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"I’m serious, Drew. Why hasn’t he acted interested—"
"Once again, I think you need to talk to him about it. Not me." Please, God. Never Drew.
"I can’t ask yet," she answered, pitching her voice low. "And you know why."
He sighed. "Look—"
But the door to the garage was opening and a blissfully unaware Jeff stepped into the kitchen to join them.
"I gotta go," Drew muttered, glancing once toward Jeff, and then turning and walking from the house. He didn’t stop to say bye to his nieces and nephew as he usually did, but trotted straight to his truck, not pausing until he sat behind the wheel with the engine running. Then he glanced up at his sister’s place. It was as nice and peaceful looking as any house. The perfect family home. Staring at it, Drew remembered another house, very similar to it, almost a replica of this one. From the outside, it had looked flawless and pristine. But inside, a mother paced, itching to leave her husband and two kids. Itching to leave Drew.
She’d waited until his first day of second grade before she’d skipped out on them and never returned. And the only person he’d had to rely on after that was Mandy, Mandy who’d been forced to raise him not as a big sister but more like a single parent. He wouldn’t be anything today if it wasn’t for her and her steady presence.
Guilt weighing on him, he geared his truck into reverse and backed out of her drive. His sister never asked him for help. And yet, here she was, needing one simple favor and he was failing her.
No, he didn’t think Jeff was cheating, or at least that he’d taken up the habit recently, but that didn’t mean he should brush the subject aside like he was.
Amanda needed answers, so he’d get them.
Five minutes later, he parked at the curb in front of 410 South Elm. He blew out a breath as he cut the engine. Yeah, he could do this. For Mandy, he could do this.
If he wanted to be perfectly honest, he wanted to do it for himself more. He needed to know what Mia’s relationship with his brother-in-law entailed just as much as he needed to explore the intense chemistry that flowed between them.
Knocking on the front door of the light green bungalow, Drew wiped his suddenly damp palms on his jeans, wondering what in the world he was going to say to her.
An apology would be a good start. He and Amanda had scared her to death the day before.
When he heard footsteps inside, he braced for the punch of longing he’d experienced the other two times he’d seen Mia. Ready to start talking as soon as he saw her and apologizing profusely so she wouldn’t slam the door in his face, Drew sucked in a breath.
But as the door opened, Mia’s face didn’t greet him. All the bunched tension inside him deflated.
Who was this?
With long hair, tinted about fifty different shades of blond and brown and red, the lithe figure that greeted him had him pulling back and frowning.
"Uh … " Stepping backward another foot, he read the address. When he saw the numbers 410, he turned reluctantly back to the woman. "Is … Mia here?"
The woman froze. Her gaze slid down his body and then a moment later, she sent him a blinding smile. "Oh," she breath
ed. "You must be Drew."
"I …" Huh? "Yeah. How did you—"
"Come in, come in," she told him, taking his arm and practically yanking him into the front parlor. He stumbled across the threshold and into a tidy living room, decorated in tones of blue.
"Mi Mi!" The woman called, turning away from him to cup her hands around her mouth. "You have a visitor." She instantly whirled back and flashed him a wide smile. "She’ll be right here," she murmured and couldn’t seem to stop staring or smiling with a freaky, knowing glint in her eyes.
He cleared his throat and had to glance away, way too uncomfortable under such extreme inspection. But the woman wouldn’t stop gawking.
He treated her to a tense smile. "So, ah … Not to be rude or anything. But, uh, how do you know my name?"
"Whoops." She threw back her head and barked out a quick laugh even as she reached out to touch his shoulder. "Sorry about that. I’m Piper Holliday. Mia’s roommate."
He drew back in surprise. "Oh." Oh.
Oh, no.
"She’s mentioned you," Piper added and gave him a huge, stunning grin.
