Rogue Devil (The Rourkes #11) - Kylie Gilmore Page 0,37
even though Connor agreed it was hideous, he said it was a birthday present from our brother Jack, so he had to keep it. I tried to unload it on Connor as a housewarming gift when he moved in with his fiancée, but she says it clashes with her decor. No kidding. It clashes with everything.
“What is this supposed to be?” She tilts her head this way and that. “Close up of a molecule?”
I look at it with new eyes. Problem is, I don’t know what a molecule looks like up close. Then I get a great idea. “You like it? It’s yours.”
She crinkles her nose. “No, thanks.”
I go back to ordering pizza. “I’m never getting rid of that thing. Jack gave it to Con as a gift. Con left it behind when he moved out.”
“I don’t get modern art,” she says, taking a seat on the sofa.
“Me either.” I place the order. “You want a drink while we wait?”
She shakes her head. “I’m good.”
I tuck my phone back in my pocket and consider my next move. She’s sitting there, completely oblivious that I’m about to take things to a public level. She’s going to hang with my family at Jack’s wedding. She knows them a little from Villroy, but this is different. My mom will definitely follow up about her. I think Mom will like Chloe. She’s smart, kind, and hardworking. Beautiful. I swallow hard. If Chloe says no to the wedding, I’ll have to explain why I’m solo. I refuse to date a nice Catholic girl chosen by my mother. A guy has to draw the line somewhere.
Chloe tucks her hair behind her ears. “Everything okay? You seem tense.”
I stride over to the sofa and flop down in a casual gesture. “Perfectly relaxed.”
“I was glad to hear your brothers were on board for Finerman’s. I always liked that store, even if I couldn’t afford anything in it.”
We’ve kept in touch by text. No big. It’s what friends do.
“Yeah, we put a bid in, and we’re waiting to hear if the owner counters. Fingers crossed.” I can’t seem to get comfortable. I punch the pillow behind me and push back into it. She’s at the opposite end of the sofa with a cushion between us. Just the way me and Beast would sit on this sofa. The center cushion is no-man’s land.
She glances over at me and then turns away, twirling a lock of hair. It’s awkward, and it shouldn’t be. Things were great last weekend when we hung out. There’s a comfort level between us that’s missing now. It’s because of this damn question I have to ask her. Just spit it out!
“So, Chloe, I was wondering…” Too wimpy. Act like you don’t care. Like you’re asking a guy to the game.
“Yeah?”
“Ever see Monty Python?” Dammit.
“No.”
“It’s my favorite movie.”
She nods. “Cool. I’ll pretend I like it, then.”
I bark out a laugh. She has a dry deadpan sense of humor that keeps surprising me. “How’s work? Are you getting beyond setting up test tubes?”
“Don’t forget washing equipment,” she says. “I’m the newbie, the youngest in the lab, and I got a nice little lecture from my boss about how everyone has to pull their weight no matter how smart they think they are.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. I swear I wasn’t bragging about myself. I just stated plainly what I’ve accomplished and what I hope to accomplish.” She sighs and leans back in the sofa, looking at the ceiling. “I guess I shouldn’t have brought my résumé and published papers as a reminder. That seemed to annoy her.” She turns her head to look at me. “She said she’d already reviewed them with my application and didn’t need to see them again.”
“It’s tough with bosses. Gotta walk a fine line, respecting authority while standing up for yourself.” I lift a palm. “Look at the bright side. One day you’ll be in charge of a lab and you can make some other newbie do crap work.”
A reluctant smile tugs at her lips. “I guess someone has to do it.”
“My brother Jack’s getting married in two weeks,” I blurt. “In New Jersey, where his fiancée is from. The reception is at a country club. Real fancy setup.”
She nods and kicks off her shoes.
“So what’re you doing the Saturday after next?”
She turns to me. “I don’t know, Bren. What’re we doing?”
My lips curve up. She gave it to me. “We’re going to Jack’s wedding. As friends.”
“Do I have to dance?”
“No.”
She inclines her head. “Do you have