“Bad,” Mac provided without missing a beat. “If they don’t believe us, I’m on a plane back to England, and you’re talking about seventeenth century bridges on a date with Guillermo.”
“No one can force me to go on a date with him.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I wasn’t. I’d said I wasn’t going before and Finn had somehow talked me round. “Maybe an older man would be good for me.”
“Oh, please. You need more fun. Not less. He’ll have you wearing cardigans with patches on the elbow and smoking a pipe.”
“He’s forty-eight, not ninety-eight.”
“Fine!” Mac said, his tone saying the opposite. “You want to date Guillermo. Go ahead. It’ll please my brother no end to beright. But that’s fine. I can put up with his smugness. I’ve put up with it for twenty-three years. What’s a few more? I’ll think of you fondly while I’m in London. And please send me an invitation to yours and Guillermo’s wedding. Don’t hang around too long, though. He needs to be mobile enough to walk down the aisle.”
I shook my head. “You’re not seriously thinking of us pretending to be a couple, are you? They’d see through us in seconds.”
“Would they? I don’t know how poor your acting skills are, but mine are fantastic. And I’d like nothing better than to get one over on my brother. Admit it. It could be fun.”
Part Two
Cormac
Chapter Nine
Cillian appeared in the mirror behind me as I fastened the buttons of my shirt. He stood silently, giving me the same look I imagined he gave to unruly clients who refused to bow down before him and acknowledge his creative brilliance. I deliberately paused my movements at mid chest. “How much skin do you think Laurent likes to see?” I pulled the top of the shirt mostly closed. “Just a bit?” And then I let the shirt fall back open. “Or the whole shebang? Which do you think is going to get him hot under the collar?”
Cillian’s sigh was long and loud. “How long are you going to carry on this for? There are jokes, and then there are jokes.”
I met his gaze in the mirror. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not gay.I’mgay.You’renot.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works. It’s permissible for more than one family member to be gay. Besides, I never claimed I was gay. I didn’t expect my own brother to be guilty of bi-erasure.”
A muscle ticked in Cillian’s jaw and it took every iota of willpower I possessed to keep a straight face. “You’re not bisexual.”
I settled on leaving the top two buttons undone. “Pleasedon’t say that in front of Laurent. You’ll put all sorts of doubts in his head about me. Fledgling relationships are hard enough. I mean, you know that more than anyone. One day you’re fine, and then the next your significant other has moved to another country without saying a word.”
Noting Finn had appeared in the background, I offered him an apologetic smile for the jibe. I liked Finn. He was a good guy. Whereas my love for my brother didn’t stop our daily struggle to find something we liked about each other.
My phone vibrated from the other side of the room, putting it on silent doing nothing to ease the rush of cortisol whenever it went off, which was frequently. It might not be Katrina, but I’d be stupid to bet against it. I’d thought that changing my number would solve the problem, but apparently not.
Cillian jerked his head toward my phone. “Are you going to see who that is?”
“No.”
Finn stepped into the room. “Listen, it’s not that we don’t believe you.” Cillian’s snort made his opinion on that clear. Finn carried on regardless. “But even if you have realized you’re bisexual…” He aimed his next words at his boyfriend. “He’s young enough that it’s a possibility.”
I frowned at that. “I don’t think age is a factor with sexuality. For a gay couple, you two sure are uninformed about stuff.” I ran a hand through my hair as my phone vibrated again, my fingers automatically stilling before I got them moving again.
Finn nodded. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be so judgmental.” I shot my brother a pointed look, but Finn’s comment bounced offhim like he was made of Teflon. “But… there are millions of men out there who would be a far better match for you than Laurent.”
“I like Laurent!” No lie there. I did like Laurent. I liked his slightly pessimistic view of the world and the way he cared more about being honest than hurting people’s feelings. It was refreshing. I hadn’t latched onto him because I didn’t know anyone else in Paris; I was fine with being on my own. I’d latched on to him because I enjoyed spending time with him.
Finn’s expression said he was choosing his words carefully. “Laurent needs someone who…”
“Someone who what? You can’t say older because he told me about that Luke guy you set him up with, and he’s younger than I am.” Only just, but I neglected to point that out.
“He needs someone stable,” Finn finished. “He has a lot of stuff going on in his life.”
