Page 33 of The Rebel

Anthony nodded. “We’ve always been very close—evenmore so after Chad had Bella and it became clear he’d be a single dad. We all rallied around them.”

“Oh, that’s right, there was a baby with you.”

He smiled. “That was Simone. Bella is ten and was at school. Chad’s remarried. His wife is the chef—Scarlett. But for many years, it was just Chad and Bella—and all of us. Our grandparents and parents immediately offered to babysit, but even us brothers were very involved, especially once Bella grew up and started liking spending time with us. Of course, now we have Simone, and everyone’s fighting over time with her too. We’re a crazy bunch.”

Oh, this was so cute. His affection for his nieces was evident with every word.

“They’re lucky to have all of you.”

He nodded. “And my brother is lucky he met Scarlett. It was the best thing that could’ve happened to him.”

Anthony had his heart in the right place. Even though he didn’t believe in relationships, he wasn’t sarcastic about them.

Over the years, my friends had fallen into two camps: those who believed in romance, and skeptics who were almost repelled by all things romance—and had no qualms about making that known. But Anthony was like me. We were happy for those around us even if we weren’t chasing the same thing.

“And you’re still close to your nieces?”

“Yes, we all are. We take turns being their favorite, depending what mood each one is in. Obviously, now there’s less need for us to spend time with Bella, since she’s older.”

“Do I detect a bit of jealousy?”

His smile widened. “You caught me there. I wouldn’t say I’m jealous… but I wasn’t expecting that dynamic shift. Although, to be honest, she’s practically a teenager. Soon, she won’t want to spend any time with the family. I started rebelling at thirteen myself.”

“It was fourteen for me. Then once I turned eighteen, something switched in my brain again, and my parents became mybest friends. Even now, we’re very close. They’re my biggest supporters, and I like to spoil them as often as possible.”

“Really?” Anthony asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. Currently, they only allow me to spoil them with one vacation a year. I’m trying to negotiate another one.” He appeared genuinely interested in what I was saying. I liked that about him. “And sometimes when I know Mom really wants to buy something for herself but doesn’t want to splurge, I’ll buy it and tell her that I already bought it for myself and don’t need it anymore. Like a fancy sweater or some hair treatment. Stuff like that.”

His face was softer now, like he understood and appreciated what I did. It made me feel good somehow.

We both started to laugh, and then he leaned in. “I really like you, Daisy, on and off the clock. As my assistant and as…” His voice faded.

I sucked in a breath. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what he wanted to say, but then I changed my mind.

He tilted even more my way. God, he was close. Was he going to kiss me?

I glanced at his lips, then back at his eyes. They flashed. I licked my lips and he groaned, then straightened up, pulling away.

I’dwantedhim to kiss me and felt oddly disappointed that he didn’t.

“Right,” I said, gathering my bearings. “Since I’m off the clock, I think I should get going.”

Anthony exhaled sharply. “Is that what you want, Daisy?”

I nodded. It was definitelynotwhat I wanted, but it was what I had to do. Truly, I’d had too much to drink, and neither Anthony nor I was very good at controlling ourselves.

“Yes. I’ll get an Uber.”

“Expense it to the company,” he immediately replied.

I grinned. “Even if I’m off the clock?”

“Always. The most important thing is for you to be safe.”

That was oddly endearing.

I took out my phone, holding it close to my face, trying to see the app, but the image was swimming in front of my eyes a bit.