The Girl Next Door - Emma Hart Page 0,26
stuck his own fork into the tray. “Too much sugar isn’t good for the baby.”
“I had fruit for lunch.”
“You had grilled cheese and soup.”
“Tomato soup. What do you think tomatoes are? Fruit.”
“They’re salad vegetables.”
“Hah!” I pointed my cake-coated fork in his direction. “Wrong! They’re fruit! Now who needs to use the internet?”
He frowned for a moment, then set down his fork to pull his phone from his pocket.
All right, apparently Kai did.
“Huh, how about that? You’re right.” He swapped the phone for his fork and dug into the cake again.
“Of course I’m right. I thought everyone knew a tomato was a fruit.” I shrugged a shoulder.
“Why would anyone know that?”
“Because it’s more obvious than what the little numbers on the toaster are for?”
“I thought everyone knew that.”
“You only know it because you used Google.”
“Technically, it was on one those of those stupid ass memes on Facebook.” He scraped some frosting from the side of the tray. “You know those ‘I was this many years old when I found out’ bullshit things?”
“And you took a meme’s world as gospel?”
“No. I googled it after that and the general consensus is that it is true.”
“Hmm,” I mused. “I’m going to time my toast tomorrow.”
Kai rolled his eyes. “Unless you forget to eat breakfast again.”
“I don’t forget to eat breakfast,” I argued. “I just don’t eat it. This morning because I might throw up.”
“Yet here you are, mid-afternoon, eating half your body weight in cake.”
“Well, I’m a woman, and we’re known for being unpredictable. What can I say?”
He grinned, his entire face lighting up. Even his blue eyes sparkled, and I looked away before my stomach flipped—in a good way.
I didn’t need Kai Connors getting me all worked up right now, thank you very much.
Not before a nap, anyway. Nobody liked taking a nap when they were turned on.
I yawned and pressed my hand to my mouth.
Kai put down his fork. “Why don’t you lie down, and I’ll put the cake in the fridge?”
Another yawn answered for me. “I’ll lie down on the sofa.”
“That’s not a real nap.”
“Sure it is. Sofas are made for napping.”
Kai stared at me as I walked over to the sofa, but he didn’t say anything. “Are we done talking about our fake marriage then?”
“It was less talking, more arguing,” I replied, curling up under a freshly laundered, fluffy blanket. I nestled a throw pillow under my head and peered over at him. “ And yes, we’re done for now. I had a lot of cake and I’m tired.”
“So you’re just going to go to sleep.”
“Yes, I’m going to go to sleep. Like you said, it’s been a long day, and I still have to go to work tonight. There’s no way I’m getting through a six hour shift of serving drunk people alcohol on Ladies’ Night without a nap, okay?”
“Ladies’ Night? That’s a thing?”
“Kai.”
“Sorry, sorry.” He held up his hands.
I snuggled back down and closed my eyes. “You’re not going to stand there and watch me sleep, are you?”
“I have no idea,” he admitted. “Now that Mrs. V is going to be going from door to door to tell the entire building we’re married and having a baby, I’m not sure I want to leave your apartment right now.”
I sighed. “Fine. You can stay here.”
“In a few months, you’ll be begging me to stay so you can get some sleep.”
“Yes, but there isn’t a crying baby here right now,” I argued. “But there will be if you don’t let me take a nap.”
“I told you to go to bed.”
“I told you I don’t want to.”
“Aw, look. We’re already arguing like a married couple.”
I opened my eyes to see him grinning. “Fuck off.”
“Come here.” He put down his cup and turned to the sink. He pulled down the blind, then crossed into the living room where he closed all the curtains, darkening the room substantially.
Damn it. I hated it when he did nice things like that.
It was harder to stay mad at him when he did.
“Thank you.”
“Scoot up a little.” He motioned for me to move, and I scrunched up my face, but did it anyway. He sat down in the spot where my head had just been and patted his lap.
I rested my head on there, still with the cushion, and wriggled until I was comfortable. “Why am I sleeping on you?”
“Because you won’t nap in your room and I want to watch TV if I’m being held hostage here for an hour,” he replied simply. “Don’t worry, it’ll