“Sorry. I didn’t mean to butt in.” Lauren’s lighthearted inflection seemed a bit forced. “Just because we’re sharing a roof doesn’t mean—”
“Wait. You aren’t butting in. To be honest, I’m kind of ... embarrassed.” Devyn pulled out of the lot and accelerated. “To cut to the chase, I agreed to do a favor for someone, and now I’m having second thoughts.”
“Why don’t you just tell them you changed your mind?”
“If I back out, I’ll have to explain why.”
“Is that a problem?”
Devyn could feel Lauren’s gaze on her as she flipped on her blinker and switched lanes. “It would be awkward.”
A few seconds of silence followed her admission, as if Lauren was formulating a careful response.
When her sister spoke, her tone was cautious. “If the favor’s for someone in town, I may be able to give you a few insights about how to approach them. I know most of the players here.”
That was true.
Yet once she mentioned Aaron’s name, there was no going back.
However ... Lauren had bared her soul about Dennis, and this situation was small potatoes compared to admitting you’d stuck with a loser who’d controlled your life and cheated on you.
And sisters who were close—or wanted to be close—shared the good along with the bad.
May as well go for it.
“It’s Aaron Steele.” She hung a left and pulled onto 101, tightening her grip on the wheel. “I offered to give him a swing dance lesson, and he’s taking me up on it after rehearsal Sunday. Isabel passed on the news last night.” She filled Lauren in on the wedding dance bind he was in.
More silence.
Devyn peeked at her passenger.
Her sister’s puzzled expression suggested she had no clue why this was a problem.
“Sorry.” Lauren confirmed that impression a moment later. “I can’t figure out why you’d want to retract your offer, but if you do, Aaron’s a nice guy. He won’t hold it against you.”
Devyn tightened her grip on the wheel. This was where it got sticky. “The thing is, I don’t really want to back out. But I think I should.”
“Why?”
She braced. “Because I like him. Too much.”
More silence.
She glanced over to find her sister squinting at her. “You mean you’re attracted to him?”
“Yes. Which isn’t good. I mean, he lives more than three thousand miles from whereIlive. Being up-close-and-personal with him could be dangerous. What if I end up liking him more?” Devyn huffed out a breath. “That’s not a complication I need.”
“Do you think the interest is mutual?”
Oh yeah.
Aaron may not have said anything, but his eyes spoke volumes. The sizzle definitely wasn’t one-sided.
“Yes, but there’s no potential.” Devyn passed a slow-moving RV adorned with a “Chillin’” bumper sticker. If only. “So the safest way to keep my heart intact is to keep my distance. Which means I should cancel our lesson. Except I can’t tell himwhyI want to bail.”
A few beats ticked by.
“Didn’t you say Isabel and Ben would be there too?”
