Filed to story: Once Upon a One Night Mistake Book PDF Free by Simone Shirazi
“You, mostly. You’re the only thing we have in common anymore. She did say something about coming to visit on Tuesday before she headed out to Paris.”
“What for?”
“Beats me, but she sounded excited about it, so consider yourself warned.” He dropped his hands from Taliana’s shoulders and took a half step back, checking his watch in the process. “I better head out. Traffic is always awful on holiday weekends. You need a ride to school?”
Taliana shook her head. “That’s okay. Sebastian should be here soon.”
“I still can’t believe you’re dating that kid.” He snorted, shrugging into his suit jacket. “I’m not sure I like the idea of you with him. Or hell, of you dating at all. To me, you’re still that little eight-year-old I used to spend hours with in the toy store. Now look at you, practically all grown up.”
Taliana couldn’t help but crack a grin. “Don’t get all sentimental on me, Dad.”
“It’s hard not to.” He looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him, dropping a loud kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll see you later, kiddo.”
He breezed out the door a few moments later, and Taliana remained seated on the counter until she heard his car disappear down the street. She was in the middle of toasting an English muffin when the doorbell rang, followed by a series of impatient knocks. Sebastian was the only person Taliana could think of who’d be at her door, since he came to pick her up every morning, but he usually stayed in the car and honked. Nonetheless, Taliana went to see who was on the porch, but she was still surprised when she saw him standing there.
Her surprise was due in part to his attire of jeans and a long-sleeved, forest green V-neck sweater that clung to him in a way that had her staring for a moment too long.
“Why aren’t you dressed for school?” she asked, self-consciously tugging on her skirt.
“The real question is why? are you dressed for school?” he said, brushing past her as he stepped into the house. “Did you forget about our plans?”
“Plans? For what?”
Frowning, he took a moment to search her face, clearly trying to figure out if she was kidding or not. “Jacob forgot to tell you, didn’t he?”
Taliana shot him a puzzled look. “Jacob was supposed to tell me something?”
Sebastian blew out an annoyed breath. “That kid is so dense sometimes. I ask him to do one simple thing and he can’t even do that right.”
“Blame it on the weed,” Taliana said, closing the door before reaching out to pat his arm comfortingly. “What was he supposed to tell me?”
Though Sebastian was obviously still frustrated with Jacob, a sly smile came to his lips. “How do you feel about a little road trip?”
Well, that was certainly something Taliana hadn’t expected to hear.
“No,” she groaned. “No, no, no. I hate road trips.”
“Oh, come on,” Sebastian said as he took a step closer. “It’ll be fun.”
“Seb, I went on road trips with Zak and his friends. And let me tell you, while they started out fun, they all ended in disaster.”
“Oh, so now you’re comparing me to Zak?” He looked vaguely offended but continued on before she could clarify. “Come on, Talia, I promise nothing will go wrong. Besides, you don’t even know where we’re going yet.”
That was true. If it was a halfway-decent location, she would probably agree, but only because she had nothing better to do. “Well then, tell me,” she prompted after a moment’s hesitation.
“The Hamptons,” he announced with a grin. “Southampton to be exact. You can’t say no to that.”
Southampton was the summer playground for the rich and idle, and was a place Taliana had been to with her parents on various occasions. It was definitely one of her favorite places with its beautiful beaches, impressive social scene, and sprawling estates. And Sebastian was right. She couldn’t say no to that. She wasn’t sure who could.
“Are you serious about driving up there?” she asked, unable to believe he and the others were willing to sit in a car for that long. “Why not fly?”
“Marcus is terrified of flying,” he explained offhandedly. “He won’t get on a plane unless it’s absolutely necessary. Now, are you going to come? I don’t have all day to convince you.”
Taliana mulled it over, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Who else is coming?”
“Everyone who’s anyone.”
That probably explained where the twins had gone, but she decided to help him narrow it down. “Is Blair going to be there?”
Sebastian shrugged, but the telltale tenseness in his shoulders said it all. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she showed up,” he said, dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand. “So, are you coming or what?”
“Okay,” Taliana agreed after a beat. She wasn’t that keen on being stuck in a car for hours, but she was even less eager to spend the weekend all alone. “I’ll go.”
He grinned, and her stomach twisted into knots. “Perfect. Go pack and change out of that stupid uniform. Though I must say I’m pretty fond of that skirt…”
“Pervert.”
“You love it.”
“Shut up.”
Forty-five minutes later, Taliana was crammed between Marcus and Jacob in the backseat of Sebastian’s Mercedes, wishing she’d never agreed to go. Unfortunately, it was too late to back out, and needless to say, having to deal with rush hour traffic on the Beltway wasn’t helping her lack of excitement for the trip.
“How long did you say this ride was going to be?” Taliana asked, squirming as she attempted to make herself more comfortable, a near impossible feat.
“Six hours,” Sebastian answered for the umpteenth time, sounding like he was already fed up with her. “Might be longer with traffic.”
Taliana groaned as she leaned back in her seat, accidentally elbowing Jacob in the chest as she crossed her arms. “This is so stupid. Seriously, who drives to the Hamptons?”
“Look, it’s not like we forced you to come,” Sebastian argued, glancing at her via the rearview mirror. “You’re here out of your own volition. Remember that.”
“I shouldn’t have agreed,” Taliana whined. “Being stuck at home all alone this weekend is starting to look more and more appealing.”
Michael let out a groan from the passenger’s seat and turned to shoot Taliana a desperate look. “Ma bichette, we love you and all, especially my man Sebastian here, but shut up.
Please . I’m begging you. I can’t take it anymore.”