The Rules of Friends with Benefits: A Prequel Novella by Lauren Blakely

Author:Lauren Blakely [Blakely, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little Dog Press

4

Nadia

A little later

* * *

My cell rings as I’m wrapping up my notes for an upcoming owner’s meeting. When I see Eric’s name on the screen, I grab it right away.

My brother never calls. He’s a texter. Between picking up the phone and swiping the screen, I go right back to when my dad phoned to let me know he was sick. God, I hope nothing is wrong with Eric. I hope nothing’s wrong with my mother.

“What’s going on?” I ask. “Is everything okay?”

Maybe I sound less frantic aloud than I do in my head because Eric launches right in with “Everything’s great!”

That’s obviously true from the sound of his voice, and I sigh in relief.

“Either you just landed a huge new deal for Harlowe Funds or you’ve finally found that first edition of For Whom the Bell Tolls.”

He laughs. “Neither. Something worlds better. I asked Mariana to marry me.”

I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth even with no one here to see. “Oh my God! I’m so happy for you! I’m thrilled.”

Thrilled barely scratches the surface of my feelings. My brother found the love of his life at a friend’s wedding, and now they’re going to be starting a life together. Who wouldn’t want that for her beloved brother?

“Oh, that’s perfect, Eric. Tell Mariana, ‘Welcome to the family.’ And I think you should get to work on babies because I want to be an aunt, and I’m not getting any younger.”

He makes a choking sound, and I glance at the time. Three o’clock, so yep, I made him spit out his afternoon coffee. Or, if I’m really lucky, I made him spurt it out his nose.

Score a point for the little sister.

“One, you’re twenty-four,” he says when he recovers. “A good thing because, two, babies aren’t happening anytime soon.”

“One, you don’t know the future, and two, I would really love it. And Mom would love it too. You need to give her a second grandchild. Since Brooke’s already beaten us to the punch.”

“As she should, since she’s the oldest. And give us a few years, please,” Eric says. “At the moment, I’m underwhelmed by your enthusiasm for my simply getting married.”

“What? I said I was thrilled! I thought Mariana was the bomb from the first time I met her. You two have always had this wonderful connection.” I speak from the bottom of my heart, and hope it carries over the cell connection. “It’s been amazing to watch my big brother fall in love and become such a terrific man and wonderful partner. And Dad would have been so happy too.”

“Okay, stop. I already have coffee all over me. I don’t need to be soaked in man-tears too.”

“This call just keeps getting better and better.”

“Will you come to our engagement party in a couple of weeks?”

He asks it so earnestly, as if there could be a snowball’s chance in Vegas that I’d say no.

“If you didn’t invite me, I would disown you.”

“That’s the only reason I ask. So you won’t disown me.

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