My Cone and Only (King Family #1) - Susannah Nix Page 0,81
of my old man. Far better for everyone else if I just stayed away. At least then I couldn’t cause a scene that would force Josie to do damage control.
“I’ve been busy,” I said vaguely.
Ryan shot me a curious look over his shoulder. “Busy doing what?”
“Fixing up Andie Lockhart’s house,” Tanner answered before I could.
Ryan lowered his paint roller and turned around to look at me, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. “Andie hired you to work on her house?”
“She ran into some trouble with her HOA and needs a bunch of repairs done fast.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’m doing her a favor.”
“I’ll bet you are.” Ryan smirked at me.
“It’s not like that,” I replied, bristling. I didn’t give a crap about my own reputation, but I didn’t want anyone gossiping about Andie.
I debated telling my brothers that it was Dad who’d been behind Andie’s HOA problems in the first place, and how his lawyers had threatened her, hoping she’d sell the house so he could make a profit off her inheritance. But I decided not to drag them into it. Tanner already had enough tension with Dad because of work, and Ryan had always had a weirdly good relationship with my old man. Somehow he’d managed to be a better stepfather to Ryan than a father to his own flesh and blood. Go figure.
“How’s it going?” Tanner asked. “You guys work things out?”
I knew he was asking about more than just the repairs to Andie’s house, but this wasn’t the time or place to talk about it. “Yeah, we’re good. Everything’s fine.”
“Work what out?” Ryan asked.
“Nothing.” I shot Tanner a warning look. Ryan didn’t know how I felt about Andie, and I preferred to keep it that way. “Andie’s HOA was being a pain in the ass, but I talked them around.”
Ryan gave me a gruff nod of approval. “Let me know if you need any extra hands.”
Tanner shook his head at me, clearly disappointed I hadn’t followed his advice and confessed my feelings to Andie. Little did he know, I’d done exactly that. I just couldn’t tell him about it.
As he refreshed the paint on his roller, Ryan cast a thoughtful look at me. “You should ask that girl out.”
I frowned at him. “What?”
“I know you’re into her. What are you waiting for? Stop playing around and make your move.”
I turned an accusing look on Tanner. “What’d you tell him?”
Tanner held up his hands. “I didn’t tell him anything, I swear.”
Ryan snorted and turned back to the wall he was painting. “Like I need Tanner to tell me anything. It’s only been obvious since forever that you’re in love with Andie Lockhart. I keep waiting for you to come to your senses, but I’m starting to wonder if you’ve got any in that head of yours.”
I had no idea I’d been that transparent, but it probably shouldn’t have surprised me that Ryan had sussed it out. He’d always had an uncanny sixth sense when it came to me, always able to suss out when I was up to something. I had to be extra careful around him, or he’d be able to read me like an open book.
For a moment, I was tempted to tell them both the truth. That Andie and I were together and I’d never been happier. It would have felt good to share the news and tell them they’d both been right.
But I was the one who’d begged Andie to keep our relationship a secret. She hadn’t wanted to do it and had only agreed for my sake. It’d be unfair of me to spill the beans to my brothers when I was making her lie to hers about us.
“That’s ridiculous. I’m not in love with Andie.” As I said it, the words left a sick, unpleasant feeling in my gut.
Because they were a lie. I was in love with Andie. And not just in a pining, teenage crush kind of way. But in an honest to god, head over heels, spend the rest of my life with her, till death do us part kind of way.
Holy shit.
Ryan shook his head as he pulled his paint roller down the wall. “I honestly can’t tell if you’re lying to us or to yourself at this point. But if you drag your feet too much longer, someone else is going to come along and snap her up.”
“Let them.” I kept my eyes on my own wall so I wouldn’t have to look