Swear (Landry Family 4)

“Friends don’t not tell friends about hot guys, Ellie. You know this.”

“You’re right. They don’t,” I say, looking at him. “But we aren’t friends anymore.”

He grins. “Does this mean I can make a play at your lover?”

“How hard would it have been for you to pretend to be going on a date with me?” I ask, ignoring his jab at a reaction.

“Hard,” he says, making a face. “Besides, I feel like if I had done that, Mr. Landry would’ve either pummeled my handsome face, and let’s face it, I would not look good with a crooked nose. Or he would’ve kept you from the cock.”

I look at the ceiling. “Where is Violet when you need her?”

Heath plops on a barstool at the island and stretches his long, skinny legs out. I don’t look at him.

“Don’t ignore me,” he demands.

“I hate you,” I laugh.

“No, you don’t,” he says, laughing too. “Now, let’s talk about what matters.”

“Okay. I need to figure out the best things to put in the window displays. We’re looking to attract a customer that—”

“No. No, no, no,” he says. “Let’s talk about whatever I walked into today.”

“You didn’t walk into anything.”

“There were feels everywhere. I may be gay, but I’m not blind, honey.”

I rest my head against his shoulder and breathe in his overly expensive cologne. “Why do you always smell so good?”

“Because I have exquisite taste. Landry Love falls in that category, so spill it, sister.”

“He was my first love. My first . . . everything.”

“Like, everything-everything?”

“It was in a hayloft,” I remember. “I was scared to death. He was so easy with me, so sweet. It wasn’t some planned thing. We were just sitting there, looking at the stars and . . .”

Heath sighs happily. “And I’m guessing you had a mini-replay of that today?”

“Yeah,” I giggle. “Kind of. I mean, it was so much better, obviously, but you get the idea.”

“I do and I have so many questions.”

“None of which I’m about to answer, Breckenmeir.”

“Answer me this,” he says, shrugging his shoulder so I have to sit up. He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. “Are you together?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

I look at my nails and wonder when I had a manicure last.

“I’m waiting,” he needles me.

“I could easily lose myself in him.”

“Sounds like a great plan.”