Page 152 of Burn Bright

I wonder if the tension at the start of dinner was more about my relationship with Harriet. It eases me. I’dlovefor this to solely be about me and her.

“Harriet and I are basically…” I lift my shoulders, unsure of what to call someone you’re falling for. “We’re figuring things out. She’s my closest friend, and she’s extremely busy being pre-med, so that’s a big reason why you haven’t met her yet.”

“Have you taken her on a date, Pippy?” Jane wonders with a smile, resting her chin on her knuckles. “Where to?”

“Oui! Tell us absolutely everything.” Audrey draws her chair closer to mine. “What were you wearing? What did you eat?” Audrey gasps in excitement. “What did she smell like?”

“Please no,” Charlie pinches the bridge of his nose.

“I bet she was lovely,” Audrey swoons. “Ben would only date girls who smell absolutelydivine.”

“Would he?” Charlie retorts, his hand clattering to the table. “On the basis of what?”

“On the basis of…of…” She spins to Jane for help.

“On the basis of Ben having a terrific sense of smell,” Jane says pointedly and arches a brow, much like our father, at Charlie. “Which you can’t refute.”

“Which I’m not in the mood to,” Charlie combats sourly.

“This has really derailed from the point,” Dad says, then shifts his gaze to me. “Your mom and I look forward to meeting her.”

I nod slowly, my brain starting to spin around my plan. The roadblocks to these future paths.

“Final word,” Tom decrees to me. “Although you’re not sleeping with my enemyyet…”

My brows jut up at his pregnant pause. “Would you like me to air who you’re sleeping with during my opening?”

His smile is ginormous. “Ben Pirrip with the revenge plot.”

“The twist of the hour,” Eliot chimes in.

I cover my face in my hands and groan.

“Aim elsewhere,” Mom snaps at Tom.

“Fragile baby Ben,” Charlie notes.

I flip him off, coming out from my palms and sinking back in my chair.

“Charlie,” Dad says in a disappointed scold which always feels worse than Mom’s sharp reprimands.

“He’s fine,” I cut in, not wanting more tension at the table because of me. Then I nod Tom on. “Go ahead.”

Tom smiles softer at me. “I will not consider you being with Harry a betrayal, but rather a very blonde, very short, very great annoyance. Because I love you, brother.”

My lips begin to rise, and the rumble of feet around us makes my smile grow astronomically higher. The lively noise floods me. Fills me. Audrey even taps her spoon to the glass goblet. My bones thunder. My lungs expand. It’s hard not to be swept up in the infectious energy, especially when it’s for me.

“Merci infiniment,” I say. “Je t'aime aussi, mon frère.”Thank you infinitely. I love you too, my brother.

Tom’s smile twinkles his eyes. “But if she hurts you, she’s dead to me.” That is his final word, and he drops down into the chair.

Charlie lazily holds up a couple of fingers. “I invoke my right to pass,” he says the same words he’s used for almost every Wednesday night of his life.

Jane rises to her feetwithoutstanding on the chair or table. Embroidered lobsters are stitched into her lilac dress. The eccentric outfits have been her standard this month. “You’re all cordially invited to Maeve’s first birthday. The party is being held at The Independent.” She names the billiards bar she owns in Philly. “If you’d like to bring plus-ones, you’ll have to run it through Thatcher.” He’s in a high position in security, and I’m sure he’ll want to vet whoever attends. “We’d prefer no strangers or anyone you do not know particularly well.”

Beckett frowns a little. “Has there been any security issues recently?” He eyes Jane. “Do you have a stalker?”

“No.” She’s tense though.