Warmth spread through Rowan’s chest at the contentment in Naomi’s voice.
After everything Naomi had been through, seeing her sister look this peaceful felt like a gift.
“I’m happy for you,” she said.
“Thanks.” A few seconds passed before Naomi’s expression turned more thoughtful. “What about you?”
Rowan frowned as they continued walking. “What about me?”
“What about your love life?”
Rowan let out a dry laugh. “Love lifewould be generous wording.”
“Are you sure about that? You’ve always turned heads. I thought for sure you’d find someone out there and get married. Maybe to another movie star or something. Didn’t you date John Brady for a while?”
Rowan almost snorted. “I did. But I shouldn’t have.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know how he always plays tough guys on TV?”
Naomi nodded. “He seems pretty dreamy.”
“Well, in real life he’s anything but. For starters, his voice is entirely higher than it is in the movies. And he’s afraid of bugs. There’s really nothing macho about him.”
“That’s hilarious.”
“Yeah, isn’t it?” Rowan shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her leather jacket. “Apparently, I have a knack for picking losers.”
“Not all of them have been losers.”
Rowan already knew where this was headed, and she braced herself for Naomi to continue.
“Wes wasn’t a loser,” her sister finally said.
“No,” Rowan admitted. “He wasn’t. Heisn’t.”
“Then what happened? You never really told me. And you looked so sad every time his name came up that I didn’t want to ask.”
Rowan stared ahead at the road stretching through town. “Our lives were moving in completely different directions. He knew exactly who he was and where he belonged. Meanwhile I was still chasing every shiny thing that caught my attention.”
“That’s not fair.”
Rowan shrugged. “It’s not wrong either.”
Naomi studied her a second. “Do you ever regret going to Hollywood?”
Rowan’s chest tightened. On many occasions, she’d regretted it more than she wanted to admit.
But instead of saying that, she forced a shrug. “It doesn’t really matter now, does it?”
However, the truth was that it did matter. It mattered a lot.
Their mom had always said a person’s choices defined them.
And, as usual, her mom had been absolutely correct.
The pharmacy was two doors down.
