“Really? You’re such an arse.” Willow snapped at him before I could even say anything. “What’s wrong with you? For such a smart guy you’re so stupid!”
“Did you hear what you just said?” He looked at her and then at me. “Plus, you know your opinion doesn’t count, right?”
“’Cause I’m a woman?”
Jake looked her up and down like he was assessing whether she was in fact a female, “No, because you’re Vegan.” He muttered in disgust. “Weirdo.”
“You’re such a prick.” She spat at him before glaring at me, “Why him? Of all the guys out there why’d you have to be friends with him?”
“You were both playing so nicely.”
He let out a loud laugh as he said, “She wishes we were playing.”
“Fuck off and die, dickwad.” She flicked her long dark braid over her shoulder. “Why do you always have to be so annoying? Is it your fucking mission in life to make everyone around you suffer? I mea—” She stopped halfway through as her eyes locked on the door behind me. “Hey!” Just like that her rant was forgotten.
“Hey.” Dorian replied from behind me. “Hi, Jamie…Jake.”
I lived for these moments. Moments in which God’s gift to women, Jacob Roth became tongue tied…around my sister. Jesus.
“Hey, Dor.” He jumped up like someone had just slapped him hard in the face.
Dor? What the fuck?
“Here let me help you with those,” he said as he took the shopping bags from her and took them into the kitchen. She shook her head as she followed after him giggling and leaving the door wide open.
“What is wrong with you two?” Willow punched the top of my shoulder knocking me off balance as I got up to close the door. “I blame you for bringing him into the family.”
I ignored her rip as I walked over to the door, stopping as Quincy’s voice came in from outside. I peered out to find her pacing up and down with her phone between her shoulder and her ear. Her arms pulled down by the heavy shopping bags. “Hey, gorgeous.” I whispered in her other ear as I took the bags from her and dropped a kiss on her head.
She smiled at me before she told whoever was down the phone, “Listen, just look into it for me. I’ll call you back tomorrow.” She ended the call and wrapped her arms around my waist as she tilted her face up to mine for a kiss. A sigh of pleasure escaping her mouth as she parted her lips to let me taste her. “Hey, babe.”
‘Who was that?” My curiosity peaked from her parting words.
She let out a deep breath, “My solicitor.” Her reply had me stopping in my tracks. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” She smiled and as I started walking again she said, “I’m looking into selling the house.”
What? She hadn’t said anything on the matter before. She loved that house. Before I could say anything she walked around me into the kitchen. It was odd. She didn’t seem at all phased by it.
I put the bags down on the breakfast bar beside Jake. He had the worst habit of sitting on counters. Considering how proper his family were he had really bad habits. I pushed him off the end as I started taking things out of the bags.
“What’s your problem?” He whinged as he picked up random bits for inspection. His nose turning up at the sausages and sausage meat.
“You’ve never even tried it.” I smacked the back of his head as he used the cucumber to push them in Dorian’s direction. I grabbed the cucumber off him and handed it to my sister who was organising the fridge. “You’re such an idiot. Who doesn’t eat bacon?”
“Jews, oh and your weirdo Vegan sister!” He looked at the doorway in disgust.
Dorian gave him a look like really? Before she turned back to the fridge and called to him over her shoulder, “Leave her alone,” like she knew what was about to happen.
Willow grabbed the long Smoked Salmon package and before he could stop her she slapped him with it right across the face as she told him, “One, I’m not Vegan. Ve-ge-ta-ri-an.” She pulled away a little and slapped his gobsmacked expression the other way as she continued, “Two, I’m not a weirdo.” He grabbed her wrists just in time before she had another chance at his face, but Willow being Willow found another way at him as she kneed him in the gut. “Three, you’re a prick.”
He stood there like he’d just found out some big mystery about the world. Her knee to his stomach not even registering. “Wait, you’re not Vegan?” He looked at me and then at Dorian who was trying her best not to burst out laughing. “All this time…you were right.”
“You should listen to me more often, like when I tell you to leave her alone.” She addressed him with the cucumber in her hand. His eyes following it around like it was a magic wand, her face flushing a gradient of red and pink.
“So as it turns out you’re the weirdo in the room because you’re the one who’s never tried bacon before.” Willow picked up her freshly poured wine courtesy of Quincy and started walking back out of the kitchen.
“It doesn’t count if it’s for religious reasons!” He called out after her.