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"What the hell is your problem?" James stomps outside, not noticing his fiancée and knocking her off the sidewalk in his furious march toward me. Not as much of a coward as I expected. Interesting.
The fiancée hisses and I glance her way to see she's standing in a snowdrift that rises to mid-calf. She's already shivering violently as she hops back onto the sidewalk.
I move toward her, planning to send her back inside, but James spots her before I get there.
His expression shifts, somewhere between concern and surprise. "Cherry? What are you doing here?"
My sister eases out of the bar behind her boyfriend. Wrapped up in her big, fluffy winter coat, she's apparently the only one among us with any sense.
"Surprised to see your fiancée?" I ask.
My sister gasps and James' face goes red. He turns to Alice, hands raised. "She's not my fiancée, baby. We broke up years ago."
Cherry, hell of a name for a snack like her, doesn't back down. She smiles at James, all sweet syrup. "I don't remember you ever officially ending our engagement."
His brows rise in shock. "You can't be serious." He bends his knees a bit to be closer to her height. "When I said I never want to see you again because your family is a fucking train wreck, that was me ending the engagement." He speaks slowly, like he thinks she's stupid. In less than ten minutes, it's clear I know her better than James, because I'm certain Cherry isn't stupid. "We haven't had any contact for two years. You can't honestly think we've been engaged all this time."
Alice looks unsure and so sad it makes my chest ache.
Cherry, feet and lower legs bright red, moves into James' space. Her eyes are wide and she tilts her head like she's confused, but her jaw is tight and her hands are fisted. "We had a misunderstanding, RJ. I've told Mom to stay out of my life, and I promise you'll never have to see her again. I've spent the past two years working to get an education and start my own business to prove to you I can stand on my own without her help."
"Seriously?" I ask. "You still want this guy?"
James looks at me. "Why are you helping her? Are you using her to break up me and Alice?"
I shrug and nod toward my sister, whose eyes are going glassy. "Pretty sure you're doing that all on your own."
James' expression softens when he looks at my sister. "Baby. She and I broke up a long time ago. She's nothing to me." He walks over and tries to wrap his arms around my sister, but she steps out of reach.
"Who are you?" Alice hugs her arms tight around herself. "You told me you've never even had a serious girlfriend before me."
"You don't understand. She's toxic. If you knew—"
"I don't want to hear it." Alice storms past him and down the sidewalk. She stops in front of Cherry. "I don't know what's going on, but James and I have been dating for six weeks. Has he been in touch with you?"
"Baby." James' voice goes whiny. "I'm not a cheater. Cherry's easily confused and she—"
Alice shoots him a glare, and he shuts up.
"We had a bad break-up." Cherry swipes at her eyes, but they look dry to me. "And I want another chance with him. He had no idea I was coming to town and I haven't had any contact with him in the last two years. He's a great guy."
"You're defending him?" I ask.
Bad idea. Alice turns her glare on me. "Why are you even here, Xavier? Why are you involved in this?"
"That's my fault too." Cherry smiles sweetly even through her shivers. "I didn't know he was your brother, and I asked him to flirt you away from RJ."
Alice's mouth twists. "Ugh."
"I know." Cherry straightens her spine like she's not going to back down, but her expression is soft and sad. "I'm sorry to ruin your date night."
I snort and both women glare at me.
"Why are you here?" Alice asks Cherry.
"To win back RJ, of course. Are you done with him?"
Alice chews on her bottom lip, considering. "I'm not sure yet. Are you going to give up if I decide to keep seeing him?"
