James got to his feet. “Thanks for the brainstorming, but somehow I don’t think setting Brielle up with someone new is going to do the trick. She threatened me when she was currently in the throes of a relationship with someone else. No, this goes deeper than either one of us realizes.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but she’s not going to scare me off. I’m falling harder for Constance every day. I’m not going to walk away from what I have with her just because her sister doesn’t want me dating her.”
A wicked smile crossed Shane’s face. “Good luck. I’ve seen Brielle around. That woman might seem sweet on the surface, but I’d wager she’s got some claws on her.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I dated her, remember?”
18
Constance
She shouldn’t be nervous about tonight. It was a second date, not the first one. They had already decided that they liked each other enough to move forward. Constance frowned at her reflection in the mirror, a sense of déjà vu overcoming her. Last week she tried to talk herself off a ledge while battling with her feelings about Dianna betraying her.
But it wasn’t Dianna she had to be worried about anymore.
How had Brielle done it all these years? Two weeks of keeping this secret and already she wanted to go running to her father and just tell him what was going on. While she told herself that she was keeping her relationship a secret because she didn’t want to hurt him, there was more to it than that.
A part of her wanted to keep it a secret for fear that if it came out, she would lose the excitement of this little forbidden romance. Another part of her worried that it would become too real, too fast.
What if her father’s rules were there for reasons more than just to keep tabs on her sisters? Maybe she wasn’t ready for this stage of her life.
A darkness that clouded her thoughts threatened to continue filling her head and she shoved them aside. She was overthinking this. She shouldn’t care if Brielle didn’t approve. The only people who mattered were the two people in this relationship.
Constance opened her door and a yelp tore from her throat. Her hand flew to her chest, covering her pounding heart as if the action alone would slow it down.
Brielle blocked the doorway, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed. “Where areyougoing?”
“Leave me alone, Bri.” Constance scowled as she attempted to brush past her sister. “It’s none of your business where I’m going.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Adeline isn’t the oldest in the house anymore, I am. So I have to keep track of you.”
Constance let out a laugh that almost sounded like she should be committed. “Do you even hear the words that come out of your mouth these days? I don’t know what happened to you to make you act like this, but it’s not a pretty color on you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date to go on.” Once again, she moved to push through the doorway but Brielle’s hand shot out, slamming against the doorjamb and blocking her escape.
Brielle’s features softened and she pressed her lips together. The change was sudden and far more unexpected than everything Brielle had been doing previously.
Hesitation flooded Constance’s insides. Her instincts sent up a red flag, warning her that if she didn’t at least ask Brielle what the matter was, she’d regret it.
Then again, she might regret asking anyway.
Constance let out a sigh and folded her arms. “What?”
Brielle didn’t move right away. She didn’t speak or show any indication she was willing to share what was upsetting her. Then she blew out a breath through pursed lips. “Why do you want to do this?”
“Why do I want to do what? Go on a date with James? To finally get the guy I’ve been drooling over since I was in high school? Gee. I don’t know, Bri. I guess it’s because deep down I know that this is what will make me happy.”
Brielle flinched at Constance’s sharp tone. “Guys don’t bring happiness, you know that, right?”
Constance huffed. “Once again, you’re saying the one thing that goes against everything you’ve demonstrated in the past. Why did you date all those guys? Because it sure seemed like it was making you happy.”
Her sister shook her head. “You don’t know anything. My reasons for dating guys are my own. You can date a million of them, but if you don’t find the right one, then it doesn’t matter.”
“Well, maybe James is the right one for me. Have you considered that?”
Brielle’s face briefly took on a pained expression. “How much do you even know about the guy? You’ve never dated before. What makes you think that you can trust him? Guys will say anything—do anything—to get whattheywant.”
“Yeah? Well, what would you call what you do to guys?”