“I didn’t do anything.”
“You’re lying.” She places her water onto the coffee table and sits back, crossing her arms. “Are you in trouble?”
“No,” I assure her.
“Are you sick?” Tricky one. Physically no, but mentally, that’s debatable.
“Nothing is wrong with me, Jen. You’re acting crazy.”
“I’m not acting crazy. I just know you and I know you’re lying to me.”
“I’m not lying to you. I swear, I have nothing to hide.”
And this is the exact moment Duke chooses to start barking. The traitor.
“What was that?” Jen asks, her gaze now locked on my bedroom door.
“That was the neighbor’s dog.”
“It came from your apartment.” She doesn’t hesitate before standing up to investigate.
Are there legal ramifications for physically restraining a pregnant woman?
“I have thin walls. A concert pianist lives two units over and I hear him all the time. He’s still struggling with Brahms’sRhapsody in B Minorbut his Schubert is legit.”
My sister walks past me towards my bedroom. I don’t try to stop her. There’s no getting in the way of a determined Jen once she’s in motion. She opens my bedroom door and steps inside. I close my eyes and wait.
“Kara?” she asks calmly.
“Yes?”
“Why is there a humongous bulldog standing on your bed?”
I get up and join her in my room, accepting the fact that I’m sunk. “Someone left him at my doorstep in a basket this morning. I’ve decided to raise him as my own.”
“Of course you did.” She continues inspecting the room, then peeks just outside to see Ryan’s bag sitting beside the bathroom door. “And were these men’s clothes left in the basket, too?”
Duke is pacing all over my bed, desperate to jump into Jen’s arms if she would only open them to him. He’s panting uncontrollably and staring at her, trying to send the message that if she doesn’t pet him soon, life will no longer be worth living.
“The clothes are mine,” I say.
“Really? You wear men’s clothes now?”
“I lead a double life.”
“Kara!” Jen shrieks. “Just tell me the truth!”
“Fine,” I shout back. “Ryan is staying here. That ishisdog and those arehisclothes. He’s staying here until Cristina’s wedding is over and then he’s leaving and that’s it.”
Silence ensues.
“Wait a minute. Ryan?” she asks. “As in college Ryan?”
“Yes,” I admit.
“How did that happen?”
I look up at the ceiling before meeting her curious gaze. “I ran into him at Cristina’s pre-wedding party. He’s friends with Jason and that’s how this all got started.”
