Page 18 of Yours, For Good

It wasn't even about a misguided sense of loyalty to Julia. A Pendleton of any kind wasn't likely to be the right material for a one night stand.

But if he was easy to talk to, then maybe other options were available, for an unlikely day in the distance.

"I can't believe I can be this lucky," I finally said. "When Julia asked me for help with her uncle, I expected a completely different vibe. Now you're calling yourself a nerd and admitting to being awful at small talk, too."

"It needed to be said. If we're going to have ninety minutes of awkward conversation, we should at least expect it."

"Awkward? Do you think this is awkward?" I laughed. "Please. I'd show you awkward, but I'd rather not go there. Why not just… make the best of it?"

"How do you propose we do that?"

"Tell me what kind of nerd you are."

He laughed. His eyes crinkled, not in a sexy aging kind of way, but a 'my eyes get really small when I laugh and I don't laugh hard enough, often enough ' way. I had to wonder exactly how many years older than Julia and I he was. Thinking about that was better than noticing again how attractive he was, in any case, because there really was no point. Especially when the laugh was immediately followed by a strange quirk to his lips I couldn't immediately read.

"What's funny?" I asked.

"I just love that you asked me that. There are so many kinds of nerds these days, right?"

"Yeah. Are you an astronomy nerd? Dinosaur nerd? Trains? Noir films?"

"God. You just put it in my head. I am a film noir hero, minus the trenchcoat."

"Cynical and full of existential angst?"

"Exactly." He chuckled. "But no. I'm your standard sci-fi book nerd. Maybe a good thriller once in a while."

"Oooh, a book nerd. A great kind of nerd. There's a hierarchy, you know?"

"Is there?"

"Yeah. Book and astronomy nerds are top tier." I lifted one finger and added more as I went down the list. "Then you have movie nerds, eco nerds, and plant nerds."

"Plant nerds?"

"There's a nerd for everything."

He chuckled. "I like that book nerds are top tier. It's because it's a classic, isn't it?"

"Of course."

"Are you any kind of nerd?"

"Please. Of course. Do you want to know what kind?" I didn't wait for more than his nod to continue. "Books! Of all sorts. Give me all the books. Also, documentaries. I'll even take video format streaming from any small social media creator's profile. There are these watchtower videos I'm really into these days. You know what else I've been a fan of for a while?"

He raised an eyebrow, and his fingers landed on his lips— two pads rubbing the flesh in a hypnoti— thoughtful manner.

I gave him a wide smile to erase the thought. "I take a world map app, and use the street view to check out places I've never been to. I check all the pictures people have shared and pretend I've been there, too."

The words left my lips and stripped me of confidence in the same instant. Shit. That was probably too telling about my past and exactly how I didn't fit in with people like the ones at the incubator… or any other Pendleton.

Why did I visit places on an online app, rather than just get the family jet and go there myself?

But Javier didn't seem to notice, or care. He continued to gaze at me with focused, clear eyes.

"I should try that," he said. "There are places I haven't gotten to yet."

I gulped and pretended none of it was a big deal. "There's so much to explore. Earth is infinite! We know barely anything about the world. Think about the depths of the Pacific alone. No one has seen a thought or an emotion. And we're here supposed to talk about the weather?"