Nerdy (Unexpected Lovers, #2) - J.B. Heller Page 0,5

pull up Kinsley’s contact and call her.

She answers on the third ring. “Hey, Em, what’s up?”

I sigh. “Lenny had a bad day. We need wine and chocolate. Lots of it.”

“I’m on it. I’ll stop and get stuff on my way home. I’ll pick up takeout too,” she says.

“You’re the best!” I tell her.

She chuckles. “You’re only saying that because I’m bringing home wine.”

I laugh with her. “And food.”

“I’ll pack up and head home around five. Text me if you think of anything else we need,” she says, then we end the call.

Burrowing into the corner of the couch, I click on the Kindle app on my cell and open Sebastian’s book, Drown with Me. I keep my notebook handy so I can jot down any new questions that come to me as I lose myself in his words.

“Everly, come back here!” I call after my rambunctious, almost-five-year-old niece as she sprints away from the playground after some other kid’s ball. I’d chase after her if I didn’t have Hazel strapped into the baby swing. Instead, I keep my gaze fixed on Ever’s little form as she kicks the ball back to the random kid then returns to me.

“Don’t run off like that,” I chastise her as she approaches.

She rolls her eyes at me. “I was getting the ball.”

I give Hazel another push. She giggles and kicks her chubby legs as the swing flies through the air. “I know what you were doing, but you have to stay in the playground or we’re going home.”

Everly sighs and tips her head back, looking up at the sky. “Fiiine” she says then takes off for the big red slide where her friends are congregated.

God, she’s dramatic. I shake my head and go back to pushing Hazel who, at only a year old, is thankfully still too young to give me attitude.

We stay at the park for another thirty minutes before Hazel rubs her eyes, indicating she’s ready for her nap. “Time to go,” I call to Everly as I strap Hazel to the baby carrier attached to my chest.

Miraculously, Everly says goodbye to her little friends and comes to my side without argument. When her tiny hand slips into mine, I give it a gentle squeeze and smile down at her. She returns it with a toothy grin of her own.

“Is Azel sweepy?” she asks as we start walking toward home.

“She is. What about you? You’ve been doing some pretty hardcore playing this morning.”

Her shoulders lift in a shrug. “Nah, I’m otay.”

By the time we get back to Storm’s house, ten minutes later, Hazel has passed out. Her little fist clenches my shirt in a death grip, and I have to carefully unfurl her fingers before I can place her in her crib.

She stirs as I lay her down, and I gently caress her back, soothing her; then I wait a few moments to make sure she settles. I exit her room with the stealthy ninja skills I’ve developed over the years of mannying for my sister.

Everly is waiting in the hallway for me. “You want a snack before your chill time?” I ask her.

Her blonde head bobs in a nod. “Yes, pwease.”

We tiptoe to the kitchen where I cut up an apple, some carrot sticks, and a few cubes of cheese then set her up with a movie in the living room. “What are you in the mood for today?” I ask as she sits at her tiny table beside the couch.

She purses her lips and wrinkles her brow. “Bwave,” she eventually decides.

“Okey-dokey,” I say, clicking through the movie selection until I come to Brave. “You feelin’ like a badass princess today, huh?”

Ever nods, chewing on a carrot stick. “Yep. I’m dunna be wike Merweeda when I drow up.”

“Good girl,” I tell her, ruffling her silky-smooth hair. She swats at my hand and glares at me. I chuckle and flop down on the couch, pulling my phone from my pocket. I still haven’t replied to Emory’s last question.

My thumb taps away at the screen as I formulate my response.

ME: Do I believe opposites attract in real life? Yes, I do. Take my sister and her fiancé, for instance. My sister, Storm, is crazy smart—like, genius levels. She’s an aerospace engineer. Her fiancé, Jake, is an average Joe, so to speak. They are night and day, yin and yang. But they fit each other perfectly. He draws her out of her head, and she makes him want to act like a grown-ass man.