pregnancies, and I’m close to getting Jay D to roll over.” Oh, and I almost fucked your pretend stepson this weekend.
“Four, why must you give me a hard time?”
Because you deserve it. “So, how was Maihama?”
The morning after our argument, they’d taken the company’s private jet to one of the resorts in Japan. I figured pretending to care about her life was better than arguing about mine.
“It was brisk. Even more so than here. I think I may sit the next one out. I haven’t traveled this much since Chet.”
I immediately went on alert at the mention of heartbreak number two. He had been the rock star who’d nursed her back from the dead only to get her hooked on drugs.
“What do you say we have some girl time the next time Thomas goes out of town? It’s about time, don’t you think?”
God, I stopped wanting that years ago. “If you need an alibi, I’m sure your friends at the country club can help.” Even though my intention was to brush her off, I sincerely hoped her growing popularity held. Rosalyn had always had trouble maintaining friendships. Usually, her friends would become frustrated, or she’d lose interest.
“Oh, well, I just thought we could have girl talk. You know—hair, makeup, clothes. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you in anything other than greasy overalls I forgot how beautiful you are.”
“Rosalyn.” Despite my grievances, I felt my cheeks flush.
She giggled and winked. “I’ve embarrassed you.”
“A bit.”
“Honestly, dear, you’d be used to being told you’re beautiful by now if you would just get over this phase.”
And just like that, the bubble I’d been floating in popped. “I’m pretty busy with school and Jay D. Besides, I have no intention of wearing makeup or changing my clothes.”
“What about your gorgeous hair? I could show you different ways to wear it now that it’s grown back.”
“Don’t bother,” I said as I strolled backward with milk and cookies in hand. “As soon as I find the time, I’ll be cutting it off again.”
“Don’t you dare. I forbid it.” Her gaze suddenly shifted behind me. “Oh, hello, Ever.”
“Rosalyn.”
I peeked over my shoulder in time to see him give her a polite nod. He was standing so close I wondered how I hadn’t felt his presence.
“Your father is in his office if you’d like to speak to him.”
A curt ‘thanks’ was all he gave before sliding past me. I watched him pull one of his many bottles of orange Gatorade from the fridge, barely feeling Rosalyn’s soft hand on my shoulder as she clicked out of the kitchen in her heels.
“What’s the deal with you and those drinks?”
“The deal?” he echoed as he eyed Mrs. Greene’s fresh cookies with regret. I guess the swelling still hadn’t gone down although he wasn’t as hard to understand as he’d been yesterday.
“Other than water, I’ve never seen you drink much of anything else. Are you addicted or something?”
“No.” The air turned stale after that, so I turned to leave. “Hey.”
I stopped even though common sense screamed at me to keep walking. “Yeah?”
With a motion for me to follow, he left the kitchen and headed for the stairs in the west wing. We didn’t exchange words until we entered his workroom. Standing by the doors in case I needed a quick getaway, I watched him move to the other side of the room to his drafting table. After setting down his drink, he picked up some papers and began studying them. I could see the wheels turning in his head but couldn’t tell what he was thinking or what made him seem almost nervous. I could definitely tell the feeling was a novelty for him—because who would ever tell Ever McNamara no? I certainly didn’t seem to be able to.
After a few seconds, I lost my patience and cleared my throat. “So, is there a reason you brought me here?”
With papers in hand, he crossed the room until he stood in front of me, and I was surprised when he handed them to me. I hesitated to take them until I noticed the logo at the top.
“What is this?”
“I did as much as I could, but you’ll have to prove you don’t have a concussion before you can apply for a license. You can take the test online, so I created the account and paid the fee. Your login, password, and membership details for the network are also there. Rosalyn still has her health benefits through the company, so I used