Claire smiled, thinking of the friendship that had developed between them over the past few weeks. “I think he’s fantastic.”
Sophie gave her a look. “But?”
“But I don’t think it would be a good idea to start a relationship now, with the baby on the way if that’s what you’re thinking.” Claire paused to examine a quirky-looking ceramic rooster. “It’s a really awkward time to try to date someone. Besides, I don’t think he likes me that way.”
“Marcus is a great man, Claire,” Sophie pointed out. “He’s exactly what you need. You’ve been stuck with jerks for so long and you really deserve to be with someone who will appreciate you. Your baby deserves the same thing.”
Claire sighed. Her baby deserved a father who was open and loving, a father who wasn’t so wrapped up in his work that it took precedence over everything else. She wanted so desperately for Logan to become that man. But she just didn’t know if he was capable of it, not anymore.
“Logan and Garrett aren’t jerks,” she murmured. “Garrett and I just weren’t right for each other, and Logan and I, well, maybe we weren’t either. I really thought that things would work out for us.”
“No you’re not.” Sophie delivered a sisterly slap to Claire’s shoulder, startling her.
“What?”
“You’re not still thinking about making it work with Logan, are you?” Sophie demanded to know.
Claire hesitated for a telling moment.
“You are, aren’t you?” Her sister examined her shrewdly. “Claire, haven’t you learned anything from the last few weeks?”
Unfortunately, it would seem that she hadn’t. Because every part of her still yearned for Logan. If only he returned the sentiment. She knew having feelings for him was an exercise in futility but it didn’t stop her. And she knew that Sophie only had her best interests in mind, that everything she was saying was probably true. Logan was bad for her, she should move on, and it should be with a good man.
“Soph, Logan is the father of this baby.” She patted her ever-expanding belly. “Like it or not, we’re stuck together for at least the next eighteen years. I’d like to make the best of it.”
“I’ll agree that you should play nice with him,” Sophie allowed, picking up a piece of carnival glass from the table. “Keep everything amicable so that you don’t have to worry about ugly custody battles. But that doesn’t mean that you should try to get back together with him.”
“I’m not saying that I want to get back together with him.” Claire stuffed the last bite of her apple crisp into her mouth and swallowed it. “All I’m saying is that…oh, I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“Claire, think about what he’s been like ever since he found out you didn’t tell Mom and Dad that he was the baby’s father. You hurt his feelings once, and what does he do? He lashes out at you. Where has he been, other than showing up at a couple of doctor’s appointments? He doesn’t deserve you, and if you ask me, he doesn’t deserve this baby either.” Sophie sighed, shoving the paper bowl containing her apple crisp into Claire’s hands. “Hold this while I pay for this dish, will you?”
The owner of the stand, a petite woman Claire judged to be in her fifties, swooped down on them, smelling a sale. “Can I help you ladies with anything?” she asked, favoring them with a friendly smile.
Sophie nodded, holding the carnival glass out to the woman. “I’ll take this.”
“Excellent choice.” The woman beamed with approval. “I’ll wrap it up for you.”
“Great.” As the woman retreated to the rear end of a station wagon parked behind the stand to wrap the dish in some newspapers, Sophie turned her attention back to Claire. “Will you promise me that you’ll at least try to keep an open mind with Marcus?”
“He lives in New York, you know,” Claire said by way of distraction. “I don’t think that it would be possible for me to move there, not with Logan living in Philadelphia. It really doesn’t seem like it would work out.”
“Not good enough.” Sophie plopped her hands on her hips. “Trevor lived in New York too, remember? Now we live here, and he’s happier than he’s ever been.”
“That’s because you’re hopelessly in love,” Claire pointed out, unable to keep a slight twinge of bitterness from her voice. Had she ever been hopelessly in love? She had thought so, with Garrett, but she had come to realize that she had only told herself it was love. As far as her relationship with Logan was concerned, it certainly hadn’t been prompted by love. Mutual attraction—insanely powerful mutual attraction—had been the catalyst.
“And you’re in love with Logan?” Sophie asked skeptically.
“No,” Claire said hastily. “Of course not. But I’m not in love with anyone else either.”
“That’s because you’re not trying,” Sophie returned, sounding exasperated. “Really, Claire. You can be so stubborn sometimes.”
The woman returned, a white plastic bag in hand. “Here you go, my dear. All wrapped up so that it doesn’t break on the way home.”
Sophie exchanged some money for the bag, and the two began moving again, walking with the crowd.
Claire looked over at her sister. “Take your apple crisp.” She shoved the bowl back into Sophie’s hands. “I’m only stubborn when you meddle, you know.”
“I’m your sister. It’s my job to meddle. And what about your calling Trevor to have him look at my artwork behind my back?”
