by Hart, Emma
It wasn’t so clear to see right now, but when it was dark, it looked amazing.
“Are you ready to go inside?”
I nodded and followed Josh to the front door. The doors were shaped in the same arch as the porch outside, and he pulled them open for me to step inside. The décor inside matched the colors outside, but there were decadent additions of red in the form of the tablecloths and rich tapestries on the walls.
“Good evening and welcome to Moti Mahal.” Priya Laghari grinned as soon as she laid eyes on us. “Well, well, well. Does Colton know about this?”
I shook my head at my former English study partner. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“It never is,” she sang, whipping two menus up. “Follow me.”
I glared at Josh.
“It really isn’t,” he asserted. “I’m teaching her how to date.”
Priya’s laugh tinkled. “Would you like me to see how many times I can book you in this week? I remember the high school attempts.”
Groaning, I sat down at the table she led us to. “Please don’t remind me.”
Another laugh as she set the menus in front of me. It was a miracle we’d been friends at all in high school—Priya was a full-blown extrovert who was entirely comfortable in her skin. It helped that she was tall and beautiful, with long, straight hair that was almost jet black, and her amber eyes complemented her gorgeous dark skin perfectly.
If I looked like her, I’d probably have been a lot more confident back then, too.
“That bad, huh?” Josh’s eyes danced with laughter.
I buried my face in my hands. Yes, my high school dating record was bad. Terrible. Embarrassing. So much so that one day, it would be used to teach people what not to do.
No joke.
She took our drink order without another comment about my dreadful dating life and disappeared off to pass it to a waitress for it to be filled.
I hid my face behind my menu.
“You can’t hide, Kins,” Josh said, perusing his own menu much more casually than I was. “People in town know you. They won’t know most of the guys you’re considering going out with, so you’re gonna have to deal with a little ribbing here and there.”
“No, I don’t.” I dropped the menu. I already knew I was ordering the kufta special. “I know my dating life is dismal. I know I’m awkward and introverted and bookish and all those other things that can make doing normal people stuff hard because people are just exhausting, but—”
Josh dropped his menu on the table with a ‘thwack’ and met my eyes. A fierceness shone in his eyes, one I hadn’t seen before, and I swallowed the thick lump in my throat.
“Stop it,” he said in a low voice, his gaze never wavering. “All of those things—your introverted nature, your awkwardness, your endless love of books—make you who you are, Kinsley. And if you go out with a guy who can’t appreciate that those things are what make you a great person, then he doesn’t deserve to go out with you. Got it?”
“Then why are you here, helping me hide those things? Isn’t that a waste of your time?”
He dropped his eyes back to the menu that was now flat on the table. “I’m not helping you hide anything. They’re clearly things that make you feel uncomfortable, and if I can give you tools that help you feel more comfortable when you’re dating, then so be it. But don’t discard them as flaws. They’re not your flaws. They’re your strengths. They’re what make you, you.”
I stared at him for a moment, but when it became obvious he wasn’t going to meet my gaze, I snorted. “Thanks for that, Dr. Phil.”
“Anytime, ma’am. That’ll be one hundred dollars, please.”
“Would you like me to shove it up your behind or choke you on it?”
“Direct deposit is preferred.”
“Sorry, I don’t do banks.”
He glanced up, a smile playing on his lips. “That makes two of us. Are you ready to order?”
“I’ve been ready since you mentioned that special. Bring it on.”
CHAPTER SEVEN – JOSH
rule seven: nobody cares that you’ve been waiting a year for that sequel.
“This is the point in the night where I’d ask a date questions about her life.”
Kinsley peered at me over the rim of her wine glass. “Are we doing that deep into it?”
“Yes. Jamie will do the same, and you need to have your answers prepared. And I need to know that you’re not going to go off on a tangent.”
“I don’t go off on tangents.”
“You’re almost always off on a tangent,” I corrected her, picking up my beer to take a sip.
She muttered something under her breath.
I grinned and excused myself to the bathroom while she complained to herself. We’d finished our starters not long ago and had at least another twenty minutes until our mains were brought out, so this was the perfect time to go over some basic questions and get her awkwardness in check.
I just needed a minute to get my own brain focused.
Being at dinner with Kinsley was wreaking havoc with my mind. She was fucking gorgeous anyway, but seeing her all dressed up like this… Jesus, it was messing with me.
And I was the idiot essentially training her to be the perfect date.
For another man.
I did my business, washed my hands, and headed back out to the restaurant. Kinsley was tapping away at the screen of her phone with a furrow in her brow, and she rolled her eyes as she put it back in her purse.
“Everything okay?”
She looked up as I took my seat. “Holley’s having a mental breakdown.”
“What did you do now?”
“Ha ha.” She stuck her tongue out at me. “She’s undecided between three window displays. Saylor told her she’d surprise her and she flipped out.”
“How do you survive not only having a control freak as your best friend, but your co-worker?”
Kinsley ran her tongue over her lips. “I spend a lot of time reorganizing the books.”
