Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CORMAC
THE FAIRY GODMOTHERS GROUP CHAT
Ann: We heard all about the ice cream, sweetheart!
Me: Uh. What did Nora say?
Ann: That you made her QUITE the sundae. Well done!
Ann: And she says you’ve been rolling those shirtsleeves too.
Ann: I knew you could do it.
Me: Ann, where and when are you meeting the catfish?
Ann: I’ll tell you about my date with GEORGE as soon as I have confirmation that you told Nora you’re madly in love with her.
Me: I told her I have feelings for her.
Ann: I said what I said.
Text conversation with Dottie
Dottie, where’s she meeting him?
At Bear’s Buns at four o’clock this coming Saturday. But I didn’t tell you. ;-) ;-)
And don’t be cross with me for saying so, but Ann is right. You should tell Nora how you feel. Relationships are flowers, dear. Every healthy one is rooted in honesty.
Then we’re in trouble, because this one began with a lie.
It’s Thursday.
My week has been full of Nora.
Watching that horrible YouTube show with the half-naked chef and trying to recreate his recipes. Playing video games. Watching old movies.
Having lots and lots of sex.
Nora, Nora, and more Nora, but somehow still not enough.
Pansy’s exes haven’t responded to us, even though I sent follow-up messages, so we’re going to escalate our sleuthing to some light stalking.
I’ve been thinking of showing up at Bradley’s gym, featured prominently in all of his videos.
There’s a chance it would end with me getting punched in the face, however, and that’s something I would prefer to avoid.
I’ve also thought about bringing in a private investigator.
I have no doubt they would find plenty of damning information about Pansy, but José would ask uncomfortable questions if we presented the evidence to him.
We could, of course, bribe Pansy into going away quietly, but that approach has its own downsides—including a possible arrest.
We need to collect more information soon, though. Our double date with Pansy and José has been rescheduled for this coming Monday.
But that’s a problem for another day. Right now, I’m at the boxing gym with Liam and Mick after closing. Mick’s in a sullen mood, so he’s watching videos on his phone at the front desk.
Liam and I are working out, and I just filled him in on Ann’s catfish situation. He knows Ann pretty well because she helps out at Silver Star, so he’s heard all the background about “George” and has seen the doctored photos the guy has sent her.
“So she’s still talking about dating him?” he asks, groaning as he does another rep at a much higher weight limit than I am capable of.
“Yeah.” I swipe sweat off my forehead. “She’s actually made plans to meet him, though. This weekend. I thought we could be present to keep an eye on things.”
He grunts. “Damn straight. She’s gotten herself into some next-level situations with that dating app the kid got her hooked on.”
Not literally a kid. Otis works at Silver Star brewery too, and he befriended Ann and showed her the ins and outs of dating apps.
He comes to the gym sometimes too, but he’s more likely to go during the day, when other people are here and the lights are so bright they could make an oasis into a desert.
“Well, she says the meetup is at 4 p.m. on Saturday. It’s happening at Dottie’s partner’s bakery.”
“So we’ll have this guy surrounded,” Liam says with a smirk. “All right, I’m in. I’m all about physically intimidating old geezers.”
“It could be a young person who’s catfishing her.”
“All the better. We bringing Mick?”
I shrug. “If he’s free. But we won’t be able to stay long. We have a show at six.”
He sets his barbell down so he can nudge my shoulder. “Yeah, you do. I heard you assholes on the radio again today.”
I feel heat crawling up my neck. It’s strange having people take notice.
Most of my life, I’ve flown beneath the radar, but that’s been changing.
First, I sold the software for BALL-E, then the Nikola Foundation contacted me.
Now I’m in the band, I’m up for that award in October, and Kenji and I are collaborating.
I’m not invisible anymore. My life is expanding, taking on momentum, like a snowball rolling downhill in a blizzard. The only part of my life that’s incognito is this situation with Nora. Which, ironically, is the only thing I currently feel like talking or thinking about.
She came over after her shift ended yesterday and started undressing as soon as the door shut behind her. So quickly, in fact, that I had to run to get all the shades shut.
“Don’t get used to this,” she said as she backed me into the door and went for my zipper.
I did the smart thing and locked the door behind us.
“I couldn’t possibly get used to this. There’s nothing mundane about you showing up at my house and pulling your clothes off.”
She laughed as if I’d said something funny, and I took off my glasses and threw them. They’re probably going to get scratched or broken at this rate, but it was very hard to care with Nora standing naked in front of me with her hand on her hip, daring me to do something about it.
