A Flighty Fake Boyfriend (Men of St. Nachos #2) - Z.A. Maxfield Page 0,63
that, the decisive, confident Epic I knew became petulant Master Robert before my eyes. Could Epic break out of the role they’d assigned him? It shouldn't have mattered to me, but it did.
“Where are you headed?” asked Chloe.
Epic glanced at the things he carried—blanket, umbrella, kites—and said, “The British Museum.”
His mother gave a long-suffering sigh as we passed them on our way to the sidewalk. For my part, I vacillated between whether to say something more or leave things at that. I could think of nothing besides apologizing for my presence in Epic’s life, defending myself, or promising to go away and never come back, so I stayed silent.
We got a little way down the street before we heard the Lexus’s doors open and close. The engine started. The car slid slowly past us with his parents staring straight ahead inside it.
“Awkward doesn’t begin to cover that,” Epic said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Are your parents really planning to force you to leave?”
“Pretty much.”
A sudden thought occurred to me. Aghast, I asked, “Were you lying when you said you were twenty-three?”
His eyes widened. “No, it’s nothing like that. You heard my mom say it.”
Relieved, I asked, “Then how can your parents make you move against your will?”
Epic chewed his lip. “They can’t really, but it’s complicated.”
“They obviously think they can, though. Is it money? Did they pay for your tuition, and now they feel like they have a say with regard to your future?”
“Actually, no. I have student loans, but they’re small compared to some of my friends’.”
“So how can your parents control you?” Wind raked through my hair while I reminded myself I wasn’t there to solve Epic’s problems. I sighed. “It’s none of my business, and I’m sorry if my presence made things more difficult.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry. Chloe cast you in the role of defiler of innocents the minute she saw you.”
“Right?” At least he didn’t try to deny it. “That was a new experience.”
He pouted. “This doesn’t feel like a happy, kite-flying kind of day anymore.”
“I’m sorry.” I wrapped my arm around him as best I could, given we both carried bulky gear. “I can take you out someplace if you’d rather. Shopping?”
“What I really want to do is mope.”
“Moping isn’t likely to help,” I said carefully. “And given what I know about you, it doesn’t feel like a thing you do.”
“That’s why it’s so…irritating. My parents and I are oil and water. No matter what I try, we just don’t mix.”
“You need mustard.”
He came to a halt. “Come again?”
“To form an emulsion. What you need is an emulsifying agent like mustard.”
He smiled ruefully. “Grandma usually fills that role, I guess.”
“Where is she?” I asked. “Can you call her to intercede on your behalf?”
“Maybe.”
We’d arrived at a crossroads. We had to turn left if we were still heading for the beach or right if we wanted to go to my rental. Epic chose right, and I followed.
“Grandma and I talked about that the last time my parents got high-handed. We decided that if I didn’t handle them myself, I’d never learn how.”
“I’m sure even your grandmother didn’t expect your folks to show up on your doorstep with empty suitcases.”
“I like how you say folks. Do you have folks? I have Parents, capital P.”
“I have ‘folks.’ My family is close-knit even though I don’t have a lot of time for them.”
“You should change that if you can.” We entered my rental and dropped the beach things in the foyer. “Can we get in the hot tub?”
“Sure, if that’s what you’d like to do.”
“Do we have to wear clothes?” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I shrugged. “I don’t live here. Let’s shock the neighbors.”
He whipped off his shirt. “First one in gets a shoulder massage.”
I let him win.
Ten minutes later, Epic leaned both arms on the side of the hot tub while I worked the knots out of his back and shoulders. He sighed happily.
“Three o’clock today,” I reminded him.
“Hm?”
“That’s high noon as it were. At three o’clock today, you’re going to have to talk to your parents. Any idea what you plan to say?”
“What can I say?”
“Start from the beginning. Why are they here now?”
He dropped his head to rest on his arms. “We had a big fight after I got my master’s. I wanted to live in St. Nacho’s. Mom and Dad sent a blizzard of my CVs to all their business contacts here and abroad. Several companies would have offered me a job on