Remy smacks her high chair and lets out a shriek.
I turn to my brother. “I think she just told me to go fuck myself.”
Elodie laughs before grabbing a wipe from the diaper bag and cleaning off the sticky syrup from Remy’s hands. “She’s pretty vocal these days. In fact, she’s picking up on words left and right, so maybe we can refrain from saying the word ‘fuck’ around her from now on?”
I glance over at my brother. He shrugs. “Elodie told me the same thing, but it’s fucking hard.”
“No shit,” I echo the sentiment.
Carol tsks as she walks into the dining room from the kitchen. “If my granddaughter starts spewing cuss words, I’m going to call Rhonan myself.” She lifts Remy from her high chair, making her giggle as she kisses her cheeks and plants her on her hip. “Now, why don’t you come with me, baby girl, so the adults can use all of the cuss words they want?” Carol shoots Henley and me a glare on her way out of the room.
I glance at my brother and immediately bristle at the glare he’s giving me. “If you have something to say, Henley, just say it.”
“Elliot,” he clips. “Really?”
Elodie clears her throat. “Babe, we talked about this…”
He gives his girlfriend the same narrow-eyed gaze he gave me and then lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry, but my sister is clearly not thinking straight about this arrangement.”
I huff out a laugh. “That’s rich coming from you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Scratching my chin mockingly, I say, “Well, if memory serves me correctly, less than a year ago you hired a woman that you didn’t even know to be your nanny and ended up falling in love with her.”
Elodie and Henley share a look as Elodie shrugs, clearly supporting my argument.
My brother shakes his head. “That’s different.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Really? How so?”
“I didn’tknowElodie. YouknowElliot. You two hate each other and you have history…”
Elodie’s eyes widen. “What? You two have dated in the past?”
I gag dramatically. “Ew, no. My brother doesn’t understand that the use of that word can be misconstrued.”
Henley pushes a hand through his thick hair. “I just mean, you two have known each other for way too long for this to just come out of nowhere. If I didn’t know you two personally, but knowing you’ve been around each other for years, I would wonder why you’ve never crossed the line until recently,” my brother explains.
Elodie hums. “I don’t think that’s very fair. People grow and change, Henley. I mean, you’re not the same man I met almost a year ago when you hired me.”
His gaze softens as he covers her hand with his own. “That’s only because of you, sweetheart.”
She kisses his cheek. “As you’ve said. But just because Dilynne and Elliot have known each other a long time doesn’t mean their feelings toward one another couldn’t have changed at some point.”
Elodie’s words make my chest feel tight, but I try to ignore it. “Doesn’t matter though, because it’s all fake. Elliot will get Tori to leave, I’ll have a buffer for Vinnie at Motorlux, and when it’s all said and done, we’ll go back to hating each other for real.”
You say that, Dilynne, but then why does your conversation from the other night keep replaying in your head? Particularly how your body reacted when he called you a good girl?
Carol walks back into the room, Remy still on her hip. “Why don’t you invite Elliot to come with you next time? I mean, even if he’s your fake fiancé, I’m sure he’d enjoy breakfast.”
I trail Carol with my eyes as she moves around the kitchen. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s not that kind of arrangement.”
My brother scoffs. “Why not? I mean, if you’re going to really sell this new engagement, might as well go all in, right?”
Elodie shoves his shoulder. “Be nice,” she warns before turning back to me. “Don’t worry, Dilynne. I’ll keep grumpy Gorilla Man in check for you.”
“Thank you.”