“Guaranteed.” Mostly because Jeremy didn’t come around uninvited. These days, I ask. Would I ask? “Look, you should know something.” I told her Jeremy’s side of the story from her wedding reception.
Rather than being gracious, or even laughing, she contorted her lips into a frown. “Suddenly you’re sympathizing with the enemy?”
“You were best friends with his older sister Penelope.”
“Maybe, but if I’d known she put her brother up to that, I never would have spoken to her again. Take her name off the baby shower guest list.”
“She lives in India. She’s not coming to your baby shower.”
Angelica’s lips formed a pout. “She might be home for the holidays and show up.” We’d chosen Thanksgiving weekend for the shower, since the most family would be around. “Fine. I will have to have words with her about it, though—just to verify this jerk isn’t lying to you.”
“He’s not lying.”
“You like him.” Angelica leaned forward. We were at the well-cleaned dining room table with scraps of paper and notebooks filled with ideas between us. “What strange universe is this? I’ve heard you were gallivanting about the country club with some handsome guy, but please, please say it’s not Jeremy Hotston!”
“Where would you hear a thing like that?”
“I saw Rufus at a Rhinos game.” Wow. That guy got around. Angelica and Brady had season tickets for the hockey team. “He just came up and warned me that my sister was getting some action.”
My face and neck burned. “Is that what people are saying?”
“I told him to put a cork in it.”
“Thanks.” I could count on Angelica to defend me. A little. If Tennille had been there, she might have punched him in the jaw. “I’m not dating Jeremy Hotston.” Not now, anyway. “But he was here last night.”
“Jeremy Hotston is the cause of the mess in this house?”
“I made him dinner.”
Angelica burst into laughter. “You? You cooked?”
I was getting tired of this conversation. “Look, a lot of things have happened to me lately. I might not be the same person I was a few months ago.”
“I’ll say.” Angelica pushed her chair back from the table. “You’re getting hurt all the time. Is this a ploy to get attention?”
And if it were? “Are you upset with me for wrecking my bike?”
“At least you had a bike.”
Not this again. “I’m not cleared to drive. I have to walk everywhere I go for now.” And it was getting colder. “I’ve got the gymnastics showcase in a couple of hours and need to get things set up for that.” And I needed to shower and dress my road rash wound. I’d been wearing loose dresses since the accident. “Thanks for visiting to give me your good news in person, though.”
Angelica didn’t budge, even when I got up and gave her all the body language that said I was ready for her to go now. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m jealous.”
“Jealous? That’s a good one.” Snort. Angelica had a husband, and a baby coming, as the main ways she’d outdone me in life. Besides that, she had a posh mansion in the suburbs of the city. Brady made good money at his accounting firm, and she didn’t even work unless she decided to do one of those home-sales things now and then. “Jealous? Of what?”
“Never mind.”
“No, come on. You can’t just throw that out there.”
“Constant Energy. It’s like you stole that from me.”
“Stole.” I closed my eyes but lifted my eyebrows while I processed. Finally I opened them. “What are you talking about? I saved up money and bought the building.” I’d spent my childhood trying to be the gymnast for Angelica. Living her life for her. “That’s a really strange take on it.”
She broke into tears. “You could always do everything. I had to sit on the sidelines after my injury and do nothing but watch. While I was the one who wanted to train for the Olympics, you were the one getting the perfect tens. It killed me that you were so good and I just had to stare. You got to do everything that was meant for me to do.”
More like I had to do everything in her place, like I was expected to live her life instead of mine. Jeremy was right about me. And I wasn’t even up for explaining my side to Angelica. What good would it do? None while she was all emotional. Or while I was.