“I guess you don’t want to hear about the latest development in the Mystery of the Black Hat Bandit’s Missing Loot then.”
“Aspen already told us,” Ellery says.
“She did?” Lilac scans the faces of the rest of my sisters. “Nobody told me anything.”
“First, sexy Rowan. After Ashlyn spills all her secrets, we’ll talk mystery,” Aspen declares.
“I want food first. The biggest, juiciest burger they have plus onion rings and maybe a shake.”
“It’s a good thing you can walk again. The meal you’re describing is enough to meet your daily caloric intake requirements for two days.”
I stick my tongue out at Lilac. How dare she remind me of calories?
“What? I’m merely stating a fact.”
“Facts are boring.”
She gasps. “Is this sarcasm? Please tell me this is sarcasm because facts are never boring. Facts are the very basis of our existence.”
I stick my hand in her face before she can start to hyperventilate. Although, it’s always fun to watch Lilac have human reactions. But I don’t feel up to a return trip to the hospital when she becomes convinced she’s having a heart attack because Lilac could never have a simple hissy fit.
“I was joking.”
She clutches her chest as her breathing returns to normal. You’re mean Juniper mouths to me, and I shrug. Isn’t everyone a bit mean when it comes to their sisters? It’s sibling law.
The waitress arrives and takes our orders. While she’s scribbling away, I’m desperately trying to come up with a lie to tell my sisters about Rowan. I don’t want them to know the man I’ve been in love with for-freaking-ever said I was a mistake. How embarrassing.
“Fess up,” Aspen says as soon as the waitress is out of earshot.
Juniper rubs her hands together. “I want all the details.”
Ellery feigns gagging again, but when I study her, I’m not convinced she’s feigning anything. Her face is actually a bit green. Is she sick?
“Just tell us already,” Lilac insists. “I want to get to the mystery part my sisters are apparently keeping from me.”
“Fine. We kissed.”
Aspen leans forward. “And? What happened next? Did he throw you over his shoulder and carry you into his bedroom before stripping you naked and having his wicked way with you?”
In my dreams. “Someone’s been reading too many romance novels.”
She gets this wistful expression on her face. “No need for romance novels. I have a real hero named Lyric.” She waves her engagement ring in my face in case I forgot.
I haven’t. It’s hard to forget your sister being proposed to in front of the whole town. It was beyond romantic and I’m not the least bit jealous except for when I’m conscious.
“Well,” Lilac prods when I don’t add onto my story, “did you and Rowan have sexual intercourse?”
“Sexual intercourse? Way to make it sound romantic.”
“It doesn’t always have to be romantic. Sometimes sex is just sex,” Ellery says.
Lilac nods. “I agree. Sex can be useful as a release and not be related to romance whatsoever.”
Of course, my robot sister doesn’t think sex is romantic. She also apparently has several men she can contact whenever she needs a ‘release’. I try not to think too hard about it, because it’s kind of sad.
I scan the table and notice all of my sisters are waiting for my response. I know those faces. They won’t let me out of this place without telling them every last thing that happened.
Fine. I’ll give in and tell them. “We kissed. Afterwards, he told me it was a mistake and left.”