Page 48 of The One

I couldn’t hear what Penelope was saying. I could only hear that Lainey could barely get a word in besides, “Mmhmm,” and, “Okay.”

After a couple rounds of responses like that, she held the phone out to me. “She wants to talk to you.”

“Me?”

She waited for me to release her neck, and she set the phone in my hand. “Good luck.”

I put her cell up to my ear. “Pen?—”

“Lover boy.”

I chuckled. “Yeah?”

“It’s completely ridiculous that you’re not here yet, and since you’re the one driving tonight, I’m blaming you. What could you possibly be doing to my sister right now that’s making her not want to come here until later?Ahhh, wait, I know … you’re going down on her, aren’t you?”

Jesus Christ.

Nothing appropriate ever came out of her mouth.

“Pen—”

“Rhett, you’re so dirty. Where do I find a hunk like you, huh? A guy who’s all about pleasing me. You don’t know any, do you? Aside from yourself, of course.” Her laugh sounded evil. “One day. Sigh.”

I glanced at Lainey, who was staring out the passenger window. “Listen?—”

“No, you listen. I want your ass here now. Got it?”

“I heard you loud and clear, Penelope.”

“See you soon, lover boy.”

I placed the phone in Lainey’s lap. “She’s a tough one.”

“I know this.”

My hand stayed on her leg and rubbed up and down her thigh. “I promise, whatever you want to do, I’m cool with. I don’t want you to feel like you’re in the middle. We can do dinner any night?—”

“Pen is getting what she wants, and that’s us going to the party. So what if we don’t get there for a couple of hours? We’ll have all night with her. That’s more than enough.”

I slowed for the red light. “True.”

She turned toward me. “And the funny thing is, once we get there, she’ll either be too fucked up to even care or she’ll be off with some guy and she won’t see us for the rest of the night.”

I nodded. “Also probably true.”

“So, all of this nagging is sorta for nothing.” She played with the back of my hair. “She just needs to control every situation and loves to get her way. Most of the time, I don’t mind. But sometimes, it drives me batshit crazy.”

“Like right now.”

She sighed. “Like right now.”

“That’s what happens when you have siblings. Mine are no different. It’s our parents’ fault for not stopping after one kid. I guess in your case, they couldn’t exactly stop.”

“What if I want the control?” Her voice was soft, like she was weighing the possibility. “What if I want to getmyway?”

“The only person who’s preventing that is you, Lainey.”

She went quiet for a minute. “You’re right.” Her hand looped through more of my hair and stilled. “Will you pull over?”