Tender is the Nerd Read Online Free PDF Page A

say.
    Her pulse rate picked up. She wondered if he’d begun to feel the intimacy of being alone with her as they ate dinner by candlelight. She certainly had.
    But instead of speaking, he cleared his throat and returned his attention to his food.
    She took her first bite and was pleased with how the dish had turned out. Her experiment was likely to be a success. As they ate he made more complimentary remarks about the food and they talked about what she’d fix the next night.
    But she couldn’t stop thinking about the look he’d given her. She’d seen longing there, but resignation, too. If he wouldn’t risk disloyalty to Frazer by admitting he was attracted to her, she’d keep her feelings to herself. The bond between those brothers was too important and she had no business messing with it.
    When he’d finished he divided the last of the wine between their two glasses and pushed aside his empty pasta bowl. “I need to ask you a personal question.”
    At first she thought he was about to make a joke, but one glance into his eyes told her whatever he wanted to ask was plenty serious. Her heart began to pound. Maybe they’d talk about their mutual attraction, after all. “Okay.”
    “You don’t have to answer it.”
    “Understood.”
    “Why did you break up with my brother?”
    Oh, boy. She’d have to tread carefully. “What did he say?”
    “Not much. You know Frazer. Holds his cards close to the vest.”
    “Did he seem upset?” She’d always wondered if he’d shown more emotion over the breakup with his friends and family. With her he’d acted almost nonchalant.
    “Not really, but you can never be sure with him. He might have been a lot more upset than he let on. When he suggested hiring you as a consultant for the app, he told everybody your previous relationship would be no problem. Near as I can tell, it’s the truth.”
    “I feel the same way. There’s been no awkwardness. We were friends before we started dating and we’ve reverted back to that point.”
    “And that’s why I couldn’t figure out the split between you two. You seem so compatible, even now. I never saw you fight.”
    “That’s because we didn’t.”
    “Exactly. So although I’ve seen no evidence to support the hypothesis, I’ve thought that maybe because you’re working in the same office you might get back together.”
    She experienced a moment of panic. “Has he said anything that makes you think that?”
    “No.”
    “Good.” She sighed in relief. “Because that’s never going to happen.”
    “Why?”
    “Because . . .” Picking up her wine glass, she took a fortifying swallow and thought about how to explain in a way that wouldn’t sound critical of someone Rylan loved. “You said yourself that he holds his cards close to his vest.”
    “Yeah, he’s very private.”
    “Keeps a lid on his emotions all the time.”
    “Yep.”
    “When we met I admired that about him. He seemed so mature and in control. The strong, silent type.”
    “That’s my brother.”
    “But after a while I found myself getting impatient because he never seemed to loosen up regardless of the circumstances. Maybe he was different when you were kids, but –”
    “Nope.” Rylan shook his head. “He takes after my mom. She’s the oldest in her family, too, and super responsible like Frazer.”
    “I only spent a little time with her, but I can believe it.”
    “She’s the organizer in our family. When she gets too heavy handed, my dad laughs and thanks her for keeping the planets in orbit. Then she backs off. But she never loses her cool, even when Dad or I have done something terminally stupid.”
    “Sounds a lot like Frazer. Did he ever do anything stupid?”
    “Once or twice. Not much.”
    “That’s amazing.”
    “I know.”
    “But it confirms what I thought when I broke up with him. I can’t be with someone who hardly ever does anything stupid and never loses his cool. I need someone who’s more out there, someone