grocery alert system.”
Neither of them said anything for a beat, the noise from the living room wafting through. Someone screamed the lyrics of a Radiohead song at the top of their lungs, but was quickly drowned out by a chorus of “Shut up!” Julian stared at the floor, toeing the tile with his sneakers. Tinsley felt a tingle as she remembered Jenny’s words.
“Listen, Julian.” She gulped, staring down at the pen mark on the white plastic toe of his shoe. She hated it when people started sentences by saying,
Listen
. “I’m sorry.” The words came out stubbornly, but relief washed over her the minute she’d said them.
She could feel Julian’s eyes on her, and she wished she had a drink or a cigarette or some other prop to hide her nerves. “What for?”
“Everything.” She turned away from him slightly, grabbing the bottle of vodka and pouring a splash into her empty martini glass on the counter. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, for acting so cool toward you when we were, you know…” She let her voice trail sexily—she couldn’t help it. Christ, why was it so hard to be sincere? To shut off the act? Then she realized she
was
sincere. And once she’d opened the floodgates of apology, she couldn’t hold back. “I’m sorry for what happened with Jenny, too. We talked it over and we’re…It’s fine now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Tinsley nodded slowly, staring at a dish of hummus and carrots. “She’s like a thousand times nicer than me. If I were her, I probably never would have forgiven me.”
“That’s probably true.”
Tinsley had the feeling that he was being a hardass to test her, to see if she’d bristle and throw some snide comment at him. But she didn’t feel that way at all, even if she was embarrassed to be so humbled in stupid Yvonne Stidder’s kitchen. “But I wanted to say I’m sorry to
you
because I know you probably think I’m the most evil person in the world, but I’m really not.” Her voice trembled a little, unintentionally.
“I don’t think you’re the most evil person in the world.” Julian grabbed a Heineken from the fridge and cracked it open. Tinsley wondered if she’d imagined the emphasis on the word
most
. But it was too late to turn back now.
“I was just jealous.” She lowered her eyes and peeked up at him through her long, thick lashes. It was a move she’d used many times to look humble when she wasn’t feeling humble at all, but now it was just too hard to look straight at Julian. It was like he was the sun or something and she had to shield her eyes. “And I completely regret it now. I can’t even think about it without being disgusted by how I behaved. I’m really not a bad person.” She reined in her heavy breathing, stifling the sob that she could feel developing in her chest. “I’m nicer than you think I am.”
Julian stared at her, confused. He took his hands out of his pockets, and then sank them back in again. She’d broken through his cool reserve, she could tell.
“I’m not sure if I believe you,” he said finally, “but it would be nice if it were true.”
“Give me a chance to prove it,” Tinsley pleaded. She’d come too far to turn back, and she knew she wouldn’t be denied. “Maybe we can spend some time together.”
Julian smiled and shrugged. “Okay,” he said simply. “I think I’d like that.”
“Hey, you coming, Jules?” An unwelcomely familiar voice spoke up from the doorway, and Tinsley didn’t even have to raise her eyes to know it was Sleigh Monroe-Hill
. Jules?
“I’ve got my YouTube video all loaded, as promised. You said you—” She stopped short when she saw Tinsley, her wide blue eyes flying open. “Oh my God, is that
Tinsley Car-michael
?”
Her voice was coated in sugar and it was all Tinsley could do not to gag. But there was no way she was going to let Sleigh ruin her fresh start with Julian. Tinsley opened her mouth to say something polite yet noncommittal (after
Neither of them said anything for a beat, the noise from the living room wafting through. Someone screamed the lyrics of a Radiohead song at the top of their lungs, but was quickly drowned out by a chorus of “Shut up!” Julian stared at the floor, toeing the tile with his sneakers. Tinsley felt a tingle as she remembered Jenny’s words.
“Listen, Julian.” She gulped, staring down at the pen mark on the white plastic toe of his shoe. She hated it when people started sentences by saying,
Listen
. “I’m sorry.” The words came out stubbornly, but relief washed over her the minute she’d said them.
She could feel Julian’s eyes on her, and she wished she had a drink or a cigarette or some other prop to hide her nerves. “What for?”
“Everything.” She turned away from him slightly, grabbing the bottle of vodka and pouring a splash into her empty martini glass on the counter. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you, for acting so cool toward you when we were, you know…” She let her voice trail sexily—she couldn’t help it. Christ, why was it so hard to be sincere? To shut off the act? Then she realized she
was
sincere. And once she’d opened the floodgates of apology, she couldn’t hold back. “I’m sorry for what happened with Jenny, too. We talked it over and we’re…It’s fine now.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Tinsley nodded slowly, staring at a dish of hummus and carrots. “She’s like a thousand times nicer than me. If I were her, I probably never would have forgiven me.”
“That’s probably true.”
Tinsley had the feeling that he was being a hardass to test her, to see if she’d bristle and throw some snide comment at him. But she didn’t feel that way at all, even if she was embarrassed to be so humbled in stupid Yvonne Stidder’s kitchen. “But I wanted to say I’m sorry to
you
because I know you probably think I’m the most evil person in the world, but I’m really not.” Her voice trembled a little, unintentionally.
“I don’t think you’re the most evil person in the world.” Julian grabbed a Heineken from the fridge and cracked it open. Tinsley wondered if she’d imagined the emphasis on the word
most
. But it was too late to turn back now.
“I was just jealous.” She lowered her eyes and peeked up at him through her long, thick lashes. It was a move she’d used many times to look humble when she wasn’t feeling humble at all, but now it was just too hard to look straight at Julian. It was like he was the sun or something and she had to shield her eyes. “And I completely regret it now. I can’t even think about it without being disgusted by how I behaved. I’m really not a bad person.” She reined in her heavy breathing, stifling the sob that she could feel developing in her chest. “I’m nicer than you think I am.”
Julian stared at her, confused. He took his hands out of his pockets, and then sank them back in again. She’d broken through his cool reserve, she could tell.
“I’m not sure if I believe you,” he said finally, “but it would be nice if it were true.”
“Give me a chance to prove it,” Tinsley pleaded. She’d come too far to turn back, and she knew she wouldn’t be denied. “Maybe we can spend some time together.”
Julian smiled and shrugged. “Okay,” he said simply. “I think I’d like that.”
“Hey, you coming, Jules?” An unwelcomely familiar voice spoke up from the doorway, and Tinsley didn’t even have to raise her eyes to know it was Sleigh Monroe-Hill
. Jules?
“I’ve got my YouTube video all loaded, as promised. You said you—” She stopped short when she saw Tinsley, her wide blue eyes flying open. “Oh my God, is that
Tinsley Car-michael
?”
Her voice was coated in sugar and it was all Tinsley could do not to gag. But there was no way she was going to let Sleigh ruin her fresh start with Julian. Tinsley opened her mouth to say something polite yet noncommittal (after
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