Pretenders (Firsts and Forever 3)

He turned his attention to the photos, studying them closely as he asked, “Who are all these people?”

“My friends, though they’re really more like my family. They mean everything to me.” I retrieved a white cotton shirt from the pile at the bottom of my closet and decided to ignore the fact that it was wrinkled. After I pulled it on and buttoned it, I crossed the room to him and pointed at some of the photos. “That’s Jasper. We’ve been roommates for almost two years, and he’s become one of my very best friends. He’ll be out late tonight, by the way. Before that, I lived with these four guys. One by one, they each fell in love, then moved in with their partners.”

He pointed to a photo of Nana Dombruso with Cole, River, and me and asked, “Is that your grandmother?”

“She is in every way that counts, but we’re not actually related by blood.”

“You know a lot of people.”

“Well, I’ve been in San Francisco over a decade,” I said, as I rolled back my sleeves.

“It’s more than that. You’re obviously really outgoing. That’s something I’ll never be, much to my parents’ chagrin.” There was a faint frown line between his brows as he said that.

“They don’t like the fact that you’re an introvert?”

“They’ve always treated it like a huge character flaw. I spent most of my life trying to be more social so I could fit in, but I’m just not like them.”

“I’m sorry they don’t accept you for who you are.”

I was standing close to him, and I gave in to the urge to brush back a lock of hair that fell across his forehead. His gaze never left mine while I did that. He had really lovely hazel eyes, mostly green with flecks of brown and gold, fringed by dark lashes.

We both just stood there for a beat, until finally, he murmured, “I brought some things.”

He put the leather satchel on the desk, unfastened the flap, and pulled out two large envelopes and a bottle of pinot noir. I thanked him when he gave me the wine, and he said, “You mentioned pizza for dinner. I thought that might go with it.”

“I’m sure it’ll be great.” I actually couldn’t stand wine, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.

As he handed over the envelopes, he said, “I had lunch with a friend today. He’s a lawyer, and he’d written up the contract I’d discussed with Jasper. There are two copies. Please cross out anything you’re not comfortable with and write in your own addendums before signing it.”

Oh god. I set aside the wine and took a peek at the very official-looking document. The first bit talked about financial compensation. As I scanned a bit further, I saw something about “no sexual contact” and felt the color rising in my cheeks.

I murmured, “I’ll read it after dinner, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine.”

I lifted the flap and glanced inside the much thicker envelope, and discovered it was stuffed with cash. Wow, okay. I hadn’t been expecting that.

“That contains eighteen thousand dollars,” he said. “My lawyer advised only giving you half up front, but I didn’t feel right about that, so it’s the entire amount. Not counting expenses, obviously. I assume you’ll present me with an invoice at the end, and—”

“No. I mean, I’m not going to charge you for any expenses.”

“But Jasper said—”

“I know, but I don’t…I mean, this is fine. I’m all set.” It was like we were holding a contest to see which of us could be more embarrassed. I was currently winning.

“Okay, but if you change your mind—”

“I won’t.”

“Alright. Um, I hope cash was okay. It just seemed like paying by cashier’s check or something similar might raise attention at the bank, given the amount? I didn’t know how to handle that, so—”

I cut him off yet again and blurted, “This is great. Thank you.” I opened the top drawer of my desk and threw both envelopes inside, then slammed it shut and said, “Let’s have some wine.”

We both hurried to the kitchen, and I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as I dug in the junk drawer for a corkscrew. At least we were getting the payment and contract out of the way now so it wouldn’t be hanging over us on our trip, but damn that was awkward.

Once I finally found what I was looking for, I fumbled with it and gouged the cork a bit before Wes asked, “May I?”

I handed it over gratefully and stepped back. He opened the bottle quickly and efficiently, while I found the only two wineglasses in the cupboard. One of them said “I’m outdoorsy in that I like to get drunk on patios.” The other had a picture of a rooster on it with the slogan “I like big cocks and I cannot lie.” Classy.