Page 65 of All's Fair in Love and Blackmail
I hesitate for a second and then broach the topic we’ve all been tiptoeing around. “Have you thought about what you’ll do if you can’t find something dance-related?”
Juliet sighs and leans back in her chair, picking aimlessly at the half-eaten English muffin on her plate. “Yeah,” she says, and she sounds nothing short of miserable now. “The problem is that I don’t know how to do anything.” She looks at me, her blue eyes full of worry. “I have no employable skills, Indy.”
This is not completely true, but it’s not completely false, either. Juliet is smart. But she never cared much for school, and in general, she hasn’t focused much on traditional skills.
She learns quickly. She has great interpersonal skills and higher-than-average emotional intelligence. But I don’t know where those abilities will translate well.
“Neither did I,” I finally say, because it’s the only comfort I can come up with on the spot. “But look at me now.”
Juliet’s lips twitch despite her clear concern. “Dog washer extraordinaire,” she says.
I hold up one finger. “That’sheaddog washer extraordinaire, thank you very much.” My smile comes easily, because even though she’s teasing, we both know how much I love my job. “My point is that you can find something. And if worse comes to worst…” I shrug. “I’ll teach you how to be a dog groomer.”
“Boo,” Juliet says with a frown, waving this suggestion away. “Please let’s talk about something else.”
With a glance at the clock, I stand up and push my chair back under the table. “I need to go shower,” I say.
Jules sits up straighter. “Wait!” she says. “You still haven’t told me what happened with Felix yesterday.”
“Nothing happened,” I say evasively. “We just—hung out.”
Her breakfast officially forgotten, Juliet hurries out of her chair and follows me out of the kitchen. “Nuh-uh,” she says. “He practically dragged you out of there, Indy. You did not justhang out.”
“We did,” I say, but a stupid little smile is trying to cross my lips. I take the stairs two at a time and don’t look at Juliet as I go on, “We went to the rec center for a run and then we got carrot cake and ate it. That’s all.”
“You like him,” Juliet says, her voice triumphant.
It’s this, finally, that gets me to stop moving. “I don’t—” I begin, but she grabs me by the shoulder and spins me around.
“Yes, you do,” she says, jabbing one finger at me and narrowing her eyes with far too much insight. “You like Felix. Admit it.”
“I don’t—it’s not—” I break off, sighing as I slump against the bathroom door frame. “I don’t know,” I admit. “Maybe? Kind of? I don’t know.”
Because my brain saysno waywhenever I ask myself this question. Of course I don’t like Felix. Not romantically. Been there, done that, have the string of poor decisions to prove it.
But my heart…my heart just blushes and hides its face when asked that same question. My stupid, traitorous heart doesn’t care how dumb it would be to fall for Felix again.
SO DUMB,I scream at myself.It would be SO DUMB.
And yet I can’t deny how much better I feel this morning. I feel better than I have in days—maybe even weeks. I needed that cry yesterday. I needed to lose it for a bit and get all those feelings out. And Felix could tell. He just let me bawl, patted my back, and fed me carrot cake.
It was the perfect way to handle the situation, I have to admit.
“You liked him before,” Juliet says now, and she leans against the wall next to me. “Is it different this time?”
“Yes? Kind of? I think?” I pause. “Maybe?”
Juliet sighs. “Having these conversations with you is so painful,” she says, looking at me with a mixture of pity and amusement. “You know that, don’t you?”
“It’s not much better inside my head,” I mutter. “It’s just?—”
I can’t quite find the words I’m looking for, but when Juliet just raises her eyebrows at me, I try again.
“He’s cool,” I say finally. “Like actually really cool. He makes me laugh. And I thought he was a player or whatever, but…” I shake my head, thinking about everything Felix has said—and the things he hasn’t. “That’s not quite right.”
Because is he a ladies’ man? Yes. But there’s nothing slimy about him, nothing gross or malicious. He’s not a guy trying to sleep with as many girls as possible, and he’s not a guy who thrives on the chase but then carelessly tosses people aside.
For better or for worse, Felix Caine is completely lovable and completely loving. Everyone likes him, and for the most part, he likes everyone. That’s it.
