She stood from the porch swing to follow me inside. "How's your book coming along?"
I shot her a smile. Ash was a beta reader for me, which meant she was one of the first people to read my books and give suggestions on the story before release. Some writers used more beta readers than others, but Olivia and Ash worked perfectly for me. I figured too many cooks in the kitchen would ruin the meal. "Funny you should ask. I actually finished it last night," I told her, smiling broadly when she jumped up and down like a kid in a candy store. Hopefully that enthusiasm would carry over when she read it. Wicked Lovely was different from my previous work, and I was worried about my readers' reactions to it.
She rubbed her hands together greedily. "When do I get it?"
I waited to answer as Mom engulfed me in a delicate hug that smelled like her favorite perfume. It was a scent she had worn for as long as I could remember. Dad made sure to replenish her supply every Valentine's Day. "You look tired," she said, staring me in the face.
I rolled my eyes. Her mom radar was always on. "I don't know why," I lied easily.
Ash chuckled behind me, earning her the same look I had given my brothers outside. No book for you, I mouthed. Her expression went from humorous to horrified in an instant.
Mom was too busy clucking over the bags under my eyes to pay attention to our exchange. "Why do you look peaked? Are you eating right?"
"Mom, you just saw me last Sunday. How could I have completely fallen apart in one week?"
She held me at arm's length, studying my face intently. "A mother knows. You're working too hard. You have to stop pushing yourself like this."
"I know, Mom, but believe me, I'm fine. I just haven't slept all that well the last few nights, that's all." Of course, I neglected to mention the reason why I hadn't been sleeping. There was no way I would admit the source of my insomnia was a guy. That was a can of worms I wasn't willing to open. I gave her a quick peck on the cheek to distract her. "By the way, Olivia sent me the cover proof for Wicked Lovely. Do you two want to see it?"
"Oh, I do," Ash chimed in, bouncing up and down. Her enthusiasm was infectious and was one of my favorite things about her. Zachary was a complete asshat for not proposing to her yet. My worst fear was that Ash would eventually get sick of waiting for him to pop the question and move on. I loved my brother dearly, but if that happened I would have to disown him.
Pulling out my phone, I clicked on my pictures icon where I had already stored the new cover. Both Mom and Ashley reacted with the appropriate enthusiasm I had expected.
"Oh my. That's what I call smoking," Ash said, fanning herself as Zachary and Tony came in from outside.
Zachary looked over, understandably curious. "Let me see," he demanded, holding out his hand for my phone. I debated not giving it to him. Alec had been a complete monkey's ass the other night, but I wasn't all that keen on hearing him being criticized.
Tony peered over his shoulder and I could tell they both wanted to find something negative to say, but neither of them could find anything.
"Too bad he's gay," Zachary finally said, handing the phone back to me.
I should have kept my mouth shut. It was an easy out. Let them assume Alec was gay. But no, I had to open my mouth like a complete dipshit. "Alec is definitely not gay," I stated with more emphasis than I intended.
Everyone's eyes pivoted to me, including Dad's and my other brother Riley's, who had walked in on the tail end of the conversation. "Who's not gay?" my dad asked. Great. Big Mouth Nicole had struck again.
"Apparently, 'Alec is definitely not gay,'" Zachary said, snapping his fingers in the air.
"Zach, stop teasing her," Ash said, coming to my defense.
Dad kissed me on the cheek and walked to the fridge to fill a glass he had pulled from the cabinet with ice. "Who's Alec?" He sat his glass on the counter and cracked open a can of Diet Coke.
"The model on her new cover. Quite the looker, I must say," mom said, winking at me.
Before I could react, Riley snuck up behind me and snatched the cell phone from my hand. "Oh yeah? If he's got Mom singing his praises, he must be something special," he said, swiping the screen to reveal the cover picture. "Holy shit. Oops." He covered his mouth and ducked out of the way when Mom swiped at his head with a dish towel. Even though we were all adults, my mom would not tolerate cussing in the house. "Sorry, Mom. That's just a very pretty man in that picture."
"Pretty? Maybe you're the one who's gay," Tony said, grabbing Riley in a headlock. They wrestled around, nearly knocking Dad's drink from his hands.
"Hey, knock it off," Dad yelled. My brothers stopped roughhousing immediately. He had always kept my brothers under control, and they knew when they had pushed him to the limits. "So what if this Alex is gay? It's none of our business."
"It's Alec, and he's not gay. I mean, I don't think he's gay," I lamented lamely, trying to fix my mistake. At this point it was a lost cause. I had already put my foot in my mouth. Zachary's and Tony's eyes sparkled, obviously sensing a conspiracy. Even Mom looked delighted, like she could read my mind. Shit. Shit and double shit. She'd have me married off before the evening was over if it was up to her.
"Be still, my heart. I think our Nikki Pooh has a crush," Riley proclaimed. And to think he was my favorite brother. We were the closest since we were only a year apart. What a traitor. See if I asked him to do the playlist for Wicked Lovely now. Riley had aspirations of becoming a producer after studying music in college. He was actually quite talented and could play seven instruments. Still, music genius or not, he could stick it.
"I do not." I wished I had more conviction in my words, but how could I when I didn't believe them myself? Instead, my traitorous lack of a poker face decided to show up.
"There it is, ladies and gentlemen. Nikki Red has shown up for the party," Zachary laughed, using the nickname they had coined for me when we were kids because my cheeks would blush bright red from embarrassment.
"Boys, stop teasing your sister," Mom said. I shot her a grateful look, hoping we could all return to being adults. "Now, tell me all about this boy who has you so worked up," she added, slinging an arm across my shoulders.