“I hesitate to say anything at all, you understand, but Wyatt Campbell proposed to her last night. He had a ring and everything.”
Diesel froze in place. He didn’t dare give Daphne Charlene the satisfaction of either animosity or joy at the idea of his sister getting engaged to a human sheriff.
“And?” Diesel managed to say without giving any indication as to his true feelings on the matter. He hoped. Meanwhile, his mind raced with the implications of that incendiary situation. What had Valene said? Would she and Wyatt be moving to Alpha-Prime soon? His heart sank at the very idea of his only sister, the baby of the family, moving so far away.
“And, well, I thought you should also know that Wyatt and I have been seeing each other for a month or two now. I was shocked, of course, by his actions and I wanted to warn you that his affection for your sister might not be completely true. I never would have pegged him as a two-timer, but there you have it.”
Diesel felt his eyebrows furrow. “You’ve been seeing Wyatt?” He knew the shock was evident in his tone.
She nodded, her expression an odd mix of innocent and gossipy. “As a matter of fact, I have dinner at his folks’ place on a regular basis. Obviously, his parents don’t have any idea about what’s going on between the two of them.”
“Obviously.”Did that sound too snarky?Daphne Charlene made it sound like Wyatt was running around behind Valene’s back. But Diesel knew Wyatt. Skeeter Bite’s sheriff was a good guy. Either he didn’t know about Daphne Charlene’s feelings or, more likely, he had tried to spare her his lack of interest. Diesel had a pretty good idea that Wyatt was in love with Valene and he guessed she hadn’t been able to break it off with him.
Daphne Charlene pouted. “You don’t seem that upset.”
Outwardly, he shrugged. Inwardly, Diesel had to consider what Daphne Charlene hoped to gain from tattling to him about Valene and Wyatt. Why would she even think he cared? To the human world, his sister was a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. No one outside Alienn’s Alpha population knew the restrictions that came with marrying a human.
His eyes narrowed on the troublemaker. He needed to be circumspect with regard to his feelings. Yes, he liked Wyatt. No, he didn’t want Valene to marry a human and be forced to leave Earth to live on Alpha-Prime forever.
“I’m uncertain what you want from me or what you think I would do about this.”
Her arms lifted into the air with decidedly dramatic flair. “He’s cheating on your sister with me! I would think you’d want to warn her.”
I don’t believe you. What’s your agenda here?
“Valene is well over the age of consent. She can date anyone she wants to.” Not true, but Diesel wasn’t going to tell Daphne Charlene that.
“But he’s acheater. As her oldest brother I would think you’d care enough about Valvoline to warn her about this.”
“First of all, don’t call her that. She goes by Valene for a reason.”
She shrugged, but the smug smile on her face told him she knew his sister hated her given name. “Fine, Valene. Don’t you care about her?”
“I think that goes without saying, but why wouldyoustill date him if you truly think he’s a cheater?”
“What?” She looked stricken, like she hadn’t considered this as an argument.
Diesel straightened.I get you now, Daphne Charlene.“You want me to clear the way foryou, is that it?”
Daphne Charlene also drew herself up straight. “What? I do not understand what you are insinuating.”Oh, yes, she did.
He shook his head. “I’m her brother, so it obviously goes without saying that I care about her feelings. But I also trust her judgment about any guy she dates. So if you want Wyatt to stop dating my sister, you’re on your own. I’m not helping you. Maybe you should take your own advice and find someone else.”
“But—”
“But what?” Diesel wanted this conversation over with. “I don’t believe I can be any clearer on this matter.”
The bell to the convenience store chimed, pulling his attention from her momentarily. When Diesel turned back to Daphne Charlene, the determined look had returned to her face. But now it was even more highly motivated.
“Well, if you aren’t going to help, I’ll have to find someone who will.”
“Good luck with that.”
She glared at him. “Mark my words, you’ll be sorry you didn’t help me.”
“Guess I’ll have to learn to live with making my own decisions and not butting into other peoples’ relationships. I think you should do the same.”
She made a disgruntled noise halfway between a growl and a groan and stalked out the convenience store’s sliding doors in an angry huff.
