It was as if Joan had reached into my brain and pulled out the knowledge. “And staying would definitely make your dating life easier.” She gave me a knowing little smirk. “Now that you’ve found a good guy and all.”
“I—I don’t know what you mean,” I managed to stammer out as shock and panic flooded my system. I was one more epiphany away from a hard reset.
My sister rolled her eyes, but she was amused. “Any idiot could see the way Mercer looks at you. Come on now.”
Her words made me feel warm, filled me up.
It seemed to go okay the first time, so I gave her another truth. “I love him. A lot. I’minlove with him.”
“Good,” Joan replied, nudging me with her elbow. “I’d hate to have to kill you for breaking his fragile heart and running off our second-best employee.”
I snorted. “And the best employee is?”
“Me, obviously,” Joan said with zero humility. “Did you think it was Brady?”
I laughed hard at that and she joined in.
This was maybe the longest and best conversation I’d ever had with my big sister. “I was hoping it would be me.”
The sharp edges of Joan’s wicked humor softened, and the smile she gave me was warm and welcome on this cold night. “The ranking system is just for permanent employees. I guess you’ll just have to stay if you want to be a contender.”
Then she bumped me with her elbow again. “You think it’s been twenty minutes yet. It’s like the North Pole out here.”
I cut her a glance, but she was already watching me. “Too soon, Joanie.”
Then we both burst out laughing.
I felt lighter than I had in years.
seventeen
MARK
I was waiting for her when she knocked.
I’d gotten home from the parade more than an hour ago, tense and worried over the conversation I knew needed to happen between Candace and her sister. I just hoped whatever was said didn’t do more harm to their relationship than good.
Opening the door, I was surprised to find Candace just how I’d left her.
“I’m realizing now that I probably should have showered or at least gotten all the popcorn out of my hair before coming over.”
My laughter was soft as I reached for her hand and led her inside. “How about a bath? I’ll wash your hair and you can tell me what happened.”
Candace’s hazel eyes brightened. She nodded and then followed me to the bathroom I never used.
I’d remodeled the primary bedroom and attached the en suite right after Hannah and I had moved in. It was wide and spacious with a white claw-foot tub and subway-tiled walk-in shower. The room was painted a soft robin’s-egg blue and the fixtures were all antique bronze. But there was no toothbrush resting on the counter or towel next to the sink.
Candace took in the space with wide eyes. I turned on the water to warm, andafter adjusting the knobs of the faucet, I straightened and said, “I’ll go grab a couple of towels and some soap.”
When I returned with my supplies, Candace was already undressed and sitting in the bathtub with her knees to her chest. She’d wrapped her arms around the tops of her long legs and her dark hair streamed down her smooth back. She looked relaxed and beautiful. I thought I’d been pretty stupid not to use this bathroom until now.
There was a stool next to the still-filling bathtub. It was mostly decorative, a place to set a watch or a pair of earrings, but it suited my needs. I shifted it beside the white porcelain and sat.
Candace pivoted, placing her hand on the edge of the tub and resting her chin atop it.
I smiled down at her and reached for the pieces of popcorn trapped in her long strands.
“Thank you,” she said. “This is really nice.”
