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“Oh, come on, Dianna. It’s not and you know it. Tristan is the kid’s father, and he has nothing to do with hiring you or paying you. He’s there to make sure his kid gets the best care. You’re getting paid by someone else entirely. Think about it. If there was ever an opportunity to make a mistake that just might turn out great, this one is the jackpot.”
Dianna frowned at Brielle, trying to come up with something smart and snappy that would completely break the foundation of her sister’s argument, but she couldn’t think of a single thing. Scrambling foranythingto say, she muttered, “That’s rich coming from the person who refuses to get into a committed relationship.”
Her sister wagged her finger. “Uh-uh. That’s an entirely different issue. I’m single because Ichooseto be. I’m not going to settle down if I can help it. None of the guys here are worth the trouble. You might have found a good one, but that’s because he’s not a local.”
Dianna rolled her eyes. “You know what I think? You’re scared.”
Brielle snorted. “I’m the furthest thing from scared. I don’t need a man to complete my life.”
“Neither do I.”
“Okay, but for whatever reason, you want one.”
“I want what?” Dianna couldn’t help it—she laughed.
“You want a guy. Or maybe notaguy butthatguy.” Brielle nudged Dianna and her features softened. “Just because I don’t want to be tied down doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t want it. I’ve always loved the idea of finding someone who could mean as much to me as Mom did to Dad. I might not act like it, but I am a romantic.” She expelled a sigh and her eyes grew distant for a few moments.
Dianna studied her sister’s contemplative expression. Maybe she made a good point. Tristan was her type. He was a good father, smart, and he came all the way out here just to get his son the kind of treatment he needed.
On the one hand it was easy to be with him. Then there were those moments she thought her heart would explode from their proximity. A smile touched her lips.
“Ha!There. See? Iknewyou liked him.”
Dianna jumped. “I wouldn’t gothatfar. I barely know him.”
Brielle pointed at her. “But based on that little grin you were wearing, I can tell there’s part of you thatwantsto get to know him better. It’s okay, Dianna. For once in your life, don’t stick to all these preconceived notions that you have to follow rules that don’t exist.” She got up from her seat and faced Dianna with her hands on her hips. “You’ve always been a rule-follower. Maybe you need to do something daring and just have some fun. No one would blame you.”
She nibbled on her lower lip, laying back down on the bed. “What happens when his therapy sessions are over and he moves back home? I—”
“You’re not committing to amarriage; you’re saying yes to a date. For heaven’s sake. You might go on a date and realize that you don’t even like each other and the only thing you have in common is the way you care about his kid.”
Brielle made an excellent point. There were no absolutes. Tristan wasn’t asking her to marry him. That was laughable. How had she managed to get into her own head and make such a big deal about this?
She knew why.
This was part of her own spectrum tendencies. She just needed to stop overthinking everything.
Dianna sat up on her elbows, propping herself up to get a better look at her sister. “Fine. I’ll do it under one condition.”
Brielle tossed her head back and laughed. “I don’t care one way or the other if you decide to date him or not. I have nothing riding on this.”
“Really? Because sometimes it feels like you live vicariously through those of us who are dating. You have all this advice, and yet you refuse to do anything about your own loneliness.”
“I amnotlonely,” she said, not very convincingly.
“Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. But something tells me you might want to fall in lovemorethan any of us, and you’re just as stubborn and maybe even more scared than any of us, too.”
Brielle scoffed. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“I wasn’t asking you to.”
“Then what was the condition you were referring to?”
Dianna straightened, folding her legs beneath her and offering her sister a sneaky kind of grin. “Shane’s hosting a Christmas party this weekend. I’ll go with Tristan, but you have to go with Shane.”
Brielle’s eyes narrowed. “He’s not my type.”
“Rich billionaire who has a history of being charitable?” Dianna’s voice dipped into an exaggerated tone. “Right. I’ve seen the way you glance at him whenever you two are in the same place. If I had to guess, I’d say the reason you haven’t asked him out is because you’re worried he’d actually be someone worth risking your heart for.”
