“Oh.” She seemed embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.”
She seemed contrite. “The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable around me.”
“You don’t,” I said firmly.
“Because you’re my best friend right now.”
My eyes softened. “I’m your best friend?”
“Well, what is a best friend? It’s someone you can open up to and be honest with. I don’t feel like I can tell anyone half the things I’ve told you.”
Warmth radiated through my body. I felt special.
“I love my brother more than anything, but I couldn’t tell him how I feel about relationships. He’d call me a whore or take me to a therapist.”
“He is your brother. It’s natural for him to look after you. I’m the same way with my sister.”
“But my brother and I are really close. But he wouldn’t respect that decision.”
I didn’t see the point in arguing with her. As an older brother, I knew I’d boss my sister around like crazy if I knew it was for her own good. But I decided to drop it.
“I can talk to you about my music and the fact I don’t see it going anywhere. I could never tell my bandmates that.”
That was true.
She shrugged. “I can explore my sexuality with you and not feel judged. It’s always been taboo for women to enjoy sex. But I do. At least now I do.”
I liked that response. “You didn’t like it before?”
She shook her head. “Not under the circumstances.”
What did that mean?
“I know you’re honest and you wouldn’t lie to me. And that’s the most important thing to me. I can’t even trust Desi not to lie to me because everyone does it.”
Someone lied to her, and they lied about something big—huge. “Has someone lied to you before?”
She averted her gaze and played with a strand of her hair. “Pass.”
I backed off. But I was extremely disappointed. “Well, it seems like my family is intent on me bringing you around. And it really would make them happy. I guess that’s all that matters. And then maybe they’ll leave me the hell alone.”
“What are you implying?” she asked.
“Come with me on Saturday.”
“What? You want me to? I thought you were going to make up an excuse for my absence.”
I smiled at her. “You just told me to take a friend.”
“But I didn’t think I’d be that friend.”
“Do you not want to do it?” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice.
“No, I’ll do it. I just assumed you’d ask someone you weren’t sleeping with and would be around a long time. That way you can use her over and over. After I’m gone, you’ll have to find a replacement for me.”
“That’s true.” I was having a hard time imagining my next lady friend after Prudence. “But they’ve already seen you. I shouldn’t blow them off and I definitely shouldn’t show up with a different girl. They’d all think I was a pig.”
“You are a pig,” she teased. A wide smile was on her face.
“I’m a pig for you.”
“I’ve noticed.”
I grabbed her face and rubbed my nose against hers. I quickly pulled away when I realized what I did. That was a first.
“I’ll come,” she said. “Should I bring anything?”
“No. Your presence is a gift in itself.”
“Your sister-in-law is beautiful.” She said it without preamble. Her eyes looked out the French doors to my patio, staring at something only she could see.
“She is.” I felt uncomfortable complimenting other women in front of Prudence because it was disrespectful. But she didn’t seem to mind. I didn’t even look at other women when I was with her. Or without her…
“How’d they meet?”
“Through mutual friends. He claims it was love at first sight.” I rolled my eyes.
“That’s cute,” she said.
“They’ve been married for seven years and he still claims it’s true.”
“Maybe they are one of the rare people who should actually be married.”
I agreed with Prudence’s philosophy about people and relationships. Most people didn’t end up with the partners they really wanted, and as a result, they fell apart. But there were some people in the world who genuinely loved their partner with everything they had. And Denver and Vivian were some of those rare members of society. “Yeah.”
“What does your brother do for a living?”
“He works in advertising—something boring.”
“And business investing is much better?” she said with a laugh.
“What? Oh. Yeah.”
She laughed again.
I felt bad for letting the lie continue. Technically, I was doing nothing wrong, but I still felt deceitful. But I loved having Prudence in my life, and I cherished our rare relationship. I couldn’t afford to lose her. And I’d do anything to avoid it.
“And their daughter is adorable.”
I smiled just thinking about her. “She’s a good kid.”
Prudence studied my face. “You love her.”
“Guilty.”
“That’s so cute.”
I shrugged. “I take my responsibility as the uncle very seriously.”
She studied my face for a moment. “Do you want to have kids someday?”
“No,” I said immediately.
“That’s surprises me.”
“I love kids. They are great. But I don’t want one of my own.”
“Any reason why?”
“That would require me to marry.”
“No, not necessarily.”
I didn’t like where this conversation was going. “I’m very happy loving Natalia like my own. And that will suffice.”
Prudence understood my dismissal of the conversation. “I think your love for your niece is beyond sweet. That’s the last comment I have on the subject.”
She could read my mind. I swear she could.
“Will I be meeting your parents on Saturday?”