sure I’ll recover if I missed the vote.”
More guilt. “Which one are you voting for?”
“Not sure yet,” she replied and disappeared outside.
“If you don’t know,” Brook Lynn muttered, knowing Edna would never hear, “why do you even care which name is picked?”
The next few hours passed without incident...or a single customer. As Brook Lynn gathered her tools to create a spectacular necklace for the window display case, sure to draw the eye of those passing by, she phoned Kenna to tell her about Jase’s job offer, keeping her phone on speaker to save herself from having to press the device against her implants.
“Are you going to take it?” her friend asked.
“Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know.”
“He’s offering a lot of money.”
“Yes.” She could be debt free in a little over two years. The impossible finally made possible.
“So what’s the problem?” Kenna asked. “Do you think there’s more to the job than he told you?”
“Like washing and ironing the clothes his myriad lovers leave scattered on the floor? Yes.”
Crackling silence over the line before Kenna chuckled softly. “What is that I hear in your tone? Is that jealousy?”
“What? No!” More calmly she repeated, “No. I’ve been battling indigestion today.”
“Indigestion. I see.”
“You see? What do you think you see, Miss Starr?”
Sweet, tinkling laughter echoed. “I see fun times ahead—for me. By the way, I’ve booked an appointment at some place in the city for you and Jessie Kay to try on bridesmaid dresses. And I will, of course, reimburse you for any time off work—” A gasp. A low, needy moan. A giggle. “Dane. Stop.”
Well, well. Her fiancé had arrived. Never far from her side.
A pang of envy as the man whispered, “I’ll stop when you’ve given me everything I want,” and oh, wow, his voice was so low, so hot, even Brook Lynn shivered.
I want a happily-ever-after like theirs. Surely I’ve earned one.
“Brook Lynn,” Kenna said, breathless.
“You’ve got to go. I know. Love you.”
“Love you, too. But oh, oh. Wait a sec. I meant to tell you I would be eternally grateful if you would make me a smoked chicken salad sandwich with fresh-baked bread...like, tonight for dinner, maybe? Because you love me and want me happy. I’ve got a craving.”
“You’ve always got a craving.” When they’d lived together, Kenna had left little sticky notes all over the house, begging for this or that sandwich.
“She meant to ask for two sandwiches.” Dane’s voice shot over the line.
“I meant two sandwiches,” Kenna said. “I can have the ingredients waiting at your house and pick the sandwiches up later...”
“You know I can’t resist your pleas,” she said.
“You’re the best!”
“I know.” Click.
Brook Lynn sighed, wondering if she should rethink her plan to stop by Brad’s auto shop after work and just do it, live a little. Her shoulders drooped. No, he still didn’t rate higher than her conversation with her sister. Or, for that matter, Jase’s job offer. Or her sister’s lack of employment. Or past-due notices. Fingers crossed she and Jessie Kay discussed everything without a single argument.
She still wasn’t sure how her sister would react to finding out her lover—her onetime lover—had asked Brook Lynn for help. As if she’d been rejected by him—again?
Can’t do that to her.
Well, then, decision made. As easy as that.
Tomorrow, she would find another second job. Virgil at Swat Team 8 had just lost Kenna and might be willing to take a chance on Brook Lynn. He wouldn’t pay nearly as much as Jase, but killing bugs might be better for her state of mind than killing the hopes and dreams of his scorned lovers. Plus, the job wouldn’t hurt her sister’s feelings. It also wouldn’t test Brook Lynn’s resolve to avoid the most delicious of temptations.
And he was delicious, wasn’t he? Still wrong for her, and nothing her life needed, but 100 percent melt-in-your-mouth delicious. And kind of emotionless. What was up with that?
Doesn’t matter. Not my problem.
At the end of her shift, she drove straight home, more convinced by the minute that she’d made the right decision. But Jessie Kay’s car wasn’t in the driveway, and she wasn’t inside the house.
Brook Lynn baked the sandwiches for Kenna and Dane, and chatted with the pair for half an hour when they came to collect the food.
She had made sandwiches for Jessie Kay and herself, as well, and wanted to eat them together, but as she waited for her sister to return, one hour bleeding into two, hunger got the better of her and she caved, devouring her own.
She watched two old episodes of The Walking Dead. She paced the living room, watched another episode of The Walking Dead and practiced severely cool head-chopping moves. And...still there was no sign of her sister.
Finally she could stand it no more and texted:
Where R U?
Duuuuude, her sister replied. Lost my phone. Will call U when I find it!
UR srsly telling me U can’t find UR phone? she texted back, wanting to scream You’re using it right now! How drunk R U?
Only had a few, swear! But sis! Sis! My liver was a bad girl 2day & NEEDED 2 B punished.
Attached was a photo of Jessie Kay and her favorite partner in crime, Sunny Day.
Sunny’s parents had probably thought “so cute” when they’d come up with the name. Brook Lynn’s verdict? So not.
The two were in quintessential selfie mode—Jessie Kay was bent over, lips parted in a perfect O, while Sunny held a paddle at her bottom. Sweat dotted both of their brows. From dancing? Probably. Men stood all around them, practically drooling.
Another text came in, the misspellings out of control.
Knw eve prom 2 all bt came we postpo? Plese?? Pleas???????
Translation: know we promised to talk, but can we postpone? Please? Please?
Beads of anger rolled through Brook Lynn. From the moment their father died, she’d done her best to protect her sister from any sort of emotional pain. She’d even upped her already stellar efforts after their mother died. And this was the result?
Brook Lynn had known she needed to change her ways, but this just cinched it. If she wanted different results, she had to do something different. And she would start by refusing to coddle Jessie Kay.
Yay! a part of her cheered. Finally.
She wouldn’t feel guilty about this. She wouldn’t! She’d had enough.
She scrolled to Jase’s number in her address book. After only two rings, he answered, the roughness of his voice greeting her, bypassing the usual hello, how are you and getting right to business. “Nice to hear from you, Brook Lynn.”
Shivers danced through her. This is stupid, dangerous for my peace of mind. But she said, “I’ll take the job,” before she could talk herself out of it. “Most days I can be there shortly after noon, but tomorrow I can’t make it till two. After my shift at Rhinestone Cowgirl I have a personal errand.” Her doctor was good about getting her in whenever