offer them. "I've heard so many great things about you," she said, releasing me and hanging her coat.
"You have?"
"Don't be so surprised. You seem so sweet."
Sweet? I'd never been called that before. "Uh, thanks."
"And I hear you're an amazing cook," she said, standing in front of me. She was stunning. Everything about Genie was prim, proper but approachable.
"I like to cook. And thank you for letting me have your room."
She waved it off like it was nothing. "No problem. At least now Zachy isn't all alone."
"Zachy didn't mind being alone," he said,
"Don't listen to him. He loves having you here."
Zach and Genie caught up on family drama which I didn't feel comfortable listening to. I checked in on my lasagna then began working on the salad. A few minutes later I had everything on the table ready to eat. Zach and Genie took their seats as I plated food. Genie looked at her plate and whistled.
"This looks delicious. If you eat like this all the time, how to you keep that figure of yours?"
"I have my dad's metabolism."
Genie turned to her brother. "This meal puts Louisa's food to shame."
"Who's Louisa?" I asked. Another of Zach's exes?
"Our housekeeper."
Zach said it so casually like I should have known.
"Emma, this is to die for," Genie said after her first bite. "Where did you learn to cook?"
"My grandma taught me, and I like to find recipes and play around with them."
"I think I might need to come around more often."
"Technically you live here," Zach said wryly.
Genie turned her attention back to me. "I hear you had a run in with Zach's cohorts. You're welcome to hang out with my friends any time."
"Really? I'd like that," I said, feeling a bit giddy.
"There's a reason I never hang out with Zach's friends. They're all idiots."
"Not all of them," Zach said, going for seconds.
"Most of them. Emma, Bianca used to be one of my friends, in middle school, so I know the kind of person she is. You don't know how happy I was to hear you broke her nose."
"I'm not proud of it. It's the first time I've ever hit someone."
"She deserved it, especially after what she did. She's always been a jealous bitch."
My body stiffened. She knew? Zach told her? I didn't want my total humiliation broadcast throughout Minnesota. If Genie knew, how many others knew? My cheeks burned, more out of embarrassment than anger, but I was pissed too.
Zach shot Genie a look and I saw the pity set in on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Emma. Zach told me everything. I haven't told a soul. I promise. My brother and I are tight and neither of us gossip, right Zach."
I wanted to get up, go to my room and hide under the bed with a box of tissues. I tried so hard to forget all about that day, and here it was, thrown back in my face like a dirty diaper.
"It's okay," I said quietly. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Genie gave me a sympathetic smile. "Look, Bianca didn't say all those things because she actually thought they were true. You're a beautiful girl and for whatever reason, you don't think so and trust me, she knows that. She can smell weakness. From what Zach told me, I'm gathering she's pretty jealous of your friendship with her boyfriend, so she had to knock you down. She probably didn't think you'd see those texts, but it was her way of diminishing you in the eyes of her lame boyfriend. So forget about what she said because it's crap. I see a gorgeous girl with a killer bod who cooks like a Michelin star chef. You're a catch. She's a skank. Right, Zach?"
"Right."
I smiled. "Thanks, guys. You're both fantastic liars."
Genie howled. "Liars! Put yourself out there, Emma, and the men will come. Right, Zach?"
"Right."
"Just don't put yourself out there with any of his friends. They are all Neanderthals. Except my little brother. He's a catch," she said, pinching his cheek.
"She's only eight minutes older than me," Zach said, shooing her hand away.
His statement made my eyes grow wide. "You're twins?"
"I got the looks and the
"You have?"
"Don't be so surprised. You seem so sweet."
Sweet? I'd never been called that before. "Uh, thanks."
"And I hear you're an amazing cook," she said, standing in front of me. She was stunning. Everything about Genie was prim, proper but approachable.
"I like to cook. And thank you for letting me have your room."
She waved it off like it was nothing. "No problem. At least now Zachy isn't all alone."
"Zachy didn't mind being alone," he said,
"Don't listen to him. He loves having you here."
Zach and Genie caught up on family drama which I didn't feel comfortable listening to. I checked in on my lasagna then began working on the salad. A few minutes later I had everything on the table ready to eat. Zach and Genie took their seats as I plated food. Genie looked at her plate and whistled.
"This looks delicious. If you eat like this all the time, how to you keep that figure of yours?"
"I have my dad's metabolism."
Genie turned to her brother. "This meal puts Louisa's food to shame."
"Who's Louisa?" I asked. Another of Zach's exes?
"Our housekeeper."
Zach said it so casually like I should have known.
"Emma, this is to die for," Genie said after her first bite. "Where did you learn to cook?"
"My grandma taught me, and I like to find recipes and play around with them."
"I think I might need to come around more often."
"Technically you live here," Zach said wryly.
Genie turned her attention back to me. "I hear you had a run in with Zach's cohorts. You're welcome to hang out with my friends any time."
"Really? I'd like that," I said, feeling a bit giddy.
"There's a reason I never hang out with Zach's friends. They're all idiots."
"Not all of them," Zach said, going for seconds.
"Most of them. Emma, Bianca used to be one of my friends, in middle school, so I know the kind of person she is. You don't know how happy I was to hear you broke her nose."
"I'm not proud of it. It's the first time I've ever hit someone."
"She deserved it, especially after what she did. She's always been a jealous bitch."
My body stiffened. She knew? Zach told her? I didn't want my total humiliation broadcast throughout Minnesota. If Genie knew, how many others knew? My cheeks burned, more out of embarrassment than anger, but I was pissed too.
Zach shot Genie a look and I saw the pity set in on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry, Emma. Zach told me everything. I haven't told a soul. I promise. My brother and I are tight and neither of us gossip, right Zach."
I wanted to get up, go to my room and hide under the bed with a box of tissues. I tried so hard to forget all about that day, and here it was, thrown back in my face like a dirty diaper.
"It's okay," I said quietly. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
Genie gave me a sympathetic smile. "Look, Bianca didn't say all those things because she actually thought they were true. You're a beautiful girl and for whatever reason, you don't think so and trust me, she knows that. She can smell weakness. From what Zach told me, I'm gathering she's pretty jealous of your friendship with her boyfriend, so she had to knock you down. She probably didn't think you'd see those texts, but it was her way of diminishing you in the eyes of her lame boyfriend. So forget about what she said because it's crap. I see a gorgeous girl with a killer bod who cooks like a Michelin star chef. You're a catch. She's a skank. Right, Zach?"
"Right."
I smiled. "Thanks, guys. You're both fantastic liars."
Genie howled. "Liars! Put yourself out there, Emma, and the men will come. Right, Zach?"
"Right."
"Just don't put yourself out there with any of his friends. They are all Neanderthals. Except my little brother. He's a catch," she said, pinching his cheek.
"She's only eight minutes older than me," Zach said, shooing her hand away.
His statement made my eyes grow wide. "You're twins?"
"I got the looks and the
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