Sure, my mother would be pissed, but by then, Jai would be back in London, and I’d just have to skip all family functions, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, for the rest of my life, or at least until Mom and Zack got divorced.
Immediately, I feel bad for thinking this in the first place. I step away from the door and go and find Megan sitting on her bed, laptop in front of her, textbooks and piles of scripts surrounding her in stacks.
“Hey,” she says. “I thought I heard you come in. I am having the worst case of writer’s block.” She looks up. “How was the dinner? What’s your new family like?”
I pick up a pile of papers and move them to the floor so I can sit down on the bed. “I’ve got to talk to you. And you’ve got to be honest with me. Okay?”
She sets her laptop aside and gives me a concerned look. “Of course I’ll be honest with you. Is everything okay? Did something happen?”
“Yes. No. It’s not—”
“Wait. You’re not still freaking out because that guy was married, are you? Sweetie, don’t tell me you let that ruin your night. It’s really not a big deal. I mean, if you don’t want to sleep with married guys, that’s fine and very morally correct of you, but you can’t stress like this over something that’s already happened. And you didn’t know he was married. How could you?”
“Did you?”
“No. I had no clue. It’s certainly not going to say something like that in his profile.”
“So you had no idea who he was.”
“No.” She gives me a funny look. “What’s going on?”
“You’re telling me that before I started messaging with him, you had no clue, whatsoever, who Jai was. You’d never heard of him before.”
“No! Never. I thought it was pretty lucky on your part for him to be your first. You should’ve seen the first guy I ended up meeting online. His profile picture was like twenty years old or something, he was in his forties! And hairy. It was awful. But that really has nothing to do with this, and I really have no idea what you’re talking about! So will you please just tell me what’s happening? You’re being kind of weird.”
“Do you know who Jai’s father is?”
“I have no idea.”
“It’s Zack Carter.”
A confused look crosses Megan’s face. “Zack . . . Carter?”
“Yes. As in, the Zack Carter that my mother will be marrying tomorrow. At his lake house, apparently, they decided to change the location at the last minute.”
Megan’s mouth drops open. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that Jai is going to be your stepbrother?”
“Apparently, yes.”
“Oh my god. No fucking way. Holy shit, Emma, I had no idea! Wait—did you think that I knew and set you up?”
She’s talking loudly, but instead of sounding upset or horrified, she sounds absolutely thrilled. In fact, she’s got a huge grin on her face.
“What is so fucking funny?” I snap. “And yes, that did cross my mind. I mean, I would hope you wouldn’t do something like that, because that would be seriously messed up, but it seems a little odd that you go and set up a dating profile for me and the first guy I end up meeting is, not only married, but also going to be my stepbrother.” I stand up. “And I’ve got to get out of this dress, it’s like a goddamn death corset.”
“No, no, no.” Megan’s laughing. “No way in hell did
Immediately, I feel bad for thinking this in the first place. I step away from the door and go and find Megan sitting on her bed, laptop in front of her, textbooks and piles of scripts surrounding her in stacks.
“Hey,” she says. “I thought I heard you come in. I am having the worst case of writer’s block.” She looks up. “How was the dinner? What’s your new family like?”
I pick up a pile of papers and move them to the floor so I can sit down on the bed. “I’ve got to talk to you. And you’ve got to be honest with me. Okay?”
She sets her laptop aside and gives me a concerned look. “Of course I’ll be honest with you. Is everything okay? Did something happen?”
“Yes. No. It’s not—”
“Wait. You’re not still freaking out because that guy was married, are you? Sweetie, don’t tell me you let that ruin your night. It’s really not a big deal. I mean, if you don’t want to sleep with married guys, that’s fine and very morally correct of you, but you can’t stress like this over something that’s already happened. And you didn’t know he was married. How could you?”
“Did you?”
“No. I had no clue. It’s certainly not going to say something like that in his profile.”
“So you had no idea who he was.”
“No.” She gives me a funny look. “What’s going on?”
“You’re telling me that before I started messaging with him, you had no clue, whatsoever, who Jai was. You’d never heard of him before.”
“No! Never. I thought it was pretty lucky on your part for him to be your first. You should’ve seen the first guy I ended up meeting online. His profile picture was like twenty years old or something, he was in his forties! And hairy. It was awful. But that really has nothing to do with this, and I really have no idea what you’re talking about! So will you please just tell me what’s happening? You’re being kind of weird.”
“Do you know who Jai’s father is?”
“I have no idea.”
“It’s Zack Carter.”
A confused look crosses Megan’s face. “Zack . . . Carter?”
“Yes. As in, the Zack Carter that my mother will be marrying tomorrow. At his lake house, apparently, they decided to change the location at the last minute.”
Megan’s mouth drops open. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that Jai is going to be your stepbrother?”
“Apparently, yes.”
“Oh my god. No fucking way. Holy shit, Emma, I had no idea! Wait—did you think that I knew and set you up?”
She’s talking loudly, but instead of sounding upset or horrified, she sounds absolutely thrilled. In fact, she’s got a huge grin on her face.
“What is so fucking funny?” I snap. “And yes, that did cross my mind. I mean, I would hope you wouldn’t do something like that, because that would be seriously messed up, but it seems a little odd that you go and set up a dating profile for me and the first guy I end up meeting is, not only married, but also going to be my stepbrother.” I stand up. “And I’ve got to get out of this dress, it’s like a goddamn death corset.”
“No, no, no.” Megan’s laughing. “No way in hell did
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