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“There’s no sunshine here, so it’s understandable.”
“There’s also no you here.”
“I’m here now. I’m a jet’s ride away. I’m positive if you two were a thing you’d be in Florida routinely. He has work there too, right?”
“Yes.” My shoulders curl a little higher.
“You don’t like the idea of him being in Florida?”
“In my experience, everlasting relationships are anything but.”
“Your high school boyfriend and a premature engagement don’t count.” The reminder of Estevan lands in the center of my chest, pointy end first. “We both know Brandon was my fault. You couldn’t afford the flat alone after I took off on you.”
“You didn’t force me to pack my things and shack up with Brandon Lambert, Lis. That’s on me.”
“And he’s ruined you for other men?”
“No. I’d never give him that much credit. But I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t set up boundaries to make sure I don’t screw up again.”
“What about Archer?” she asks sadly.
“What about him?”
“Have things changed since you’ve been here?”
Great question. “Yes. Sort of, I guess. We went out one night to his club and…uh, danced a lot.” I choose not to share what else we did in his club—what I did to him in his club. Lis wouldn’t judge me, but it feels private. Just for Archer and me. I blink, considering how he and I have secrets. That’s new. I tell Lis everything. “Anyway, I came back here and told him I was going to my bed alone, and he insisted on me coming home with him.”
“Did you?” Her expression is the picture of hope.
“I did. He thought I was trying to avoid him—which of course I was—and then he told me to stop being unforgettable if I expect him to forget me later.”
My sister’s hand goes over her heart. “Talia. Seriously. What on earth do you not like about this guy?”
“I like everything about him,” I mumble to my wineglass. “That’s the problem. I’ve never liked any guy I’ve dated as much as I like Archer.”
She grunts, thoughtful.
“What was that for?”
“I was thinking about howI like everything about the guys I date, which is likely the genesis of my problems.”
I chuckle. “There’s no rule that says you must be half of a couple. Being unmarried isn’t a problem. Papa just makes us feel like it is.”
“Yeah, but…” She tilts her head. “Don’t you want to be half of a couple? Have someone to cook dinner for? To go to events with? To look for in a crowded room and know they’re looking for you? To curl up by a cozy fire with and cuddle in bed and drink coffee with in the morning?”
As she makes her list, I realize Archer and I have done all of those things. I’ve cooked for him. We’ve gone to see his parents. I watched him through a crowded club, and he sought me out after. I’ve curled up in front of a cozy fire and cuddled with him in bed—a bed he didn’t sleep in until I slept in it with him. Not to mention the coffee thing. I’ve brought him countless mugs.
“Your face is sheet-white,” my sister points out. “What’s wrong?”
“I think…” I swallow thickly as the reality of the situation descends. “I am already half of a couple.”
Lis, not caring about my impending aneurism, grins and holds up her glass. “Cheers to choosing well, my sister. Does he have any single brothers?”
Archer
Nate and I are standing in the center of the lobby at the night spa. The construction part is finished, the interior nearly finished. Large fans blow on the freshly painted walls. The furniture arrived, wrapped in plastic to ensure the painters didn’t accidentally add a splatter pattern to said furniture.
“I took down a wall like this with a sledgehammer once to spite Vivian,” my older brother joked when he first stepped inside. It’s a long story—I’ll let him tell it. Now he has his hands in his suit pants pockets and is strolling through the place for the first time. I follow, curious to hear his opinion. He has an eye for detail, and if he sees something amiss, he’ll tell me.