I choked back a laugh. To say they were sisters and only ten months apart, Holley and Ivy really were like night and day.
“All right, let’s do this,” I said, pushing the thoughts of her upcoming date out of my mind. “So, what do you do?”
Kinsley’s eyes widened for a split second before she caught herself. “I own a bookstore,” she said quietly. “With two of my best friends.”
“That’s cool. Is it here in White Peak?”
She blinked—too quickly.
“I’m just asking about your store, Kinsley. You’re not going to go to jail if you don’t answer.”
“If I could reach, I’d kick you under the table,” she muttered. “Yes, it’s in town. Bookworm’s Books.”
I fought the smirk that wanted to take hold of my lips. “Cool. So you’re a bookworm.”
She opened her mouth then froze. “I’m not falling for that, Josh. That’s a trick question.”
This time, I didn’t bother to hide the smirk. “Ah, but what would you say in real life?”
“Obviously, it’s written like five times in my profile.”
“Wrong answer.”
“So now I have to hide my snark? Boy, whoever makes it past date three is going to be in for a shock if they think I’m a polite, slightly nerdy chick who likes to hike.”
“Slightly nerdy? You’re selling yourself short.”
“Exactly. I don’t see why I can’t go all in and let them know they’ll always be my second love behind books.”
“Because, Kinsley, when you start talking about books, nobody else can get a word in. You need to talk to your date about their interests, too.”
She snorted and picked up her glass. “Being a considerate human being is so overrated.”
Well, if this was how her date was going to go, I didn’t have to worry about Jamie at all.
“Okay, we’ve established you own a bookstore. Now is where you return the question,” I s
aid. “Ask me about my job.”
“I know what you do.”
“Pretend I’m Jamie.”
“I know what Jamie does.”
“Jesus Christ, woman, work with me here.”
“Fine.” She took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile on her face. “So, you’re a builder.”
It would have been more sincere without the smile, but at least she was trying.
I think.
“I am,” I replied. “I got an apprenticeship with Watts and Sons Construction out of high school, and I’ve worked there ever since.”
“Cool. What are you working on right now?”
This was good. She was getting somewhere. “Building a new special education building at the local middle school. We should be done in a week.”
“Awesome.”
Silence.
My lips twitched. “Run out of questions?”
“Ugh, yes! Why is this so hard?” She slumped forward onto the table.
“Because if it were easy, nobody would be single,” I answered. “Look, there’s always going to be an awkward part in the date. It’s not going to be flawless conversation the whole way through, and if we were on a date for real, I’d jump in now with a question that’s relevant to what I already know about you. So I’d ask about the bookstore or if you’ve been to the restaurant before.”
She blew out a long breath, but she was rescued from furthering the conversation by the arrival of our food. It was placed in front of us by a waitress neither of us recognized, and after assuring her that we were fine for drinks, she left us.
We passed the next few minutes in silence as we both ate. Kinsley had her meatball special, and I had the Prawn Madras. It was a comfortable, companionable silence, only broken when we both reached for the last poppadum before we split it.
Honestly, I’d say it was like something out of the movies where two people’s eyes met over the table, but no. It was more like the poppadum snapped as we grabbed it, and she got two thirds while I got the smaller portion.
Such was my life.
“Are you an only child?”
I jerked at her question. “What?”
“Damn it, Josh. I’m trying to be a good date and pretend like I’m interested.”
I choked back a laugh. At least nobody could fault her for her honesty. “Okay, sorry. You took me by surprise. Go again.”
She sighed dramatically, dipping her cheese naan into the sauce left on her plate. “Are you an only child?”
“I’m not. I have two sisters,” I replied. “Technically.”
She frowned. “Technically? I thought there was only you and Piper.”
Why had I said that? The loss of my youngest sister as a baby wasn’t something I really shared—only Colton really knew, and he clearly hadn’t shared it with his sister.
“Uh.” I stopped, putting down the last shred of my poppadum. “My mom had a baby after Piper. She died when she was a month old.”
“Oh, my God,” Kinsley breathed. “I had no idea.”
“Why would you? It’s not something I put on billboards and spread around town. I was young and she was only a baby, so I don’t really talk about it. I don’t even know why I am now.”
“I’m so sorry, Josh.” She reached across the table and laid her hand atop mine. “I can’t imagine how that feels.”
I looked down at our hands, her fingers almost linking through mine. “She had severe heart issues from birth, and my parents knew when Mom was pregnant. When it became obvious that she wouldn’t survive, they brought her home. We had two amazing weeks with her before she passed peacefully in my mom’s arms in the hospital. It’s hard, but it’s been twenty-four years.”
“That doesn’t make it easier.” She paused. “So she’d be close in age to me and Piper if she were alive now.”
I tilted my head to the side with a small smile. “I like to think you’d be friends. You’d definitely piss me off on a regular basis.”
Kinsley visibly fought her smile. “I bet she’d be a bookworm like Piper who didn’t want to date.”
