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“Did it ever occur to you that I might enjoy some… Trifling?” Piper retorts. I gag.
“Don’t say things like that.”
“I’m twenty-five, I’m not your kid sister anymore!”
“You’ll always be my kid sister,” I tell her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. She groans and bats my hand away.
“That’s exactly the problem!”
“What’s he doing this time?” Zelda asks, greeting us from her perch on the back terrace. Her latest pet du jour, the goat, is frolicking nearby, sniffing around the rose bushes.
“Breathing.” Piper replies, sticking her tongue out at me.
“Real mature,” I smirk.
Zelda adjusts the brim on her floppy black sunhat. “Dash, I ordered you up some breakfast. Why don’t you join me?”
I wince. I know a summons when I hear one.
Piper does too, which is why she blurts out a quick greeting before escaping into the house.
Traitor.
I press a kiss onto Zelda’s cheek and plop an empty chair. “Beautiful morning.”
“Hmm.” Zelda peruses me over the top of her favorite mug. It’s a hideous, oversized orange one that proudly proclaims, “I Heart My Grandma.” I gave her that mug when I was still in elementary school though, and she refuses to part ways with it. “So…”
“So?” I parrot back, as Claude delivers a plate of bacon and eggs, cooked just the way I like. I thank him and dig in, admiring the blue water washing onto the sandy white beach. I love New York, but I’d be lying if I said that I never missed this view.
“Callie seems interesting. She certainly speaks her mind,” Zelda says pleasantly.
“Yes, she does.”
“And busy too, what with her job at the store, and this little business of hers.”
“Makeup is a billion-dollar industry,” I find myself saying. “There’s nothing little about it.”
I learned that lesson myself.
“There’s no denying she’s a very industrious woman.” Zelda pauses a moment. “I’m just wondering if the two of you are well suited, that’s all.”
Judging by the heat between us last night, and the way her body fit right in my hands, I’d say we are.
I clear my throat. Thinking about that at the breakfast table is a no-go. “We suit just fine. She keeps me on my toes,” I add. “Besides, isn’t this what you wanted? Me finally getting serious.”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Callie’s smart, ambitious, funny. Beautiful.” I talk over her. “What’s not to like?”
“I’m sure she has many admirable qualities… For a girlfriend. But as a long-term partner? That’s a different matter.” Zelda brightens. “Take Georgia, for instance.”
“Please, don’t.”
“The two of you made a lovely couple when you dated,” Zelda continues, like she hasn’t heard me. “She’s had a stellar education, does so much charity work—”
“—is a member of your country club, and her parents live just across the bay,” I finish for her, getting irritated now. “I’m sorry, did we travel back in time? Don’t think I didn’t notice the stunt you pulled yesterday, with all those debutantes buzzing around. Next thing, you’ll be interviewing potential candidates, and rating the width of their child-bearing hips.”
Zelda looks hurt. “I’m just looking out for you,” she says. “I want you to make the right choice about your future.”
