The Best Mistake - Cookie O'Gorman Page 0,36

laid a hand on my brother’s shoulder, and he looked up. “Chase isn’t always the best conversationalist.”

“Obviously,” she said which cut off Chase’s protest. His mouth snapped shut as he looked at her, seeming to really take her in for the first time. “I guess it’s a good thing he’s so cute.”

Chase blinked, and his cheeks got red. Oh man, was he blushing? We seriously had to get him out of the house more often. Women would eat him alive if he couldn’t take a little harmless flirtation.

Charlie smiled slowly. “I’ll go get Honor. Emmy went for a drive. You two can wait in the living room if you want. But don’t get too comfortable. The no guys rule exists for a reason.”

I nodded, pulling Chase inside along with me. “And we fully support that rule. One hundred percent. Don’t we Chase?”

“Yeah,” he said then cleared his throat, “yeah, we do.”

“Wouldn’t want a whole bunch of guys hanging around Emmy,” I said. “Especially not in her apartment.”

Chase nodded as we sat side-by-side on the couch. “That’s like my worst nightmare.”

“You and me both,” I said, frowning.

About a minute later, Honor and Charlie came back into the room.

“But I never have visitors,” Honor was saying. “This had better be good, Charlie. I was just watching the end of Pride and Prejudice and—”

I stood, my eyes meeting hers.

“Oh,” she said in surprise.

“Yeah, oh,” Charlie said. “Now, will you stop complaining, and just see what he wants so we can get them out of here?”

“Sure,” she said but didn’t move toward me.

I felt kind of bad about leaving Chase to fend for himself, peripherally noticing him tense as Charlie came closer to the couch, probably to take a second chance at talking to him. Sorry brother, you’re on your own, I thought, knowing he’d understand. Honor was here now, and my attention was all for her.

I walked around the couch and stopped in front of Honor, my eyes moving over her outfit. Her hair was up and kind of messy, little tendrils falling around her face, and she was wearing an oversize t-shirt that had the silhouette of a male holding something over his head. It said “Mrs. Lloyd Dobler” across the top. My lips turned down, the frown getting deeper. I didn’t know who this Lloyd Dobler guy was, but I was instantly jealous. She had his name written over her chest for crying out loud. Her pajama pants looked big and had little dogs on them while her feet—I nearly smiled when I saw the fuzzy socks covering her toes.

“What are you so happy about?” she said, and my head popped up immediately.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She pointed at my face. “You’re smiling.”

“I was not,” I said, knowing my frown was still firmly in place.

“Not your mouth.” Honor shook her head. “There, your eyes are smiling.”

This was news to me. “They are?”

“Yeah,” she said, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms. “I’ve noticed they do that sometimes.”

Only when I’m with you, I thought.

“Did you need something, Archer? I wasn’t expecting anyone—which is why I’m dressed like this, obviously. Sorry you had to see me in my crappy pajamas.”

You look good to me.

The words went through my head, but I didn’t say them. She looked self-conscious enough as it was. And beautiful, even if she didn’t think so. It wasn’t so much about what she wore as who was wearing the clothes. Honor could probably wear a potato sack, and she’d still make my eyes smile.

Wanting to cheer her up, I held out her copy of Jane Eyre. “Just came to return this to its proper owner,” I said.

“Ah.” She took the book from my hand and pulled it to her chest. “That’s…great. Thank you.”

My brow furrowed. “I thought you might need it for class. Thought you’d be happy to get it back.”

“Oh no, I definitely am, and it’s not required reading,” she said then laughed at herself. “It’s just one of my favorites. My shelves have been missing Jane. Thank you so much again for returning it.”

Maybe I’d imagined the note of sadness I detected in her voice?

“So I guess this means you don’t want to date me anymore,” she added.

“What? Nah, I still definitely want that. I just felt bad.”

“About what?” She sounded surprised.

“Keeping your book,” I said and ran a hand over my neck. “Plus, now I don’t need an excuse to see you. I hear you’ll be coming to some of our games, hanging out with