Slipping my ballerina pumps on to my feet, I’m tempted to change them out for my Uggs. I love my boots and have a habit of wearing them no matter the weather—even in the Alabama heat.
As I hide behind my curtains the ballerina’s are still on my feet while I try to see if anyone is out back. To my delight, Sarah is on the back porch with a couple of her friends. This means, I’ll hopefully, be able to get out of the house without anyone being the wiser. At least that’s the plan.
Turning back to my room, I find Amanda standing in the doorway. I hadn’t even heard her open the door.
“Can I come in?”
I nod my head and sit on my bed waiting for her to join me.
She doesn’t. She hovers near the closed door.
“What’s going on?”
“Can’t I come in and talk to my sister, who I haven’t seen for a few weeks, when I want to?”
Flopping back on to the bed, I pat beside me. Amanda comes and lies next to me.
“What’s going on with you and Donovan?”
Wow. Direct.
“What makes you think there’s something between me and Donovan?” I counter to try and bide my time because I really don’t want to lie out right to her. Despite wanting to, I can’t tell her the truth—at least not yet.
“I’m not blind, Mara. No matter what Sarah thinks, he’s only ever had eyes for you.”
I roll on to my side so I can look into her face. “You’re serious. I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“It’s okay. Perhaps it’s best if you don’t. That way I won’t have to lie to Sarah if she asks me if I know anything. Just be careful, okay? She has this weird notion in her head that it’s her he wants when anyone with twenty-twenty vision can see it’s you.”
“I don’t know why she always seems to have it in for me. She’s so bad tempered.” I flop over on to my back and stare up at the glow in the dark stars on my ceiling. I stuck them up there with Reece about six or seven years ago.
“I don’t think she’s happy. I think deep down she knows he isn’t in to her. She’ll get over it. She doesn’t really have much choice.”
“Let’s talk about something else,” I’m sick of talking about Sarah, “like you.”
She groans.
“I’m boring. You’re much more fun or at least you’re going to be when Reece finds out Donovan has the hot’s for you—and it’s returned.”
I elbow her in the side. “Stop. I want to hear more about the job you’re doing in town.”
“It’s just at the law office. It gets boring but the scenery is nice.”
“Nice? Since when have hot lawyers been ‘nice’?”
I watch her blush when I turn my head to look at her.
“He’s really cute, but shy with women. He’s a damn good lawyer though.”
“Why the long face?”
“He always smiles at me and greets me when he gets there in the morning, you know he has good manners. But whenever we pass in the hall or I have to go into his office to give him some notes that I’ve typed up, he gets nervous and blushes. It was cute but now it’s bugging me. I want him to ask me out. I’m not fussy. Coffee would be a start. But I’m getting nowhere fast.” She sighs.
Smiling to myself at my eldest sister being in a snit over a lawyer, I feel so happy that she’s telling me. This feels good—being needed by one of my sisters.
“If he’s shy—”
“I’m not sure he is. Only with me.”