I’ll take her dares, every time.
I pinned her against the door, and she looked at me, her eyes half-lidded, and said, “Right here. Against the door.”
It’s possible she really is trying to kill me.
But she was thoughtful enough to have a condom ready.
She ripped the corner of the package open with her teeth, which is not the recommended approach but was very sexy, and then rolled it on me while she held my gaze.
Within seconds I was thrusting into her, her back pressed against the door, her legs wrapped around my waist.
Afterward, we played Half-Life for a couple of hours, and she told me about her day at the brewery.
It was a simple way to spend our time, but God it felt good.
Every moment we’ve spent together has felt good, and I can tell I’m not the only one who feels it.
She’s been stealing glances at me, like she wants to file away the memories and keep them.
Obviously, I don’t like the obvious conclusion—our situation is not permanent in her mind—but I tell myself that what’s important is that she cares.
Liam sits up on the weight bench, giving me an amused look. “Earth to Cormac.”
Right, boxing gym.
“Sorry.” I wipe a hand over my face. “I haven’t been getting much sleep.”
“Does it have anything to do with the secret fake boyfriend mess?”
Yes, he knows. Most of my friends do, given that they’re coupled up with Nora’s friends.
“Yeah,” I say hesitantly, glancing at the doorway leading to the front of the gym.
“No worries, man. Mick knows about it too. You stole his van to get to her faster the other week. Kind of a tell.”
I cringe. “Is he still upset about that? I filled up the gas.”
Liam’s eyes gleam with humor as he sets down the bar. “Never change, man. Never change.”
“So you always say, but you’re the only one who ever says that.”
He taps his forehead with one finger. “You only have to listen to me. I’m always right.”
I peer at the gaping doorway again, then admit in a low murmur, “I think I’m in love with her.”
“No shit.” Liam laughs as he wipes down the weights. “I picked up on that the second you agreed to this sorry situation. Hell, I had my suspicions when you first told me about the science fair.”
Sighing, I clean the weights I used and stow them away. “It’s a problem.”
“Why’s that?”
“She’s made it pretty clear she’ll only see me in secret. She’s not interested in being with me for real.”
He lifts his eyebrows, studying me. “Has she told you why?”
“I think it’s because of our parents, partly.” I pause, not wanting to say this next part but needing to get it off my chest. “Maybe she’s embarrassed of me. I’m not exactly smooth.”
Liam’s expression darkens. “Bullshit. Any woman would be lucky to date you.”
I manage a halfhearted smile. “Thanks. But history would suggest you’re wrong.”
“History’s a fickle bitch.” He clasps my shoulder.
“If you based all your opinions on history, you’d say that I don’t know how to date women either.
But I found the right woman, and everything changed for me.
Maybe Nora’s the right woman for you, and maybe she’s not.
” He hesitates, which is unusual for him, then says, “Has anyone told you about Jonah?”
“And the whale?”
He gives me a what the fuck, Cormac? look.
“No, the little pissant who’s the reason our ladies met.”
“They met because of this Jonah?” I ask, not liking the sound of that.
“Yeah.” He cracks his knuckles. “Jonah was engaged to Sophie, but at the same time, he was seeing my sister, Briar, and Nora. None of them knew until Sophie found the evidence on his phone. This all went down last summer.”
“How did I not know about it?” I ask, my hands forming fists at the thought of this asshole, this Jonah, not appreciating my Nora.
Okay, not my Nora, obviously. But Nora. Beautiful, funny, bold, strong Nora. Kind Nora, who cares about Nathaniel like I did and is putting everything on the line to help José.
How dare this Jonah guy do that. How fucking dare he.
“You don’t pay attention to a lot, my friend, and I guess this was before your dad got with Nora’s mom.”
“What happened to him?” I ask, because I know without a doubt that my friends wouldn’t have allowed this repugnant creature to walk away unscathed.
He grins. “The girls got him back. They publicly revealed what he’d done at the Orange Peel, in front of a packed concert crowd. It was in the local paper and everything.” He pauses. “He’s Rob’s brother.”
“You mean my Rob?”
“Let’s make that an official nickname.”
“Forget the nickname. So Rob married his brother’s ex-fiancée?”
“Hell of a thing, isn’t it? Obviously, they don’t get along. Rob hasn’t talked to anyone on that side of his family for months. You sure you didn’t read about this?”