Page 108 of Redd

“I'm not nervous.” Taking his seat, he cut through the pancake and forked it into his mouth. “Definitely not nervous.”

“Okay, you're not nervous, got it.”

Vicki quietly walked into the room, sitting down and guzzling a tall glass of orange juice. Redd watched her from the corner of his eye, chewing slowly.

Don't say anything to her! Keep your mouth shut!

“Hey, congratulations.”

Hanging my head, I sighed.What are you doing, Redd?

I remembered what it was like to be in her position. It's awkward and uncomfortable. You're not sure how to talk about it, and you definitely don't want to discuss it with anyone else.

“Congratulations?” she asked, giving him a funny look. “Are you serious?”

Coughing, Redd choked down his food and shrugged. “I don't know, isn't that what I should say? I mean, you're a woman now, so—”

“Oh god,” Vicki groaned, stuffing her face into her hands. “Please, don't say things like that. Can we just not talk about this?”

“Is it your hormones? Are you feeling angry and ticked off?”

My eyes popped open wide, shear disbelief shadowing my expression. Even I felt embarrassed for her right then.

“Okay,” she said, picking up her fork and looking down at her plate. “I'm not having this conversation. Bijou, can you please make him stop?”

Touching the back of Redd's hand, I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “No more, let the girl eat.”

“What?” His eyes expanded, as thin lines created a stairway up his forehead. “What did I do?”

Patting his hand, I stood up and draped my arms around his neck, leaning in over his shoulder. “Redd, just finish your breakfast and start thinking about tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah.” Placing small kisses up his neck, I bit his lobe. “You'll deserve a congratulatory massage after you land that job.”

“I'm going to be sick.” Pressing her fingers to her mouth, she blew her cheeks up like small balloons. “I don't know what's worse—this, or talking about my period.” Wiping her lips, she pushed back from the table and rose to her feet. “I've got to get going, the bus will be here in a few minutes.”

“I can drive you, let me grab my keys,” Redd shot out eagerly, starting to stand up from his chair.

Holding out her hand, she stopped him. “No, it's okay. I'll take the bus today, the last thing I want is to be alone with you in a car. But thank you.”

“Alright, be careful.” Vicki opened the door, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and giving him an annoyed smile. “I'm picking you up from school, don't forget.”

“Got it.” Saluting her brother, she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

“Well, that was awkward.”

“You think?” I asked, picking up Vicki's plate and dumping the remnants in the trash. “Please, from here on out, don't ask her about it, don't talk about it, just don't mention it all.”

Holding up his hands, he rolled his eyes. “Not a problem.”

Slipping the plate into the sink, I twisted over my shoulder. “How much time do we have before you need to leave?”

“Forty minutes.”

“Really?” Biting my lip, I flashed him a flirtatious grin. “That long?”

His fork dropped onto the plate, chair scraping across the floor. “Let's go.” Thick fingers tore at the buttons around his neck with force, yanking the shirt away from his chest.