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She shakes her head. “I don’t want anything from him. Anyway, I’m determined to pay them back, so I have to pinch pennies.” She gestures to her dress. “I found this thing on the clearance rack.”
My gaze drifts down and back up her body as my cock twitches. “Good find.”
Our eyes lock for a second, then I read the auction card in front of us as though I’m suddenly very interested in an overnight pass at one of the Bay Area’s most prestigious spas.
We make our way down the row, commenting here and there about the donations until the emcee comes on the mic to tell everyone to find their seats for dinner. Since we haven’t even looked at the seating chart yet, Twyla tasks me with searching the room for her brother and Lee and Brady, whom we’re sharing a table with, insisting that my six-four stature gives me the advantage.
She’s not wrong. It only takes me a minute to find them at a table on the edge of the dance floor.
I’m not a heathen, so when we reach the table, I pull out Twyla’s chair for her and she gives me a bright smile before sitting next to her brother. I end up with Brady on my other side. Brady who keeps acting as if he sees something between Twyla and me.
Dinner barely arrives before the girls are making suggestions to Twyla about what she should do now in her life.
“You need to get back out there. Sow some oats,” Bryce says.
“Yeah, just be young and have some fun for a while,” Shayna echoes.
My knuckles go white from fisting my silverware, but I don’t look up from my plate, worried someone will see my reaction.
“What Twyla needs is to get over that loser she was engaged to and be single for a while,” Miles says. “The right guy will come along. There’s no rush.”
“What doyouwant, Twyla?” Bryce asks. She’s obviously not a fan of Miles’s overbearing nature with his little sister.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready for either probably. I’ve never…”—she glances beside her at her brother—“been with a guy without being in a relationship, so I’m not sure I could do it and not develop feelings.”
Shayna laughs. “Yeah, I wasn’t good at it either.” She gives Lee a knowing look.
“Thank fuck,” he says and leans over to kiss her.
“Same here,” Violet says and joins in Shayna’s laughter.
“Perfect. Then it’s decided. Twyla will stay single for a while,” Miles says with a smug look.
Bryce’s eyes narrow.
Here we go. Sit back and enjoy the show.
“Who are you to tell her what she can and can’t do?” Bryce says to Miles.
He sets his cutlery on either side of his plate as though he’s getting ready to fight. “She’s my little sister. I want what’s best for her.”
“We all do,” Shayna says as though she took offense.
“But I’ve known her my whole life. Better than any of you, so I know what’s best for her.”
“Maybe you’re too close to the situation,” Bryce says. “You know, forest for the trees and all that.”
“They do say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else,” Heather pipes up.
Miles casts an annoyed glance to his right. “Yeah, but—”
“Why don’t you guys stop talking like Twyla’s not sitting right here and just let her live her damn life however she wants to?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can think better of them.
Everyone at the table is silent for a beat, but I keep cutting my steak, bringing a forkful to my mouth. I feel Twyla’s stare on the side of my face, but I don’t look at her, afraid to see if she’s angry at me for butting in.
The subject quickly changes to our game against Seattle this weekend, and when I finally do have the courage to glance at Twyla, she’s not glaring at me like I thought she might. No, she’s looking at me in a way that makes it difficult to remember that she’s my teammate’s little sister and one-hundred-percent off-limits.
Nine
