“Thank you.”
“Will you let me know when you’re on your way back?” Her kind, considerate tone nearly did him in. Jenna could be cold as ice, but she had the biggest heart of anyone he’d ever met. It wasn’t a matter ofifhe was falling in love. In this one conversation, he realized he already had. He had no idea what he was going to do about it.
“Of course.”
“Go get your sister.”
He shoved open the door and rushed into the lobby, heading straight for the elevator to the sixth floor. But the elevator was taking too long to travel back to the ground level, so he opted for the stairs and took them three at a time.
Cody was panting by the time he reached Sadie’s hotel room, but he was here. That’s what mattered. He knocked on the door. “Sadie? It’s me. It’s—” The door opened slowly and a redheaded woman with streaks of mascara running down her cheeks threw herself into Cody’s arms. Sadie was only recognizable through her distraught appearance because he’d found her this way before.Too many times.
“You’re here.”
“Of course, I’m here. Where’s your stuff?”
“I only have one bag.” She pointed toward the edge of the disheveled bed and went to grab it. It was then that Cody took in Sadie’s appearance. The tight red dress she tried to hide beneath a fuzzy black sweater. Her feet were bare, but red lines from where her high heels pressed in were visible. Though her hair was tossed into a lopsided messy bun, he noticed the prominent curls Sadie had likely spent hours perfecting the night before.
Sadie hooked her stilettos with a couple of fingers and headed to the door, but Cody stopped her with a hand on both shoulders. He searched his sister for bruises or cuts. “Are you hurt?”
“Only my pride, Cody.”
His protective brotherly instincts took over, and he refused to move out of her way until she looked him in the eye. “Are you sure?”
She rolled up one sleeve, then the other. Aside from a new flower tattoo, she was unscathed. “Happy?”
Happy was the last word he’d used to describe how he felt. Relief might be more accurate. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
During his long, quiet drive, Cody had loads of time to contemplate how to answer the question he knew Sadie would ask almost right away. Most times, he took her back to her apartment so she could shower. Then they’d grab a bite to eat or catch a movie. Sometimes, they stayed in and feasted on microwave popcorn while Sadie tried to pick him out in movies.
But one thing was becoming very clear to him. He wasn’t helping Sadie; he was enabling her to repeat her past immature behavior. He could do one more favor for her before he left, even if she ended up hating him for it.
“Cody?” she asked again in the elevator.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” He couldn’t bring her back to Sunset Ridge in that scandalous dress. Mom might have a heart attack, and Dad might go on a murderous rage. But if he made a detour to her apartment, his plan might unravel. No, they had to head straight back. With any luck, he could sneak her inside the house—where she had clothes in her old room to change into—and burn that dress before anyone else ever saw it.
“Over ice cream?”
He didn’t answer as they headed for the truck.
“Whose is this? Did Marc get a new truck—hey, you promised not to tell anyone!” Tears streaked down her cheeks. He was certain they weren’t the last ones he’d see today. Oh, no. When his sister figured out what he was really up to, she’d cry a river.
“A friend let me borrow it.”
Sadie got in and tossed her bag in the back. “A girlfriend?” She tried to tease him through the sniffles. At least her sense of humor wasn’t completely broken. She’d need it for all the hard work ahead.
“She’s afriend.”
“You didn’t sayjusta friend,” Sadie countered after she blew her nose. “She means something to you.”
Cody didn’t respond to that, because he didn’t know how. Yes, Jenna meant a whole lot to him. But admitting it didn’t solve anything. He’d spent as much time on that drive thinking about his Jenna-slash-Maui predicament as he had about Sadie. No conclusion had magically jumped out at him.
He was almost desperate enough to find Ed and demand an answer.From a moose. Cody scrubbed a hand over his face, convinced he was losing his mind.
“Wait, where are you going?” Sadie asked when he turned in the opposite direction of her apartment. “Cody!”
“Home.”
