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Now that the kitchen was needed to make food in large quantities for the house guests that would soon be arriving, Nerea moved her command center for wedding operations into Callum’s office. It was comforting to sit at his desk to work and be surrounded by so much that reminded her of him, with the room’s muted colors and the fragrance of old wood and paper. The spines of the books, some gleaming in faded jewel tones, others with battered jackets and covers, stretched from floor to ceiling. There was a stack of books on the windowsill that Callum had pulled out, presumably titles he thought Jamie might like or otherwise felt necessary for him to read.
With Callum gone, all Nerea could do was keep busy until he and Jamie returned. She did her best to stay occupied with working on the centerpieces for the wedding, but she was too distracted and upset to concentrate and kept making mistakes. Thoughts of Jamie’s distraught face kept creeping back into her mind.
Nerea had just ruined an attempt at a centerpiece, again, when Thom rapped on the door frame with his knuckles.
“Yes?” Nerea looked up from her sad excuse for handiwork.
“Since I’m having a devil of a time talking to your husband, would you mind if I talked to you?”
Nerea frowned at him. She didn’t do Callum’s relationship management for him, but she’d had the sense all morning that something was wrong with Thom. Thom’s face right now did nothing to allay her fears, and she didn’t like that one bit.
“Have a seat,” she said cautiously.
Thom pulled a chair over from the table by the window, but didn’t sit down. “It’s about, well.” He rubbed his fingers over the worn carving on the back of the chair. “It’s about — ”
“Thom, a word of advice.”
He looked up at her, his eyes a bit wild.
“The longer you delay, the worse I think this is.”
“I’m dating your daughter,” he blurted.
Nerea blinked. “Which one?” She had a single daughter, a married poly daughter, and a monogamous daughter who was about to have her wedding. She could only hope Thom wasn’t dating that last one.
“Piper,” Thom said desperately.
“Thank goodness that’s the least complicated answer. Now sit down.”
Thom, obediently, sat.
“So this is what’s had you on edge all day.”
“All day, all week, all month.” Thom looked miserable.
“Callum’s going to burst something when he finds out.”
“I know,” Thom moaned.
“How long has this been going on?” Nerea asked.
Thom picked up a pinecone that was meant for the centerpieces and rolled it between his palms, not looking at her. “Since May.”
“It’s December now.”
Thom said nothing.
Nerea leaned back in Callum’s desk chair. “That explains the company she had over that she wouldn’t talk about. Callum may punch you though.”
Thom let out a deep sigh. “Believe me. I know.”
“Have you tried to tell him?”
“I’ve been trying for months!” Thom protested.
“You should have tried harder!”
“Yes, and he should be able to recognize that other people have lives even when he’s distracted by his newest fling.”
“Is he ever not distracted by a fling?” Nerea asked.
“No, which is why we’re having this problem now!”
Nerea started laughing. Mainly because there wasn’t much else she could do. He and Piper were both adults, and, in truth, Thom hardly deserved to be yelled at. Making him more afraid also wasn’t going to help him do what he needed to do, which was to talk to Callum before he found out on his own.
“I’m not going to tell him for you,” she said eventually, once she had stopped laughing and once Thom had slumped down miserably in his chair again.
“I didn’t think you would. Just — God, this was not how I was hoping to have this conversation.”
“Yes, you were hoping not to have it at all. Now. I’m not going to rage at you like Callum will. But,” she pointed her pen at Thom. “I have some concerns.”
“I am ready and willing to hear them,” Thom said.
Nerea was fairly sure she could get him to say or do absolutely anything right now, which was the sort of power she wasn’t sure she should be trusted with. Yes, she was the responsible one, but even she had her limits.
“Good,” she said. “For one, she’s fifteen years younger than you.”
“Sixteen, if you want to be brutally honest, but Jamie’s twenty years younger than you,” Thom protested.
“Closer to twenty-five, the world is different for women, and don’t talk ’til I’m done.”
Thom snapped his jaw shut.
“You’ve just gotten divorced. It is finalized now, yes? Please tell me yes.” Last Nerea had heard from Katherine, it had been in the final legal stages.
Thom nodded.
“Tell me.”
“Yes, it’s finalized.”
“So you’ve just been through a messy and painful divorce from a woman I’ve known for years and consider a friend. That’s awkward enough as it is, but we can cope with that. But now you’re rebounding, and the woman you picked for a rebound is my daughter.” It was funny, sad, and worrying, and Nerea couldn’t help but think about telling Tonio about this whole mess. Piper had once been very much like a daughter to him and Nerea was absolutely certain he would laugh at the vengeance the universe was apparently wreaking on Callum with this turn of events.
“It was an accident. I didn’t even know who she was when I met her.”
“Do we want to discuss how this implies you either have latent attraction for myself and Callum or you slept with my daughter without knowing her last name?”
“Can we go for neither? I’d like to go for neither," Thom said, pained.
“Also, house rules. I don’t care if you sleep together under my roof. In fact, it would be easier if you did, because if I can put both of you in the same room it’ll make guest arrangements easier. But you have to tell Callum before any of that happens.”
Thom nodded.
“Unlike Callum, I will not penalize either of you for the fact that women like sex too. But Thom, for the love of God, whatever you’re doing, be clear with her. And make her be clear with you too. Her worst qualities are all Callum’s.”
“And her best are all yours?”
“See, now we’re getting back to that latent attraction issue. Seriously, though. Communication. And if you’re going to have an epic meltdown with her, for any reason whatsoever, try to keep it out of my house and avoid the day of the wedding?”
“I’ll do my best,” Thom said.
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Callum’s going to murder me, isn’t he?” Thom said morosely.
“I’m afraid so, and you damn well better tell him before everyone gets drunk at the wedding.”