Emma cast him a sideways glance. Jordy carefully avoided her gaze. He’d consciously told his family very little about the situation with Rowan, which in retrospect was kind of a giveaway. He’d been happy to regale them with details of Kaira’s adventures with Janice, but with Rowan, Jordy often partook in the same adventures. He thought that might give them the wrong impression.
If he’d been more forthcoming, they could’ve teased him about his crush and he could’ve started sleeping with Rowan weeks ago. But that would probably make things worse when they ultimately broke up.
“Wow,” Emma said with her mouth, to Rowan. “You’re a little young for faculty, aren’t you?”
I have many embarrassing follow-up questions and I’m going to laugh at you, Emma said with her eyes, to Jordy.
Rowan snorted, apparently oblivious to Emma asking obliquely if Jordy was robbing the cradle. “God, uh, thank you, I think? But no, I’m a librarian. I—” He’d made a move to grab cutlery, but he didn’t get very far, because Kaira had pulled her limpet routine.
Worse and worse. She’d never donethatto Janice. Jordy had never seen her do it to Rowan either.
“Excuse me,” Rowan interrupted himself. “I think I stepped in something. Let me just—oh! It’s Kaira!”
Jordy didn’t even want to know what his face was doing. Maybe he could suggest they get takeout and then hide in a menu? Except who even had paper takeout menus anymore, and also they’d already eaten and Rowan was heating up the leftovers right now.
Kaira giggled wildly as Rowan dragged her around the kitchen. “Anyway, I was saying—that’s where I met this little legwarmer. But it was only covering for a mat leave, so… here I am.”
“Here you are,” Emma agreed. “Well, it’s great to meet you. Obviously my niece is, aha,veryattached.”
“Oh, the feeling is mutual. And—I guess the attachment is mutual too, although I’m not sure how Kaira would get around if I glued myself toherleg—” He gave a little shake and Kaira made a show of letting go, rolling across the floor as though Rowan had kicked her, laughing manically all the while.
Freed from his shackle, Rowan shook Emma’s hand. “Anyway. Hi. Sorry, I’m absolutely famished.”
“And probably thirsty too,” Emma said, all innocence. “It’s sticky out there.” She batted her eyelashes at Jordy. “My brother should get you a drink.”
Oh my God.Jordy was going to crawl into a hole. Right after he got Rowan the promised drink, which would at least let him turn his back on Emma long enough to stop blushing.
He realized the mistake as soon as he was putting the can in front of him. The label clearly readpineapple. And as Jordy had not revised his totally correct opinion about pineapples, now Emma knew he kept those on hand just for Rowan.
Or—or maybe he could convince her Rowan had bought them. It didn’t have to mean anything, right?
Jordy probably should’ve realized his feelings when he kept buying pineapple-flavored things, he thought. Overall he’d been very willfully blind and now he was paying for it.
“Um,” Rowan said into the sudden silence. He had to be aware of the way Emma was watching Jordy right now. Thethirstcomment wouldn’t have slipped by him either. “Thanks.”
Jordy cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. Anyway, part of the reason Emma is here—” He paused to give her a dirty side-eye of his own. “—is because we have to take this little peanut back-to-school shopping.”
Rowan raised his eyebrows. “Left that kind of to the last minute, no?” School started on Tuesday.
“It’s first grade,” Jordy pointed out. “It’s not like she needs binders and textbooks. She needs clothes and a lunch bag.”
“I want one with armadillos!” Kaira enthused.
Emma cracked an enormous grin. Rowan raised his eyebrows higher.
“Okay, that might have to come from Amazon,” Jordy conceded. “But the point remains.”
Emma leaned on the counter next to him and offered up a smile. “You’re welcome to join us. Technically you’realsogoing back to school, right?”
Rowan’s face couldn’t entirely drain of color, but all expression went out of it, and he paused midchew with his eyes bulging. Finally he swallowed. “Oh sh—shoot, uh, yeah, I probably should actually get some grown-up work clothes. The public library was pretty casual.”
Jordy wasn’t fooled—Emma definitely just wanted the opportunity to discover more ammunition to ruin Jordy’s life—but it didn’t matter. Having another adult on hand to wrangle Kaira when she got tired of trying on clothes after ten minutes could only make the situation less awful.
And it turned out he was right. Being able to trade off Kaira duty—by which Jordy meant alternately sending her to the bookstore with Rowan and the Lego store with Emma—made dividing and conquering the mall decidedly tame, if domestic. But it turned out Jordy was good with domestic.
A fact Emma wasted no time pointing out that night, once Kaira was in bed and Rowan had excused himself, allegedly to organize his closet but more likely to give Jordy and Emma private time together.
“So.” She sipped her wine, which was weird. Jordy knew his baby sister was old enough to have given birth to his kid, but somehow being old enough to enjoy a glass of wine was a totally different mindfuck. “Playing house?”
