Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 76696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
My eyes widened. “Your father’s cheating openly on your mother?”
“For years. He doesn’t even try to hide it. My mother tries to pretend it’s not happening and drowns her sorrows in alcohol.”
“Like you do.” It slipped out before I could stop it. “Sorry.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re right. Whenever I’m pissed at my father, I end up at a club getting shit-faced.” He nodded toward the array of ingredients. “Is there something I can do?”
“Do you know how to bone fish?”
“Yep. My grandfather used to take me to fish before he died.” He unwrapped the fish and set out to work.
“I can’t imagine you in fishing gear,” I said.
“I look sexy as hell as always.”
I laughed, then continued chopping the red pepper.
***
After he was done helping me in the kitchen, Zach went into his room to study. It was the first time I’d actually seen him do it. His talk with his father must have had an effect on him. I used the time to choose a casual dress and put my hair up in a neat ponytail. I wanted to make a good impression on Brian’s girlfriend, even if Zach didn’t like her and said things between her and my brother couldn’t last. Brian probably thought the same thing about Zach and me.
When I heard the sound of the front door being opened, I was already back in the kitchen and setting the table. I wiped my hands and walked into the living room where my brother stood with a tall girl with straight blond hair and black-rimmed glasses. She was impeccably dressed in black dress pants and a white blouse. She looked like she belonged in law school. Brian was gnawing on his lower lip; he was nervous. He had a hand on her lower back but kept almost an arm-length between them as if he worried seeing them close would upset me. “This is my sister Amber,” he said. “And this is Lauren.”
I smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
She walked up to me and held out her hand. Brian was about to protest but I quickly shook her hand, trying not to show that I still wasn’t used to physical contact with other people. “Brian has told me a lot about you,” she said in an even voice. She let go of me with a polite smile. She seemed like a reserved person. From Zach’s description I’d expected a raging bitch.
“I see the guest of honor has arrived,” Zach said from the doorway to the corridor, a smirk on his face. I could hear Pumpkin mewing in protest. I’d locked him in my room, so he wouldn’t bother Lauren. Brian had mentioned that she wasn’t an animal person.
“Zachary,” Lauren said with contempt. “Shouldn’t you be studying for M&A? You don’t want to fail, do you?”
Zach’s lips curled. “Don’t worry. I won’t.” He strode toward me and wrapped an arm around my waist. Lauren turned to Brian and gave him a look I couldn’t quite read.
“I made dinner,” I said, trying to dissolve the tension. “Fish curry and Indian starters.”
“I don’t have time to cook, but it’s nice that you do.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant it as an insult or if she was just being insensitive. Zach’s hand on my hip tightened.
“Then let’s eat,” Brian said. We walked into the kitchen and took our seats around the table. I was still wondering which topic to choose when Lauren began talking about law school. She seemed really enthusiastic, but the more she talked the more Zach’s face darkened.
“I’m working my ass off every day. Not all of us are as lucky as Zach to have a multi-billion dollar business waiting for us to manage. He doesn’t have to get good grades.”
“Not everyone has the same ambitions,” I said diplomatically.
“Some of us don’t have any at all.”
Zach narrowed his eyes. “Better than having too much ambition. You’d do anything to get ahead.”
Two red blotches appeared high on Lauren’s cheeks and her lips thinned. She put her fork down. She’d hardly eaten any of the fish curry. “This was very tasty, Amber. Thank you.” She turned to Brian. “I’m tired. Let’s go to your room.”
Brian glanced at me. “Lauren is going to spend the night.”
“You don’t need to ask my permission,” I said with an embarrassed laugh.
Lauren nodded. “See, that’s what I’ve been telling you for weeks.”
Brian and Lauren got up and left the kitchen. I was actually glad and released a breath. Zach was still glaring at her chair.
“What did you mean when you said she’d do anything to get ahead?” I asked quietly.
Zach grimaced. “You don’t want to know.”
“Now I really want to know.”
Zach lowered his fork and leaned back in his chair. “Before Lauren and Brian started dating, I knew her. We shared several classes and she knew about my father and the business. She started coming onto me really hard. I quickly figured out it was to score an internship or maybe even a job.”
“So you blew her off? Is that why she dislikes you so much?”
Zach avoided my eyes.
“You slept with her,” I whispered.
Zach didn’t deny it. “It was a long time ago and I’m not exactly proud of it.”
“Does Brian know?”
“No. And I don’t want him to. It was before they started dating anyway.”
“I won’t tell him,” I said. “But why don’t you tell him? Maybe he’d break up with her. That’s what you want, right?”
“Yeah, but it would hurt Brian. He needs to figure out just how much of a bitch Lauren is by himself.”
“How many girls have you been with?” I asked as I started clearing the table. Zach got up to help me. “Many.”
“More than you can count?”
“No, but more than I’m willing to admit to you.”
I snorted. “That’s an answer in itself, you know?”
“I know,” he said quietly, pulling me into his arms. I was still amazed that I didn’t dissolve into a puddle of panic whenever he did that. I lifted my head and brushed my lips with his. “Past is past,” I murmured. Nobody wanted that more than I.