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Vivian had lived on the opposite coast for years, so he should be used to her being so far away. He wasn’t. In fact, he wished Harry were the one who’d moved to California instead of her.
“When did you do this?” He gestured toward her hair.
People often joked Vivian was an attractive female version of him. He had to agree. They’d both inherited their dad’s dark hair and eyes, although Vivian’s hair contained subtle red highlights that had been passed along by someone on their family tree. And while no one would ever call either of them short, they were both several inches shorter than their father, who was almost six foot six, and Harry. Today though, her dark hair was several shades lighter and much shorter than the last time he’d seen her.
“Back in June. I wanted a change,” she explained. “You hate it.” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement.
When it came to his sister’s fashion or
hairstyle choices, of which she’d made some questionable ones in the past, he went with the old adage “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” “You’re saying that, not me, Viv.”
“You might not be saying it with words, but I can tell what you’re thinking.” She shrugged. “I’m not crazy about it either. The color and style looked much better in the magazine than they do on me. But it’s only hair. It’ll grow back, so I’m not stuck with it forever.”
She studied him for a moment before she spoke again. “You look different. Happier or something.”
The reflection greeting him every morning in the mirror looked the same to him. If it could somehow reflect how he felt on the inside, the man in the mirror would look much different than the one who’d been there a few months ago.
“I ordered some pizzas as soon as I got home. They should be here soon.” She put an arm over his shoulder and started walking toward the kitchen. “And since I love you so much and I know you never get around to making it, I got everything ready so we can have Cranachan for dessert.”
“I appreciate the effort, but you’re wrong. I made it the weekend before last, along with a meal Gigi would approve of.”
Vivian stepped through the French doors and onto the deck. A pitcher of what looked like iced tea was on the table along with two glasses. She reached for the glass already filled. “Sounds like we’ve got a lot of catching up do to.” She took a sip from her drink before continuing. “And just so you know, I’m not letting you leave tonight until you tell me everything. And I really mean everything, Gavin.”
When they’d spoken the previous week, he’d been driving to Connecticut, so their conversation had remained on the short side. Although he’d answered Vivian’s questions about his time in Newport with Leah, he hadn’t provided any additional details. Since they’d been on the phone, it’d been easy to keep the specifics to himself. Now that they were face-to-face, keeping anything from Vivian would be impossible. If they were in the same room, she always knew when he was either withholding information or lying. It was a trait he shared as well. Growing up, Vivian hadn’t been able to keep anything from him either.
“Fourth of July must have been more than okay and fun if you’re cooking her dinner, Gavin.” She filled the other glass with tea and handed it to him. “Yes, those were your exact words when I asked how the weekend went.”
“Who said I cooked dinner for anyone? I do have to eat too. Maybe I made the meal for myself.”
“Sure, it’s possible. It’s also possible Harry will wake up tomorrow and decide to stop sleeping around and become a monk.” She gestured for him to sit before pulling out a chair and sitting down.
“Scientists finding little green men living on Mars is more likely than Harry giving up woman.”
She nodded in agreement. “True. But I still don’t believe you cooked something that would impress Gigi just for yourself. So please start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out this time.”
If she wanted him to start at the beginning, then he’d start at the beginning. “I told you she invited me to the party. But it was more of a friendly demand than an invitation.” He smiled at the memory of her outrage when he’d told her he planned to work on the Fourth. “She threatened to drag me out of my office if I didn’t come willingly. She even insisted we drive down together because she was afraid I’d back out at the last minute.”
“I’m liking her a lot already,” Vivian commented.
As far as he knew, his sister had only met Leah once, and it had been a brief encounter. If their relationship continued the way he hoped, he wanted the two women to get to know each other better. Getting that to happen would be tricky, considering the distance between them, but he’d figure out the logistics of it later.
Gavin went back to giving his sister enough details to satisfy her curiosity without recounting the entire weekend. Or at least he tried. Vivian wasn’t known for remaining quiet during a conversation, and several times she interrupted him to ask a question or make a comment.
“I still can’t believe Tasha Marshall was hitting on you. Didn’t she know you came with Leah?” Vivian asked, coming back outside carrying the pizzas that had just arrived and two plates.
“Beats me,” he admitted. He hadn’t thought about it one way or the other. “You know her?” Before the party, he’d never seen or heard of the woman.
“Mostly from fundraisers. Last time I saw her was about a year ago at the Helping Hands Bachelor auction. She made a complete fool of herself.”
Gavin didn’t wait for his sister. He opened the top pizza box and pulled out a slice. “I knew Mom went. I didn’t know you did too.”
She slid a plate his way before opening the second box. “It was for a good cause and I was in the area. I didn’t bid on anyone, but it was an entertaining night. If they hold another one, I might go again.”
Entertaining for her maybe, but it sounded like torture for the men to him. No matter how good of a cause, he wouldn’t have participated in such an event even if someone threatened him with bodily harm.
Vivian added two slices of pizza to her plate but didn’t start on either of them. Instead she grabbed a napkin and said, “If you want, I’ll tell you all about it sometime.”
His twin traveled a fair amount and enjoyed trying new things, so she usually had a lot of interesting stories to share. Her experience at a bachelor auction wasn’t one he cared to hear about. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
