Her youngest sisters were also less likely to be paying attention to this sort of thing. They had their own problems to worry about. And with Brielle elbow deep in suitors, she probably couldn’t care less about what James and Constance were up to.
That left Dianna.
Constance sat on the edge of her bed on Friday afternoon after taking a quick shower. She’d told James she’d meet him at the clinic before dinner. There was only one thing she had to do first. She needed to confront Dianna.
They were all free to make their own mistakes. Dianna should have never butted into Constance’s affairs. If James hadn’t been told to stay away, there was no telling how far their relationship would have been by now.
Constance wove her fingers through the soft curls in her freshly dried hair and rose from her bed. She had about twenty minutes before she had to leave to meet James. She probably should just leave well enough alone. But one thing bothered her. Why would Dianna keep Brielle’s secret but judge Constance for the exact same thing?
She scowled as she grabbed her purse and strode from her room. Dianna was in Brielle’s room, and Constance could see the light on beneath the door. Constance pushed the door open and her younger sister glanced up from a book she was reading on Brielle’s bed. Her expression was blank—completely void of anything that would suggest she had a clue what was about to transpire that night.
Constance folded her arms, the scowl still on her face. “Why did you do it?”
“Why did I do what?”
“Why did you tell James he should stay away from me?”
At first, Dianna’s brows lifted, then she laughed and put her book aside. “What are you talking about?”
“James said that you told him to stay away from me.”
Dianna scooted to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side. “James saidIsaid that?”
“Well, no. Not specifically, but—”
“Then maybe you should askhimbefore you come accusing me of—”
Constance shifted her weight from one foot to the other and scanned the room if only to avoid looking directly at her sister. “I don’t have to ask him. I know it was you.”
Her sister got up from Brielle’s bed and moved across the room, her once smooth features beginning to take on a more irritated expression. “How would you know that?”
“You’re the only one who makes sense. None of the others would care whether or not I had a crush on a guy or if I wanted to act on it.”
Dianna threw up her hands. “Brielle dated guys all the time and I didn’t butt in on her relationships.”
“Exactly.”
The indignation that was written on Dianna’s face was almost worse than the irritation from earlier.
“Why do you think I’m so upset? Why are you so insistent on putting your nose in my business when I’m not doing anything different than Brielle had done?”
“Because Ididn’tsay anything to him.” Dianna sighed and shook her head as she moved back toward her bed. “You know my opinion on breaking this rule. We talked about it recently, in fact. I don’t need to go talking to the guy you like to get my point across. If you want to go do something stupid, that’s on you.”
“But—”
“Who’s doing something stupid?” Brielle materialized in the doorway. How on earth she’d managed to open the door without being noticed, Constance didn’t have a clue.
Constance whirled around and stared at her older sister, then pointed a finger at Dianna. “She told James to stay away from me.”
Brielle shot a confused look in Dianna’s direction who only shrugged. “She doesn’t believe me. I did no such thing.”
“Iknowyou did it. But joke’s on you. He asked me out anyway.” Constance smirked.
“Hewhat?” Brielle’s sharp voice broke the momentary silence in the room, causing both Dianna and Constance to glance in her direction.
“He asked me out, and I said yes.”
Brielle’s face turned red and she glowered at Constance. “You can’t do that.”