“No.” Calm, Paige reached for her wine. “It would only be weird if I found him smoking hot.”
“It’s not him, it’s me!” Couldn’t they see that? “Can you imagine what would happen if Matt unzipped my sweatshirt? All my baggage would tumble out. He’d be flattened under the avalanche of issues I keep hidden inside these clothes. Buried alive.” All her hang-ups, her inadequacies, her tension—it would be right there in his hands and she’d never be able to look him in the eye again.
“He knows about the glasses already,” Paige pointed out.
“Yes, but there are other things. Bigger things. And he doesn’t know about those.”
And neither did they, because she’d never told them. And she never would. That was one deeply embarrassing episode of her life she intended to bury deep.
Eva stood up. “Forget wine. This situation needs chocolate cake. I’ll be back soon.” She vanished from the apartment and Paige put her glass down carefully.
“Matt has a few issues of his own after Caroline.”
“I know. But there are issues and there are issues, and mine are—” Frankie gestured with her hand “—big issues.”
“And you think this will come as a surprise to him? It’s not as if he doesn’t know you.”
“Believe me, there’s plenty he doesn’t know.”
Eva came back into the apartment in time to catch the end of the conversation. She was carrying a large chocolate cake.
“This was today’s experiment. It has a secret ingredient. And Matt is more than capable of handling your issues. That man can handle anything. I’ve never seen him stressed.” Eva cut the cake into generous slices. “Actually, that isn’t true. I saw him stressed when Paige and Jake got together, but that’s different. Paige is his sister and all bets are off when it’s a sibling.”
“How would you know? You’re an only child.”
“But I’m an expert on relationships. It’s my superpower. Believe me when I say Matt would handle your issues with both hands tied behind his back.” Eva picked up a fork. “That’s one of the qualities that makes him hot.”
“I don’t want him to handle me. As you say, the guy was messed around plenty by Caroline. I’m not adding to the trauma.”
“I’m confused. Are you protecting him or yourself?”
“Both of us!”
“Caroline lied.” Paige dug her fork into the cake. “She wasn’t honest. You’re nothing like Caroline. Matt trusts you. But if you’re not interested, just tell him straight. Matt will respect your feelings and leave you alone.” She took a mouthful and closed her eyes. “Sublime, Eva. What’s the secret ingredient?”
“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you and eat you and I’m already way over my daily calorie allowance with this slice of cake.”
Frankie stared at her cake without touching it. “I am interested. That’s the problem.”
Eva paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. “You’re interested? In Matt? That’s the problem you were talking about earlier?”
“Yes! I’m interested, and I don’t want to be.” Frankie felt as if her heart was going to burst. “My head is a mess. I shake when he stands near me and I’ve got this weird feeling here—” she rubbed her fist against her chest “—and when he’s talking I can’t concentrate because I’m always thinking about—”
“About?”
“Stuff.”
“Stuff?” Eva put her fork down. “You mean sex?”
“Why is that a problem?” Paige looked baffled. “If you both feel the same way then what’s stopping you getting together?”
“The fact that I’m bad at relationships. Really bad. If I was going to have a relationship the last person I’d have it with would be someone like Matt.”
Paige finished her cake. “Someone you care about and do, in fact, like.”
“That’s right.”
“And find seriously hot.”