two girls. The first is the prodigy, the second is the do-no-wrong sweetheart. Mama heiress uses her connections to make sure her darling husband is hired by the right firm and works his way up the ranks from associate to partner in no time. She catches her breath in time to pop out a third child, also a girl, and then at last a son. How am I doing so far?”
If we were in court, I could have objected a half-dozen times over. I could pull apart his evidence, pinpoint the calls for speculation, but we aren’t in court. We’re in my bedroom, and Mike is telling me a story that is true, even if it is oversimplified.
And I am mesmerized.
“Your dad may be successful, but it’s your mom’s trust fund that has made all this possible.” He gestures to the view of the pool outside my window. “But trust funds hardly instill the values of hard work and self-reliance in the rising generation. So I’m guessing that piece of family history was often glossed over.”
I catch myself before I yell,Objection!in my courtroom voice.
“Something wrong?” Mike’s smirk has resurfaced.
Only if we were in a court of law. “Are you finished?”
“This story, while being a charming fairy tale of riches to more riches, isn’t the interesting bit.”
“There’s an interesting bit?”
“It’s the characters.” He presses a tentative finger to the spines of my pink moon cactus. “The firstborn, the eldest sister. I mentioned she’s the prodigy, trophy child determined to prove her own worth and merit as far away from your mama’s influence as possible. I’m guessing she’s putting off a family of her own until she’s attained some arbitrary status of self-worth.”
I frown. “Like partner?”
“Exactly! Second eldest.”
“Juliet,” I offer.
“Juliet is the princess. Family sweetheart. The beauty who can do no wrong. Cemented this role by being the first to settle down and start a family of her own.”
“And Adam?” I’m baiting him. I have to be.
“The prodigal son. That leaves you. The interesting one.”
Heat rises to my cheeks.
A corner of Mike’s mouth twitches into a smile. “No dogs, right?”
“What?”
“Or cats? I didn’t see signs of either, but the accoutrement could have been stowed for the shindig.”
“My mom’s allergic.”
