Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“Finn is not the love of my life. The love of my life would know how to swim. And emote.”
“What can I say? I am a true romantic. Always rooting for the unlikely couples. Judging by this,” Arden said, picking up one of Iris’s books, “you are too.”
“I’m starting to think Selene is right.”
“About what?”
“Not believing in love. Except the kind that shows up in chapter fifteen after a near-death experience and grand declaration …”
“And pray tell, where did the inspiration for that story come from?”
“Fantastical thinking.”
“I see you are determined to live under your own personal storm cloud of doom and gloom—as is your right. But you’ll forgive me for not doing the same. This is dry-clean only,” he said, waving down at his suit. “So, what do you think about incorporating coral and shells into your traditional floral bouquet?”
It sounded perfect.
If her relationship were real.
And if her wedding was going to happen.
Which it wasn’t.
No matter how perfect Arden’s palette was.
11
Iris
“It’s time,” Henry declared as he strode into the apartment first thing the morning after the long-awaited debate. It seemed like there were more and more ‘very important events’ as the deadline to the election—and her upcoming wedding—drew closer with each passing day.
Iris didn’t even know how that went. She was pretty sure she’d rather watch coral grow than tune in to a political debate.
It was bad enough that she couldn’t escape it every time Henry was in the apartment. She wasn’t going to volunteer for more of it in her free time.
If Henry was expecting her to ask what it was time for, he would be waiting a long time. She focused on making her coffee—what could she say? She’d grown fond of the pressed bean juice. She hadn’t had a word to give Henry since the time she’d overheard him refer to her as ‘the accessory.’
“Don’t you want to know what it’s time for?” he pressed, since Finn hadn’t appeared yet.
Her answer was to loudly stir her coffee.
“It’s rude to do the silent-treatment thing.”
Iris’s hand slapped down on the counter. “Oh, so now you’re concerned about what is rude?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means it’s not okay for me to not talk to you, but it’s totally fine for you to refer to me as Finn’s accessory?”
“Hey, no need to get emotion—”
“I dare you to finish that sentence,” she cut him off, taking a step closer to him. “Dare you.”
“What’s going on out here?” Finn asked, walking out of the hallway in a pair of hastily pulled-up slacks. No top. Because that’s what she needed right then. Half-naked Finn.
“A small misunderstanding,” Henry claimed.
“Right. Because I couldn’t possibly comprehend your meaning with my tiny little female merfolk brain, right? So clogged up with emotions that a thought can’t pass through.”
To that, Finn’s head cocked to the side, his brow raised. Almost—dare she think it—annoyed.
But no.
A real emotion from Finn?
That wasn’t possible.
“Care to explain why Iris seems to think you’re insulting her?”
Something in Finn’s tone had Henry holding up both hands in a placating gesture.
“Iris overheard something … uncharitable I said to you. She is understandably upset about it.”
Finn glanced between them.
“He thinks I’m as useful as cufflinks.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“They’re an accessory, aren’t they?”
“Oh, that,” Finn said. He exhaled hard. And Iris absolutely did not notice the way his chest widened and his abdominal muscles contracted. Nope. Not her. “Iris, I already had a talk with Henry about that comment. You are not an accessory. You are a valuable member of this team.”
Well, then.
If he’d wanted to douse the flames of her growing desire, he’d certainly accomplished that.
“Well, as teammates,” she said, biting off that last word, “Henry has some sort of announcement.”
Finn watched her for a second, brows furrowed like she was a puzzle that didn’t quite make any sense.
“What announcement?” he asked, finally looking to his campaign manager.
“It’s time.”
“Really? So soon after the debate?”
“It’s the perfect time. We’re still riding high on the good press coming from that. It’s the perfect time to go public.”
When neither of them thought to clue her in, Iris gritted her teeth and asked, “Go public with what?”
“Your relationship,” Henry said.
Some part of her wanted to ask: already?
The other part, though, was surprised it had taken so long.
Clearly, she was slacking with her sabotage plans if Henry was so confident about Finn parading her out in public.
Maybe she should have pulled out all the stops. Dyed her hair tentacle-green. Gotten a large tattoo of Poseidon riding a narwhal. Insisted on wearing seaweed robes. Or piercings. Lots and lots of visible piercings. With seashell chains connecting them.
“What did you have in mind?” Finn asked while Iris tried to figure out what she could wear to mess with the date.
“That new supper club.”
“The one run by a banshee?” Finn asked.
“Yep. The ambiance? Terrifying. But the lamb shanks? Divine.”