Read Online Love Simmers by Jules Deplume - Free Book Online

make the breads for the opening night. Breads were sort of my
speciality so I’d been more than happy to help. Since my arm was in
cast though, I was preparing to teach Ollie the art of bread
making. I had little faith in his abilities. Making bread was a
lesson in patience, which was not my brother’s strong suit. I
thought back to his actions towards Maddie, maybe I was wrong.
Maybe I hadn’t seen the patient side of him.
    “ You were
right. I thought about what happens when I leave on Monday. We
shouldn’t start anything. He should be with someone like Lia,
someone who actually lives here.”
    My brother gave me a knowing
look, his eyes consoling.
    “ He was
wondering whether you saw Lia kiss him.”
    “ It doesn’t
matter,” I dismissed the comment with a lie. Of course it fucking
mattered but I didn’t want Nate to know that. I didn’t want him to
know that I hadn’t slept well the last two nights because I missed
him beside me. One night together and I missed him.
    “ Seeing someone
you love with someone else is never easy but Nate broke up with Lia
ages ago. They’re not back together.” His words were like water
after a long run. I wanted to smile in relief until I thought about
what happened when I left and Lia was there for Nate and I wasn’t.
They would get back together in time. There weren’t that many
eligible young single people in town after all.
    “ Is that how
you felt about Maddie and Charlie?” I saw my brother flinch, as if
my comment had hit a nerve.
    “ It doesn’t
matter,” he threw my words back at me and I laughed. What a pair we
were. He laughed after a few seconds, walking over to where I sat
preparing the dough to give me a hug. I held onto him tightly,
letting go when I heard someone clear their throat.
    I looked over to see Nate
standing at the door watching our little display of family love.
Ollie went back to dicing potatoes, shooting a pitying look my way
as Nate headed in my direction.
    “ Can we talk?”
It was a question but Nate’s tone didn’t make it sound like
one.
    “ I’m really
busy making bread.” I turned my back on him to focus on my task at
hand, wondering how I was ever going to explain the concept of
kneading to my brother.
    “ Fine, then
we’ll do this in front of Ollie,” he challenged.
    “ I’m out.”
Ollie left the kitchen, ignoring my calls of ‘traitor’ and
‘Judas’,
    I put on my best intimidating
glare and turned to face Nate. His glare was far superior.
    “ So you saw Lia
kiss me on the cheek and your reaction was to ignore me till you
left town?” I wasn’t sure if I was meant to answer the question, it
sounded rhetorical.
    “ I saw you with
Lia and I realised that you and I have no future. At least, right
now.”
    My throat was tight, the words
coming out more emotionally than I intended. With Nate I could
never handle my emotions, another reason this was not simply a
fling. This was a relationship that was going to be all consuming.
There would be no halfway with us.
    “ Thank you for
making the decision for the both of us,” his words were
sarcastic.
    “ Why are you
pushing this? It seems like you and Lia have a lot more in common
than you and me.”
    “ So you’re
jealous?” He continued in disbelief, “What? You thought I spent
five years alone pining for you while you dated every handsome guy
you met, including my brother?”
    “ What do you
want from me Nate? Because I don’t think you even know who I am
anymore.” He tried to interrupt my rapidly rising voice but I put a
finger to his mouth to silence him. “You spent more time dating Lia
than you’ve spent with me for the better part of five
years!”
    “ You think I
don’t know you?” He went deathly calm, his expression painfully
neutral.
    I started to question my
assumption. He did know me, too well maybe.
    “ What do you
want from me?” Tears started to roll down my cheeks. I never cried
during a fight. I was calm, usually rational.
    “ Figure