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A movement in the corner of my eye distracted me from our visual standoff. Oh, God! Please don't let it be her dad! It was a legitimate prayer.
"Angie? Everything okay?" Grace walked into the entranceway where we were standing. Her brow furrowed as she glanced between the two of us.
I smiled. She looked fresh and beautiful in a dark pair of jeans and a soft look
ing sweater and bare feet. Like she was at home. Well, technically she was, but more than that, she looked like home. Like somewhere I'd want to spend every day and maybe never leave. "Everything's fine. I was just getting to know another Hart sibling."
Angela cut in. "It's more than fine. Operation Cobra was a success. Actually, it was a complete home run."
What the hell did that mean? More confusing, she was beaming and looking at me with friendly eyes, not the 'let's-fuck-after-dinner' look she'd just been giving me.
Grace's reaction was even more interesting. "No. Tell me you didn't, Ang," she said as she covered her face with her fingers, shaking her head.
“Of course, I did. After what you said—"
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Grace. "Here I was worried about Daddy, and you turned out to be the snake in the grass." She uncovered her face to glare at her sister. "Pun intended."
Angela didn't bat an eye. "I was just looking out for you."
"Well stop! We're not teenagers anymore."
"You're still my little sister."
What were they talking about? Was this whole family nuts? "Um, I'm a little lost here."
Angela lifted the bottle of wine like a salute. "Grace'll fill you in, I'm sure," she said laughing. She looked at the flowers. "I'll take those for you, too." She grabbed them from my hand when I didn't offer them to her, still stymied by whatever the hell was going on here.
"Those are for your mother," I called after her. I wasn't quite sure I trusted her not to keep them for herself.
"Of course, they are." She spun back around. "If they were for Grace, they'd be purple peonies.” She winked. “In case you need that kind of intel." She smiled broadly while Grace mumbled something under her breath. "I'll be out on the deck with the rest of the family. Don't take too long or it will be Daddy in here next. Tootles!" She turned and headed through the living room. About six steps later, she turned back to Grace who was glaring at her. "Home. Run," she mouthed.
Several seconds of silence passed. "Still confused as to what the hel...eck happened here," I commented.
She glanced at me with pink cheeks. "No, Hell's about right. You did just escape its outer layer, after all." She bit her lip and cocked her head slightly. "You don't happen to have any siblings, do you?"
I hesitated, then shook my head. "No."
"Maybe consider yourself lucky."
If she only knew. "Couldn't say for sure."
"Well, my sisters and I are very close. Sometimes a little too close, like just now. I'm afraid you were a victim of a test of sorts that we used to do years ago to vet prospective dates."
I raised my eyebrow. "Do tell, Ms. Hart. This sounds interesting."
Her cheeks grew redder. "Well, if a guy appeared interested in one of us, one of the other sisters would flirt with him to see how loyal he was to the specific girl. We found a few snakes that way. Eventually, our efforts became known as Operation Cobra. And you were just struck."
I snickered. "And here I was worried you were going to say you used to compare the snake in their pants for qualifications."
She rolled her eyes, but a grin peaked around her lips. "Is that all you think about?"
"Not all the time.” I leaned in closer. "But for the record, he's more like a python." I heard her sudden intake of breath and the five seconds it took before she breathed it out. I deliberately didn't pull away, inhaling her vanilla scent while entertaining thoughts that weren't so "vanilla."
"So," I said, needing to distract myself, "did any snakes still sneak through?"
Grace blanched, causing me to wonder what had happened. "A couple, one in particular that managed to fool us all."
"So, I passed?” It was a stupid, childish desire for acceptance, but for some reason it was important to me.
