Anyone But Nick (Anyone But... #3) - Penelope Bloom Page 0,54
I wasn’t sure I wanted to go down that path. The poem itself was riddled with horrible teenage clichés and sappy language. Iris and Kira would have enough material to make fun of me until we were wheelchair bound if they ever got their hands on it.
“Because . . . ,” Iris said.
“I recently learned that the whole reason I hated him all this time was based on a misunderstanding. And even though I know that now, it’s hard to rewire my brain. I still have these conflicting feelings when I’m around him. Like part of me just wants to enjoy the moment, and the other part can’t stop feeling ashamed for wanting that.”
Iris worked her lips to the side thoughtfully. She could be a complete goofball and seem like she didn’t have a serious bone in her body, but I could tell she was finally giving this legitimate consideration. “Okay,” she said finally. “Why do you feel ashamed?”
“Because, I don’t know . . .” I sighed. “Maybe I know it would distract me from my work? I’ve spent my whole life trying to succeed, so the idea of putting that on the back burner, even for a little while—it’s just scary.”
“And does success have to mean advancement in your career? Look, I get that you and I are totally different animals, but I thought I wanted to prove something to my dad for the longest time. I wanted to show him that I could still be a real cop, even in a little town like this. I wanted that from such a young age that it started just being a given that I never questioned. Then Cade came along, and I finally questioned it. Turns out it didn’t hold up when I looked closer. I didn’t care about that anymore, and all it had been doing was sitting in the background, shitting on everything that would’ve made me happy. It sounds like you’ve got to take a look at yourself and ask what you really want. What’s important.”
I nodded. “That actually makes sense. Thank you.”
“Actually makes sense? You say that like I don’t normally.”
“I mean, no. Normally, you don’t.”
She laughed. “It doesn’t take a blind person to see what’s going on here. I’m just stating the obvious.”
“It doesn’t take a—” I put the back of my hand to my mouth to cover my smile. “I feel like that’s offensive, and it doesn’t even make sense.”
“All I’m trying to say is that sometimes your friends know you better than you know yourself. And as your friend, I think you should stop worrying so much about it. Just act like a normal adult and go on a date with the man.”
“He hasn’t asked me on a date yet.”
“Yet. Maybe he just needs to see a little more confidence from you. Send some signals. Think of it like this. You and Nick are a pair of walkie-talkies, but every message you send to him is coming out all garbled and distorted because he’s an idiot.”
“He’s not an idiot,” I said.
Iris held up her finger. “When it comes to this, he is. So what do you do when the walkie-talkie messages aren’t getting through to him? You throw your walkie-talkie at his head. Send him a message he can’t misinterpret.”
“What message is throwing a walkie-talkie at his head supposed to send?”
“It’s called a metaphor, Miranda. You’re not supposed to take it literally. Jesus.”
Chapter 16
NICK
I asked Miranda to meet me that evening in the Scarlet Lounge, which was an aptly named room in the lower level of the main hotel grounds. The walls were patterned with dark wood paneling and red satin accents. There were also several small dogs napping while a group of employees chatted at a large table in the corner over drinks.
I’d put on my favorite suit for the meeting. There was a buzzing need in my bones that I couldn’t ignore anymore. Finding out the poem had been from her was an open door to an entirely new set of thrilling possibilities, and I had no interest in letting the opportunity pass me by.
Making up my mind to pursue Miranda again brought a new set of challenges. Chief of which was the fact that I still respected her drive to have a successful career. Yes, I had been dreaming about the indescribable taste of her mouth all day, but I also had to be careful how I went about this.