“I love it out there,” I tell her.
“I can see why.”
Ingrid takes a bite. The way her feet tap under the table makes me think she’s still nervous about Romilly’s opinion. “So tell me,” she says around a mouthful of food. “Why would you hire a wayward soul like Sebastian to work with you at your pet salon?”
“Um…” Romilly laughs, but her gaze dips down. “He seemed ready to work and easy to train.”
I arch an eyebrow at her. “Lies do not look good on you.” But nowI’mlying, because she looks stunning no matter what she’s doing.
“I’m—I’m not lying.”
“She’s lying,” I tell Ingrid. “She hired me because I’m irresistible, of course. She can’t get enough of my presence.”
Romilly rolls her eyes at me. “Believe me, I had enough of you the moment you first spoke to me.” But her cheeks look flushed as her eyes bore into mine.
“Ha! I like you.” Ingrid points her fork in Romilly’s direction. “And here I was, worried you’d fallen victim to Bash’s charms, just like the others.”
A little V appears between Romilly’s eyes. “The others?”
“Everyone back home had a crush on Bash. It got so bad, there were rumors at our church about him being a player, even though it’s not true.”
I glare daggers at my sister. The rumors didn’t bother methatmuch, but that doesn’t mean I want Romilly to know about them.
“It’s probably because he’s so charming,” Romilly says. “It’s hard for me to believe those rumors aren’t true, too.”
Charming? She thinks I’m charming?I arch an eyebrow. “Was that a compliment or an insult? I can’t tell.”
But she just shrugs with a teasing smirk.
“Tell me some embarrassing things Bash has done at work,” Ingrid insists.
I grimace. “Why must I be the topic of conversation? Really. Let me tell you something about Romilly, Innie.”
Ingrid ignores me. “Has he told you how he landed us in this mess?”
“Yes,” I say. “I’ve told her. It’s old news, really.”
“You should have seen Mum and Dad,” Ingrid says. “They went ballistic over his contract with Munera. Cut Sebastian off entirely, so I figured, might as well join him.”
Romilly’s gaze lands on Ingrid. “To be honest, I’m surprised they let you stay behind.”
“Let me?” She laughs. “What were they going to do? Call the police?”
“Ingrid is incredibly spoiled,” I explain to Romilly, ruffling my sister’s hair.
Ingrid glares at me. “Look who’s talking.” Even though she likes to pretend otherwise, I can tell she cares about me in a way our parents don’t.
Romilly smiles at my sister, like she, too, can see through Ingrid’s act. “That was really nice of you.”
“I figured it would be entertaining. Watching him struggle.”
Romilly laughs.
Ingrid lifts the lid off the platter of the freshly-baked breakfast potato wedges, and the three of us really dig in then, eating in silence for a few minutes. Romilly and Ingrid talk about their favorite recipes, and I can tell Ingrid eats up every word. When we’re finished they clear the table together. A warm feeling envelopes my chest at seeing them bond. I shouldn’t be surprised. It would be impossible for Ingrid not to like Romilly, but then again, my sister has a knack for disliking people.
“I’m off to work now,” Ingrid announces. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Romilly. Please keep my brother in his place while I’m gone.”
After she leaves, Romilly grins at me. “She’s great.”
