Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
“Well, I don’t want it going around that I’m a cheater.”
“Good, then we agree,” she said breezily, picking up a cookie and taking a bite.
Aggravated at the thought of a yearlong dry spell, I grabbed a cookie too. I wasn’t much of a sweets eater, but I did like pizzelle. “Did you make these?”
“Yes.”
“They’re good.”
“Thank you. Okay, what’s your top rule?”
I thought for a minute, taking another bite. “Don’t nag me.”
“What?”
“My mother is always on my dad about every little thing—he got the floor dirty, he left the seat up, he forgot their anniversary, he didn’t make the dinner reservation, the volume on the TV is too loud . . .” I shook my head. “It’s like a constant stream of criticism.”
“Fair enough. No nagging,” she wrote down.
“Add something else to that,” I said, finishing my first cookie and taking another one. “Add that if something is really bothering you, you’re going to tell me what it is and not expect me to guess at it like a mind reader. Like, you won’t go into a room and slam the door and make me wonder what I did wrong or what you’re upset about.”
She gave me a look but did what I asked. “Item two A, no mind-reading expectations.”
“Okay, what’s next?” I asked, brushing the powdered sugar off my hands on my pants.
Bianca thought for a moment. “We have to be able to trust each other. So no lying.”
“Agreed. And no giving away the secret to anyone,” I said seriously. “No one else can know about this.”
She looked guilty. “I told my sister.”
“You what!”
“I told my sister, Ellie. But we can trust her,” she went on. “Look, we’re going to need support from people close to us. And I felt like Ellie was going to see through it anyway. Pick one friend or one of your siblings to tell.”
Frowning, I thought it over as I took a sip of coffee. My siblings were out—they were shit at keeping secrets. And choosing one of my three best guy friends would be tough. I’d been close to Griffin Dempsey, Cole Mitchell, and Beckett Weaver since middle school. They were like brothers to me. All of them would be supportive of me, no matter what—although they’d all think this was fucking nuts. “I can’t choose between my friends,” I said.
“How many are we talking?”
“Three.”
She frowned. “That’s too many. Put their names in a hat.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” She flipped to a new sheet of paper. “Who are they?”
I recited their names, and she wrote them down on three separate scraps of paper, folded them up, and put them in front of me.
“Close your eyes and pick one,” she instructed.
I did, and when I unfolded it, the name on the paper was Cole Mitchell. On one hand, he was the best choice because he knew Bianca the best—she’d helped him decorate his new house. On the other, Cole was the worst liar on the planet. I wasn’t sure he could fake the amount of enthusiasm required.
“Well? What does it say?” she prodded.
“Cole.”
She smiled. “That’s a great choice.”
“I’m not sure. Cole sucks at lying.”
“We’re not exactly asking him to lie. We’re just trusting him with a secret.”
“I guess.”
Turning her attention to the list again, she recited as she wrote. “Number three: No lying to each other. Number four: No telling anyone except Ellie DeRossi and Cole Mitchell.”
“Fine.”
“Wait—what about their significant others? Are we going to expect them not to tell Cheyenne or Sierra?”
I frowned. “I guess not. But that’s it. The more people who know, the more likely it is the secret gets out.”
“Agreed.” Bianca made the amendment and studied the list. “We need one more. We have no sex, no nagging or mind reading, no lying, no telling anyone outside the circle of trust. What can we add?”
I pondered the question and the situation and came up with something. “No falling in love with me,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“You heard me.” Our eyes met like swords crossing.
A slow smile tugged at her lips. “Wait a minute. That’s a joke, right?”
“I’m totally serious, Bianca. The one thing that could ruin this entire operation is if you get all hormonal and emotional, and you develop feelings for me.”
“Ha!” she squawked, kicking her feet. “Fat chance!”
“Then write it down,” I insisted, stabbing her list with my index finger.
“Oh, yes, of course. Let me get this down quickly, before I forget.” She dictated as she scrawled, “Special rule for Bianca: No falling in love with Enzo Moretti, and if you forget for one moment what a cocky, arrogant, egotistical, presumptuous, swaggering ass he is, just come back and look at this list.”
“Erase that last part,” I demanded.
“No way,” she said, adding several exclamation points.
“Look, the only reason I want that in there is because I’ve been in this situation before, okay? Where I think a woman and I are on the exact same page, just hanging out and having fun, and then she suddenly gets feelings for me, and the fun is over. She starts expecting me to be someone else, and then I’m an asshole when I don’t change.”