Perfect Storm

30- Ian

Busted.

And I'm embarrassingly face-palming...

I can't believe Tawny busted me with my mother's book. The one person I didn't want to know or see what I had in my possession.

How embarrassing.

I'm not sure how to get out of this embarrassing situation since it was on my nightstand next to the bed. And not in another area of my home. And the more Tawny presses me about the novel, the more embarrassed I'm becoming, and the more excuses I try thinking of to get out of telling her why the book is where she saw it.

"I never knew you were a romance novel type of guy."

"I'm not," I quickly said while whipping the eggs for the French toast I'll be making.

"Why is it in your room and with a bookmark sticking out? That tells me you're reading it," she indicated delightedly. "So the question is, why are you reading it if you're not into romance novels?"

The last thing Tawny needs is me adding more lies to her plate. She's dealt with more than enough of those lately. So, I stopped whipping the eggs, and with the bowl and whisk in hand, I turned around, admitting what she was waiting to hear, yet not telling the entire story. "It's my mother's book."

A puzzled look appeared on her face. "If it's your mother's, how did it get next to your bed?"

I noticed the corner of her lip twitch, a smile itching to come out. And now it makes me wonder if Hannah mentioned my mom giving me her book to read.

Again, I can't lie to her.

"I brought it here," I mumbled.

"Why?" she pressed, looking amused.

I felt my cheeks heating and turned around, not wanting her to see I was embarrassed and avoided the question.

"You're reading it, aren't you?" she asked, with a bit of humor in her voice.

My eyes closed tight. "Not willingly," I embarrassingly admitted.

She giggled, which helped my warm cheeks heat even more.

"So you are reading a romance novel! Is that why you've become more pleasurable to be around?"

Ignoring the question, I reached for a slice of bread, then dipped it into the cinnamon and vanilla egg wash.

Another giggle exited her lips. "Who would have thought a man like you, who I once strongly believed was a narcissist, would be reading romance novels?"

Narcissist?

She thought I was a narcissist?

My head slightly turned, and I looked out the corner of my eye, saying, "I can't believe you thought I was that way. I'm far from being one."

"I don't think you're that way now. But a few months ago, you definitely were. You had all those traits of a narcissist, and I despised you for it."

Shit, was I one?

No way...

I turned the sausages, then laid the slices of the egg-soaked bread onto the griddle while thinking back to how I treated her amongst the other people I crossed paths with, and now that I think about it, I can see why she felt that way of me.

My God, I was an asshole.

A fool.

And such a tool.

Maybe I'm overthinking, but to be sure and curious to see if I'm right, I asked, "Can I ask why you thought that way?"

"Do you really want to know?" Tawny asked as she walked over, stopping beside me. Then her arms crossed against her chest as she used the countertop to rest against.