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Tessa was right there, rubbing her hand up and down Caroline’s spine and placing a box of tissues in her reach. She let her cry for a few minutes before she jabbed an elbow in her side.
“Come on,” Tessa said. “We don’t cry over one-night stands.”
“I’m such a loser.”
“No, you’re learning.” Tessa pulled Caroline to a sitting position and grabbed the pillow, tossing it across the room. “Take your shower so we can go out to eat. You need food.”
“I’m not hungry.” Caroline grabbed a tissue and blew her nose.
“Not even for Nico’s stuffed banana pancakes?” Tessa grinned and Caroline cursed her for tempting her with breakfast at their favorite diner.
“That’s playing dirty.”
Tessa gave her a playful shove. “Whatever it takes.”
5
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Her sister was running around her bedroom looking more glamorous in her lingerie than most women would look in a designer gown. She and her billionaire husband had a benefit to go to and Caroline was babysitting her adoptive niece, Molly. Hanging out with Molly was one of her favorite things to do when she came out to Long Island, and the way her love life was going, there was a very good chance she’d never have a baby of her own, so having Molly in her life was a big plus.
And she wasn’t going to die a virgin. Also a check in the ‘plus’ column.
“I tell you every time you ask, I love spending time with Molly. I don’t mind.”
“Okay, I just don’t want to take you away from anything. Can you help me with my dress?”
“Sure.” Caroline took the gown off the hangar and held it so Meg could step into it. Her sister was a bundle of contradictions. On one hand she worried Caroline wasn’t having enough of a social life, on the other hand she worried about her living in the city and tried to tell her what to do. It was all well-meaning, but Caroline just wanted to be left alone. She wanted to stop defending her choices.
Tonight, her choice was to babysit while Meg and Jason went to a hospital benefit. “Your dress is gorgeous. I love how blue looks on you.”
Meg smoothed the dress over her hips. “You think so? I wear it so much I think sometimes it’s the only color that looks right. You look good in everything.”
Pushing her glasses back on her nose, Caroline shook her head. Obviously not good enough.
“Something wrong?” Caroline looked up and saw her sister’s reflection. Meg was so gorgeous, with her wild blonde hair and big, tilted green eyes, that Caroline felt every bit the geek. Especially after what had happened this morning. What a disaster.
“I’m fine. I guess I’m just tired of being on my own, you know?”
“No prospects?” Meg sat on the bed next to her.
“No. I think all the nice guys are taken. It’s possible you married the last one.”
“I don’t know aboutall,” Meg said. “I’m sure there are a couple left. You just need to find someone who can keep up with you.”
Understanding big sisterMeg was in the house tonight. It was nice when she made an appearance instead ofI want to control your lifeMeg orDon’t be an idiotMeg.
“Is the guy at work still bothering you?”
“It comes and goes. But you know, he is single. Maybe I’m just being too picky.” Caroline was starting to wonder if she was the one with the problem. Mark was all the things Melanie said he was... successful, reasonably handsome—but he was fifteen years older and that could be a problem in and of itself. They had no common ground. And, of course, now every man would have to live up to Josh in bed and she imagined that would be no easy feat.
She just couldn’t get past Mark’s creepy factor. In the end, that was the big deterrent.
Her sister patted Caroline’s leg before she stood. “Trust your instincts. I trusted mine about Jason. It all worked out.”
Now her sister had her worried. Understanding was one thing, but she was being downright reasonable.
“Do you have a fever?”
“What?” Her sister looked shocked. “A fever? No!”
