Two Truths & a Lime (The Love Game #3) - Elizabeth Hayley Page 0,25
weren’t strangers to the role.
“Yeah, we’re all good,” Veronica told them.
Manny and Franco nodded and went back to work.
“We’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” Franco said to her, though his eyes were on Aamee. I didn’t think either of her brothers would hurt a female, but I figured they weren’t about to stand by while another chick fucked with their sister either. I could respect that.
Once the guys were out of the apartment, Veronica turned back to Aamee.
“Listen,” she said before dropping her gaze to the floor like she was trying to think of where to go from here. She probably didn’t expect that her move would be supervised by a psychotic girlfriend, but she shouldn’t have been surprised either. “I know you think that because Brody and I had something before that I’m gonna be all over him or something, and I get that. I do. I wouldn’t want a random girl living with my boyfriend either.”
“You have a boyfriend?”
“Not anymore. He’s moving out west for a job, and I’m here for the next few months, but I’d definitely feel some sort of way about him living with another female, even now that we’re broken up.”
“What’s his name?” Aamee asked, probably more to point out a hypothetical than because she actually cared about Veronica’s personal life.
“Martin.”
Aamee flipped her hair to the other side of her shoulder, but she seemed to have softened slightly. Her eyes didn’t look so malicious, and her posture had softened a bit.
“Sounds like a nerd.”
Veronica laughed. “He is. He’s getting a doctorate in neuroscience. I’m kind of a nerd too, though, I guess.”
Aamee stared for a moment before saying, “Hm.”
“Look, I know you don’t care about my life, and I don’t expect you to. I just wanted to tell you I don’t have any interest in Brody. That was months ago, and it wasn’t much to speak of even when it happened.”
“Were you with Martin when you and Brody…”
“No,” Veronica said, shaking her head. “I met Martin at the beginning of the school year, but we weren’t together yet.”
Aamee crossed her arms and sat up a little straighter. “And…why should I believe you about any of this? Maybe you were with Martin when you met Brody and you cheated on him.”
Veronica shrugged, seemingly unaffected by Aamee’s accusation. “Maybe. You have no reason to believe me. But you also have no reason not to either. I’m here because it gives me a place to stay while I do my internship. That’s it. It’s really that simple. If there wasn’t something in it for me, I wouldn’t be here.”
Pausing for a moment, she seemed to be trying to gauge Aamee’s reaction. Veronica’s guess was as good as mine.
“I’m selfish,” she continued, “but I’m not a liar. So when I say you don’t have anything to worry about with me living here, I mean it.”
I could tell Aamee was trying to maintain her hardened exterior, but I had a feeling Veronica had begun to breach it. Aamee was used to delivering bitchy, snarky remarks and getting the same in return. What she wasn’t used to was someone reacting to her with logic and rational thinking—someone who didn’t cower to Aamee but didn’t become defensive or, worse, aggressive.
She didn’t quite know what to make of Veronica, and truthfully, neither did I.
Neither of them said anything else, and a few moments later, all three guys came upstairs.
“Where the hell were you?” Aamee asked Brody. “We haven’t seen you since we got here.”
“I’ve been around. Relax. You girls hungry?” he asked the three of us. “I just told Manny and Franco I’m gonna get a pizza and beer from Marcos now that they’re almost finished.”
Franco looked confused. “We need one each.”
“Oookay,” Brody said before turning back to us. “So at least two pizzas, then. If I get four, will you eat some?”
“Yeah, I’ll eat,” I told him. “Can’t turn down Marcos.”
“Sounds good,” Veronica said. “Thanks.”
When I turned to Aamee, she seemed to be deliberating heavily, and I realized her decision was based more on whether she wanted to eat a meal with Veronica and her brothers.
Brody had his phone in his hand, waiting to call, when Aamee finally said, “I guess I could eat.”
Chapter Eleven
D R E W
When Sean had tasked me with getting the deck ready for Memorial Day, I’d been thrilled. It was a brand-new space that could give the old bar new life. Brody and I were allowed to order what we wanted and decorate how we