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“Great,” I say, infusing cheerfulness into my voice.
“How was Brandon?”
“Grumpy.” I find myself unable to muster the energy to do a song and dance for her. She might as well just hear the truth.
Sofia frowns as she scoops a ball of dough from the bowl. “I can’t imagine him grumpy. Maybe a little stern…but not grumpy.”
“He can’t be grumpy with you,” I say. “He’s dating you.”
“Courting,” Sofia corrects.
Dani giggles. “I still can’t believe it. Pastor Brandon is courting you. I mean, I know he’s like…part of your family, almost. But to me, he’s like a celebrity.”
Sofia smiles to herself, and I strain my face to keep my eyes from rolling. I’m as vain as the next person, so I shouldn’t fault her for loving the attention her situation with Brandon gives her.
But I know where that smile comes from, and it’s not Brandon.
“I know it’s not Christlike to say this…” Dani’s expression grows prim. “But Finn is going to lose his mind when he finds out, if he hasn’t already.”
I let out a breathless laugh, unable to help myself. Dani must have read my mind.
If Sofia noticed my laughter, she doesn’t show it. Her triumphant smile grows. “Brandon and I get coffee right by Finn’s work. He’s probably seen us.”
“Can you imagine?” Dani’s tone is giddy. “He’s probably…”
I force myself to retreat into my head as I march out of the kitchen and into my room. I can’t listen anymore.
Under any other circumstances, I would only be mildly irritated with Sofia for her pettiness.
Now, it’s like a tight fist is clenching around my heart.
She doesn’t even care about my feelings anymore. She doesn’t care that the distance between us hurts so much it’s hard to take a breath sometimes. The Sofia who gave me the honor of running the hand mixer even though I splashed the cookie dough all over the counter never would have let a man come between us, especially when I did nothing wrong other than dislike him. I was her baby sister, and she adored me.
Or so I thought.
* * *
“Mari, before we start our hunt, you have to tell us all about your first day working for Pastor Brandon,” Vanessa says as we walk into the bridal boutique.
Livvy’s eyes spark. “I think she has something juicy to tell us. I see it on her face.”
I repress a smile. “Juicy? About my sister’s boyfriend?”
Livvy rolls her eyes. “We both know that’s not a real thing.”
“Tell that to my family,” I say.
Vanessa shakes her head. “I can’t believe they want him with Sofia when he’s constantly flirting with you.”
I wave a hand. “I’m the one who flirts with him. What you think is flirting on his part is just him getting annoyed with me.” A smile rises to my lips when his stern face flashes in my mind.
“Watch it, young lady.”
What would he think if he knew how much it turned me on when he teased me yesterday?
“I actually do have one juicy thing to tell you,” I say, “and it’s so epically embarrassing, you’ll probably think I’m making it up.”
“What?” Vanessa and Livvy ask in unison.
