Page 36 of Yours, For Good

Javier may be a member of the house of Julia, but I liked him. If I played my cards right, I'd end the incubator program with two friends. That was too good a prospect to risk it, nevermind the confused part of me that wondered at the attraction I felt for him.

I sipped from my drink again. "Everytime you and I talk, I'm struck by how different it feels from talking to Julia. When she told me that one time she needed help entertaining her uncle, I mean… I didn't expect you to be so approachable and…"

"And…?"

I failed to give him a quick answer, and he was quick to smile and provide a few words himself.

He raised an eyebrow. "And sober? Pragmatic? Realistic?"

"Friendly," I finished, smirking. "A bit of a skeptic, but down-to-earth."

"Ah."

"How come you're so different? You and Julia would have been raised at about the same time, right? You're just a few years older than us."

"I am, but we were surrounded by different people. She had her mom and her own nanny, both of whom were different from mine. I think she had Lizzie as a tutor, too, but not my reasons to like her so much."

"It must be hard, though, growing up while feeling separate from them. Now being so different from them." My eyes widened as I realized the extent of what I said. "I mean, I know I'm making a million assumptions. Maybe there are more Pendletons like you than there are of the Julia type."

He chuckled. "No, you're right. They're mostly the Julia type. I think that's one of the reasons I feel so connected to my friends. They are my kind."

I opened my mouth to ask if I could meet them one day, but took more of my brandy instead. It felt too risky— too needy of an ask.

I frowned, my eyes away from him and into the golden liquid in my glass.

"You don't ask me about my family." My voice came out tender. I blamed it on the drink, and the sudden vulnerability stinging between my lungs.

He didn't respond. I lifted my gaze to find his eyes steady on mine, intensity flaring behind his blue irises.

When he finally spoke, his voice was deeper than mine. "Do you want me to ask?"

"No," I whispered.

"Then I won't."

Gratitude moved through me like fog on a cold morning.

I sighed and finished my drink. "Not a bad chat for only twenty minutes with each other, late into the night, right?"

Javier

I told myself that if I opened up easily to Nora, it was because it helped me balance the scales. She didn't know how much I knew about her, so I offered every part of me she wanted to learn more about.

We finished our drinks quickly, and made a brief stop in the kitchen to wash the glasses. Soon after, we waved to each other goodnight and entered each of our rooms in tandem.

In the morning, I tried to help Lizzie make breakfast, except she didn't let me. An incredible spread waited for Nora and I in the breakfast nook when I kissed the older woman's cheek hello.

"Sit, please," she said. "I hope you don't mind we're eating here. The other guests are using the formal dining room."

"Of course I don't mind. Thanks so much for this."

She, her husband George, and I chatted over a cup of coffee. I encouraged them to eat, but I waited for Nora.

She came into the kitchen later with a big smile— as usual. It pulled at the corner of my lips.

"Oh, wow. This looks epic!" she exclaimed. "The smell is so good my knees got weak."

She sat next to me just as I got up.