“Cheers.” Nina clinked her glass to both of theirs and Bethany smiled crookedly as she drank, too.
“No one said marriage would be easy.” Bethany dug into her apples and Erin was glad to see her eating. She’d lost a lot of weight last summer, but she seemed to be holding steady now.
“Um. Right.” Nina nodded. “But it took me eight years to get Mack even thinking in that matrimonial direction after he went and married someone else first. So let’s go gently on the hopeful future newlywed, ladies.”
Erin laughed, lifting her fingers to run them over a wind chime that hung near her chair. “Mack adores you. He only got divorced because he married the wrong woman the first time. I can tell you both—” she stared hard at the two women “—that you are therightchoices for my brothers, assuming you can handle them. I hope you do because I love you guys, big-time.”
“Aw!” Nina, who had no siblings and whose parents had abandoned her to her grandmother when she was in elementary school, rushed over to give her a hug. “Right back at you, chica.”
“And it’s not just because you make great cupcakes,” Erin assured her, winking at Bethany over Nina’s shoulder.
“Hey, my cupcakes got me a few marriage proposals back when I worked in New York, I kid you not. That’s how I knew I was onto something.” Nina plunked down in the chair close to Erin on the opposite side of the table where she’d started. “You let me know when you need to turn upthe heat for your next boyfriend and I’ll make a batch guaranteed to have him thinking about a ring.”
She couldn’t possibly have guessed how the ring remark would affect her because, of course, Erin hadn’t shared that particular detail about Patrick with them.
“I don’t think we’ll know who Erin has her eye on until the ring is already on her finger,” Bethany remarked, eyeing Erin across the table. “She’s always played it close to the vest.”
“With my mother ready to turn the slightest comment into major drama, wouldn’t you do the same?” Erin had her reasons.
Nina snorted.
“Well sure.” Bethany added a few cheese slices to her plate, carefully avoiding Erin’s gaze. “That doesn’t mean you should hold out on us.”
Was there a trace of hurt in her voice? Erin had never been the kind to share much of her private life with anyone, but she was hoping days like today would become more common. She enjoyed these women, and she trusted them. Heather might be her sister by blood, but Bethany and Nina were part of the fabric of her family. Their presence at Finley events made things less strained as far as she was concerned.
“You’re right.” Erin sat up straighter. “So I’m turning over a new leaf, and you’re going to be the first to hear my new decision about my nonexistent love life.”
Bethany’s eyebrows shot up.
“There’s nothing as delectable as a good secret,” Nina declared.
“I’m thinking about making a pass at the producer.” It was probably crazy. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility.
“What?” Bethany exclaimed at the same time Nina said, “No way!”
“I know, Bethany, I told you I wasn’t interested in a man in my life.”
“Right.Yesterday,” Bethany reminded her.
“I stand by that.” Erin stirred the ice cubes in her drink, watching them swirl around the peaches floating on top. “I had my heart broken not that long ago, so I’m not ready to jump back into a relationship. But I realized the producer and I are both…in a transition period.”
“He’s your gap guy?” Nina clutched her arm, her silver rings flashing in the sunlight.
“Maybe he could be.” And Remy needed a rebound woman, even if he didn’t know it yet. “He’s from Miami, so there won’t be those awkward moments where you see each other around town. We can just…” She finished the sentence with a shrug. “You know. Enjoy each other and then go our separate ways.”
The other women exchanged a look.
“Okay, stop with the telepathy,” Erin complained. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Sex complicates things,” Nina started at the same time Bethany said, “It’s not easy to keep emotions out of the equation.”
“Right.” Erin hadn’t thought that far yet. Maybe the attraction was stronger than she’d realized if she was already making plans to follow the chemistry where it led before she’d considered all the possible consequences. “Normally, I’d agree with you. But I think Remy and I?—”
“His name is Remy?” Nina sighed.
“He has a Cajun accent,” Bethany offered.
“Anyway, I think we’ve both had our emotions trampled recently, so they’re not really going tobeinvolved.”