“Given our grandmother, that’s a given. She’d probably be a part owner in the bookstore. If not literally, she’d probably keep you open.”
She gave up all pretense of fighting. “What was her name?”
Sadness enveloped me for a moment. “Celeste. It means angel. It’s why Mom chose it.”
“They always knew.”
Slowly, I nodded. “I think so.”
“It’s a beautiful name.” Kinsley’s blue eyes met mine and they were full of sympathy and love. “And if I know anything about being a little sister, I bet she’s cringing at your awful attempt to teach my sorry ass how to date.”
Despite myself, I laughed. Chances were, she wasn’t wrong. After all, Piper probably was, and she had no idea what was going on.
That reminded me. I had to text her and check in tonight.
I shot a fleeting glance toward the ceiling with a smile.
“All right, rate me,” Kinsley said after a moment. “Tell me what I need to fix and what I’m good at.”
Nothing. You’re perfect the way you are.
Talk books to me, Kinsley.
I swallowed back those thoughts and shook my head. “You’re a little slow to react, but that’s nothing that can’t be written off as nervousness. Just keep your snark to a minimum and remember he’s only being polite. Don’t tangent about your books. Do that, and you should be fine.”
“Really? All this to learn that I just need to tone down my attitude?”
I shrugged. “What can I say? He might find your awkwardness endearing.”
She snorted. “Chance would be a fine thing. Now, how are we splitting this bill?”
“We aren’t.” I smiled and pulled out my wallet. “I got it.”
“Josh—”
“I said I got it.”
She clamped her lips together, but she didn’t argue further.
Thank God.
***
“Are you sure this is the new one?”
I stared at Grandma. “I have no idea, Grandma. I took the book Kinsley gave me and ran with it.”
She sniffed. “It took you long enough to bring it here.”
“It might surprise you, but I do have a life.”
“And it’s a vibrant social one, given that you visit me three times a week.” She raised her teacup to her pink lips and sipped. Her penciled-on eyebrows arched uncomfortably. “How exciting.”
“The last time I came once in a week you yelled at me for neglecting you. I’m being a good grandson by visiting you even though you interfere with my dating life.”
She snorted, setting her teacup back on the saucer. “Dating life? What dating life?”
“I have a lively dating life, thank you very much.”
“Yes, so much so that you’re half in love with Kinsley.”
“I am not half in love with Kinsley.”
“I apologize, I misspoke. You’re entirely in love with Kinsley.”
“I am not in love with her.”
“I might be losing my hearing, child, but I’m not losing my mind.”
Well, given her current narrative, that was debatable. Yes, I had a highly inappropriate crush on her, but I was not in love with her.
“Hmph. Fill up my teacup.”
I took it to the dresser at the far end of the room and set it down on the lace cloth she had covering the walnut surface. The teapot was a calming shade of cream with an alarming pattern of blue spreading across it. I was sure it was probably some antique she treasured, but until she bothered to tell me, it was a blue patterned teapot full of English teabags with the little tags hanging out.
Then again, it was just as likely to be something she’d picked up at a thrift store.
“How are the ducks?” I set the teacup and saucer down in front of her on the coffee table.
“Nice change of subject. Your subtlety needs work, though.” She leaned for
ward and delicately spooned two small heaps of sugar into the cup, then stirred. “The ducks are a great point of contention between Agatha, Mabel, and Rosie. Mabel stands by her assessment they are the ugliest things she’s ever laid eyes on, Agatha is entirely in love with them and spends at least three hours a day sitting by the pond, and Rosie flip-flops between loving or hating them depending on which one of them she wants to piss off.”
“How does Rosie actually feel about them?”
Grandma raised her cup to her lips and peered at me over the rim. “She doesn’t give a damn, dear.”
I wasn’t surprised at that at all.
“So it’s livened things up around here.”
“Mm. Not that it needed livening up, mind you. It’s not exactly quiet here anyway. If you ask me, they’ve provided more problems than they have anything else. The pond was supposed to be a nice area for us to sit, but now the ducks are here, they’re building another one. Another one! It’s nice to know our exorbitant fees are being used well,” she finished dryly.
I couldn’t help but agree with her on that. I was privy to the costs of staying in this place, and it was horrifying. Unfortunately, Grandma’s bad hips meant she had limited mobility, and since both me and my parents worked, there was nobody to look after her.
But at least they had ducks.
“So when are you providing me with some great-grandchildren to snuggle with?”
I blinked at her. She was a fine one to talk about a lack of subtlety in a subject change—she went from one to sixty in half a second.
Light was jealous of her speed.
“I need a girlfriend first,” I reminded her. “So it’s gonna be a while.”
“You’d have a girlfriend if you’d tell Kinsley you love her.”
“I knew you’d find a way to come back to that.”
“Well? You didn’t deny it.”
I stared at her. “You’re not going to change your mind, so what’s the point?”
“The point is if you told her now, you’d be engaged in a year, married in two, and babies at least in four.”
