“So, where do you work out when you’re in LA?” Stupid question, but at least I’m trying.
“Um, I run or go to the gym in the 360 Hotel.” Michael scratches the back of his head. “You?”
“I run down the beach and wind down with some yoga, mostly.”
“Oh, cool. Maybe we can run together,” Michael offers, and I nod, not sure what else to say on the matter.
“Yeah, sure. Cool. Whatever.”Smooth.
“Um, so, I was thinking,” Michael begins, shifting awkwardly in his seat, “we still need a shower schedule.” He takes a small sip from his beer; he’s barely touched it, and I’m already on my second. Which may not be a great idea considering even the flex of his jaw is getting me hot and bothered. Images of his bare skin covered in nothing but splashes of white paint and those well-defined contours of his upper body glistening with a sheen of sweat are pretty much running rampant in my mind.
“Yes, we should definitely do that.”And make mine a cold one.
“Okay, we’ll sort one out tomorrow.”
We fall into that uneasy quiet again, and I rack through my brain to try and come up with something to say, something normal and easy, something other than I want to lick your abs.
Oh, I bet that would be fun.
“So, why’d you come to LA?” I attempt small talk again, hoping this time it will open the door to a more fluent conversation.
“I came to meet your editor in chief about a piece on Amara Calderón.” Michael smooths his palm over his hair with a shrug. “I promised her an exclusive to sate her when Trista up and left for China without giving due notice.”
“That’s very sweet of you to take care of Trista like that.” Then, I remember something that piqued my curiosity earlier, but I was too distracted by the shirtless Adonis that is Michael Edwards to linger on it. “You said something earlier about how you grew up. What did you mean?”
“Trista never tried to explain the complicated dynamics of our clan?” His smile signals that he’s relieved, happy to talk about the one subject I would probably prefer to steer clear of. Family.
“She sort of skimmed through the basics.”
“Okay.” Michael’s grin widens, and he leans forward like a kid about to share the juiciest piece of gossip ever, and I admit I’m a bit excited now as well. “So, you obviously know Brian and the girls, Zoe and Phoebe?”
“I’ve met Brian, heard a lot about the girls,” I confirm, leaning my chin in my palm as I grab a chip to munch on as I listen.
“Brian and Phoebe’s mom, Beatrice, and our mom have been friends since they made the cheer squad together in middle school. They even opened a business together. Mom is an interior designer, and Bea is an architect.”
“So that’s where you all get the creative streak from,” I observe with a smile, and Michael shrugs with a gleam in his eyes.
“So, Bea is married to Evan, he was a total nerd when they were younger, and the only reason she gave him the time of day was because his identical twin, Trent, was the star quarterback of the football team.” Michael takes a deep breath, raising an eyebrow with an amused glare. “You following so far?”
“Easy peasy, keep talking.” At this point, I’ve abandoned my half-eaten chip because if this is just the beginning, we’re looking at Turkish telenovela proportions by the end.
“Okay, stop me if you get lost ‘cause shit is about to get real.” His grin is so full of mischief that, for a second, I get lost in dirty thoughts but pull myself back. This story is too good to miss for an imaginary banging. “Bea finally realized what she was missing in college, and she and Evan have been together ever since, a super sweet story. Now, back to high school. Trent, remember him?” I nod. “His best friend is Lee, captain of the football team, star linebacker, and the father of Zoe. Trent married his high school sweetheart, Kimberly Cara, aka K.C., and Lee married Violet Duke, Zoe’s mom.”
“Wait.” My brow furrows in thought. “Duke. I know that name. I heard Trista mention it once to Brian.”
“Ah, that would be because Brian is adopted, and his biological father, Sebastian Duke, happens to be the former college roommate and best friend of Evan. That’s how Vi and Lee met in the first place. She’s Sebastian’s twin.” I signal him to pause, sipping on my beer as I organize all the information in my head until I feel confident that I’ve got my ducks in a row.
“Okay, so Brian and Phoebe are siblings, I knew that, and Brian and Zoe are cousins, which I also knew, but Phoebe and Zoe aren’t related in any way?” Michael makes an
exactly” motion with his fingers, and I lean back, slowly picking up my half-eaten chip to chew on as I consider. “And Evan adopted his best friend’s kid? I assume former best friend because, from the little I picked up when Brian was here, Sebastian is an asshole.”
“Understatement of the century.” Michael sighs, stretching his hands high over his head, causing all his muscles to flex under his t-shirt. “But there’s more.”
“Shut your mouth!” I lean forward, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice because how much juicier can this get?
“Let’s circle back to Trent, identical twin to Phoebe’s dad and best friend to Zoe’s dad, who married K.C. and has two beautiful daughters–Madeline and Emily.” Michael picks up his phone and scrolls through it before handing the device to me.
A photo of him in a tux with a powder blue tie and handkerchief, a gorgeous woman with buttercream ringlets down to her shoulders in a powder blue satin bridesmaid dress, and a man identical to him only leaner and wearing a fancier black and white suit with a bow tie, embracing a stunning golden-haired woman in a Victorian-style white dress. All of them smiling ear to ear.