“Is that it? Are we done?”
We stop and look around. The place looks great. Twinkling lights fill the white pavilion tent. Tablecloths and candles top the small tables that circle a small sound stage, where the band Moonlight Bloom is already warming up with a few light strums of their guitars. It looks tasteful and romantic, but more importantly, professional and polished.
As much as I appreciate the cheesy outlaw schtick that the town embraced after the Blackstone find, this feels right too. This has staying power—the chance to elevate Sagebrush into the diamond Sierra first saw it as all those years ago. My heart skips a beat at the thought that we might actually pull this off.
“Let’s run home and get changed,” I tell her.
Sierra checks her phone. “You think we can get back in time?”
“We can try.”
We climb into the truck, both of us moving so slowly from exhaustion that Sierra can’t stop giggling.
“You’re going to have to roll me into the shower,” she says. “Oh, gosh, I forgot. There’s only one shower.”
Oh, I’m aware. It reminds me of the last time I relinquished the shower to her that first night, the way she admired my shirtless chest. I grip the steering wheel harder.
“Logan, you missed the turn.”
“Oh, fuck.” I jerk the wheel and do a not-quite-legal U-turn.
Sierra giggles. “Maybe there’s a car wash we can drive through instead.”
A text message notification pops up on the touchscreen navigation. Thinking it is relevant to the event today, I immediately hit the button to have it read aloud.
The strange, automated voice recites the text. “Mom says, ‘Good luck tonight, honey. You and Sierra will do awesome. I know you said Sierra doesn’t want to see me, but could you let her know that, if she changes her mind—’”
I stab at the cancel button just in case my mom has any more to say. “Sorry. I thought…”
I can sense Sierra freezing up next to me. “You told your mom I was in town?”
I wince. Sierra knows how close my family is, so why is she surprised? “I said you didn’t have toseethem. I didn’t say that I wouldn’ttellthem,” I say finally. “On that, you know Emily and Seth are working the event tonight too, right?”
“What? I didn’t know about Emily.”
I glance over to see her wide, horror-filled expression.
“She offered during the last business meeting, just in case. She also…” I clench my jaw, then move forward with the lie. “She also lent you a dress and heels, so you have something to wear tonight.”
Sierra presses her face into her hands. “You said jeans were fine. Besides, you can’t just ask a random woman for clothing and shoes. Women vary in size, you know?”
“I may have taken a peek to see your size,” I admit. Not for borrowing from my sister though. I bought the shoes and dress outright, since I remembered how sometimes Sierra could be prickly about that kind of thing, thinking I was treating her like a charity case. I thought it would go smoother to say it was a loan, but judging by the look on her face, it may have been a worse idea.
“You’ll feel more comfortable in a nice dress,” I say lamely.
We careen into my parking space outside my house and race up toward the front door. My hands fumble as I try to fit the key into the lock. It’s not going in.
“We’re not going to make it back in time. Guess we’ll just have to stay here,” Sierra says, her voice sounding a tad wistful.
I laugh. “Sierra, we’re going. My sister isn’tthatbad.”
The key slides into the lock, and we dive into the house.
“Go for the shower,” I say as I kick off my shoes. “You’ve been working so hard, you deserve it.”
“It’s your event, Logan! You should use it first,” she says. “You’re the front man tonight. I’m just background girl.”
Not to me,I want to say.
