AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I attempt to backtrack, but it comes out as a grumble, “It’s not a big deal.”
“Go ahead, Pegs. Open it,” Roman insists.
Peggy bites her lip and doesn’t correct her dad again.
I suddenly feel like I’m going to vomit. There is literally no way to explain the contents of that bag to Roman. No good one, anyway. Which leaves a lot of room for jumping to conclusions. And until twenty minutes ago, I had footage of whatever happened in my bed. Thank fuck it’s been deleted. I mentally prepare for the worst, which would be Roman killing me in a public restaurant for giving his daughter a superhero vibrator.
Peggy sets the bag on the seat beside her. “You didn’t need to get me anything. You already pay me enough, and I love spending time with Postie and Malone.”
A bead of sweat trickles down my spine. My worries about what happens after my contract finishes seem insignificant if my best friend beats me to death with a vibrator. Or his fists.
Peggy pulls the towel free from the bag. It’s navy and gray striped. I hope it makes up for giving her what’s hidden inside in front of Roman.
Her expression is a mixture of relief, surprise, and confusion. “I love it so much.” She hugs it to her chest.
For a second I think I’m in the clear until she holds it up in front of her and it unrolls.
Her eyes drop to her lap and widen. “Thank you so, so much, Hollis,” she chokes out. “Honestly, it’s amazing. Just the best. So thoughtful.”
She’s mentioned in passing how nice the towels are, and how if she doesn’t fold them right away, Postie and Malone will hop into the laundry basket and nap on them.
Roman frowns. “Is that a bath towel?”
“It’s a bath sheet,” Peggy and I say at the same time.
“What’s the difference?” Roman asks. “Why is that one so great?”
“They’re bigger than towels. I use the towels for my hair and the sheets for my body,” Peggy explains. Her voice grows increasingly pitchy, and she hugs the terry to her chest.
I try not to let the image of her wrapped in only that bath sheet form in my head. My self-loathing is at an all-time high when I’m unsuccessful. Until today, I’ve done a decent job of keeping her in the don’t-ever-go-there box. Mostly.
“Did we not have those when you were growing up? Was our towel situation lacking? Do I have bath sheets or towels?” Roman starts on a bad-dad spiral.
“We had great towels, Dad,” Peggy—Aurora—reassures him. “These are huge and soft and really nice, but there’s nothing wrong with your towels now, or the ones we had growing up.”
If that was true, she probably would have showered at his place, not mine.
Rainbow arrives with our meals, and Peggy rushes to jam the towel back into the bag. Her eyes go wide at the low thunk.
Roman is too busy spiraling over his lack of towel game, and Rainbow is all sparkle and sunshine, as Peggy and I duck under the table. We both grab the superdick at the same time, our fingers overlapping each other. We are talking about this later, I mouth. She yanks the vibrator free and practically snarls like she’s channeling her inner Gollum.
She jams the device in her banana-duck purse and pops back up, her grin halfway to maniacal. “I kicked my purse over by accident.” She grabs her rolled-up napkin of silverware, which clatters noisily on the table. “This looks delicious.”
Roman passes her the maple syrup, which she pours all over her banana-nut pancakes and sausage links. She stabs one with her fork and bites the end off, groaning her appreciation. “These sausages are the best.”
I give her a look.
She gives me one back.
Roman wants to know what brand my towels are.
Her phone goes off every few seconds, so she’s highly distracted all through our meal.
And so am I. Because that superhero vibrator is inches away from my foot, and I can’t stop thinking about the handoff that just occurred. Nor can I acknowledge that this feels a lot like Pandora’s box has been jimmied open, and I don’t know how to close it.
CHAPTER 4
HAMMER
