“Good. I uh…” He flushed red, dropping his eyes, “I was worried we were a little too loud.”
“Not at all. I didn’t hear a thing.”
“Well, I’m going to take a shower,” Scarlet yawned, then pressed an indecent kiss to my brother’s lips while grabbing his crotch.
Rolling my eyes, I turned away and reminded myself that she would be gone soon enough. My brother would get tired of her, and then I’d be the one to have the last laugh.
“She’s great, isn’t she, Josie?” Sawyer asked with stars in his eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” I deadpanned. “Great.”
“Listen, I know she’s a little…unlike us, but she really is great once you get to know her.”
Unfortunately…or rather, fortunately for me, I would never get to know her the way my brother knew her.
“I’m sure she’s wonderful. Do you want some breakfast?”
“Can’t. I woke up late, so I have to hit the road. But hey, I was thinking maybe you and Ellie May could take her for a spa day soon. You know, show her the town and all the good stuff.”
Turning, I hid my face by grabbing my things to make tea, hoping he didn’t see the absolute disgust on my face. “Uh…gee, I’m not sure I have time. You know, the shop is really busy and I’m thinking about putting the olive oil in the shop?—”
But the moment I looked at him, I knew I couldn’t say no. He had those sad puppy dog eyes that made it impossible to turn him down. Which really sucked because the last thing I wanted was to spend any time with Scarlet.
“Listen, Sawyer…I want to like her, but I just met her. A spa day is a very personal thing?—”
“Which means it’s the perfect time to get to know her,” he pleaded. “Imagine moving to a small town and knowing absolutely no one. Can’t you see how hard that is on someone? I want her to feel welcome, and I want her to love this place as much as I do.”
I never could say no to my brother, especially not when he had that adorable look on his face that saidDon’t deny me a single thing. You know I’m cute and I’ll do anything to make you happy.
“Alright, I’ll see what I can do, but I make no promises.”
I was swooped up in one of his awesome bear hugs before I even had a chance to finish my sentence. Smiling, I patted him on the back.
“You’d better leave before you’re late for work.”
He pressed a slobbery kiss to my cheek and grinned as I wiped it off in disgust. “You’re the best sister ever. Have I told you that?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m amazing.”
“Ooh, and she likes some kind of egg-white omelette with some special seasoning. Do you think you could?—”
I waved him off, desperate not to hear another word out of his mouth about his fiancée’s breakfast specifications. He moved in again, but I held him off. If I got one more thank you or hug out of the man, I would do some serious damage.
“You really are the best!” he shouted as he walked out the door.
For a moment, there was peace.
And then I rememberedCuddlebugwas in the shower. If I didn’t get started on her omelette soon, I’d never have time to get to the shop in time to open. I wasn’t exactly a fantastic cook, but I prided myself on being able to make a variety of meals and make them tasty.
I put extra care into her omelette with a renewed determination to forge some kind of sisterly bond with her. Maybe Sawyer was right. Maybe I had her all wrong. Her attitude could be a defense mechanism to cover how completely uncomfortable she was in our small town. I’d never been anywhere, so I had no clue what it was like to be in her shoes. Maybe I would be a royal bitch as well in her shoes.
Then again, probably not.
I was just plating her omelette when I heard the bathroom door open. A cloud of steam followed her out of the bathroom,and it irritated me that she looked so freaking perfect right out of the shower.
“I made breakfast!” I said cheerily.
“Oh,” she pursed her lips. “How…kind.”
