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25
Six or seven hours later, Jane grabbed a cab from the Providence airport and headed for home. Between the flying, Molly, Austin, work, and a few other things, Jane was more tired than she could remember. When she finally walked in her front door, she left her carry-on by the coat rack and headed for her bedroom.
She collapsed on her bed, barely saying hello to her sister. She was mentally and physically exhausted and having just walked through the door, all she wanted to do was stay in bed for the foreseeable future.
“Janie?” Ali said, following her into the bedroom, knowing her sister could hear her even though her eyes were closed. “Are you OK? How did everything go in L.A.?”
Jane rolled over and stared at her sister, “I feel like I could sleep for days,” she responded.
“You have a funny look on your face, and I don’t think it has anything to do with being tired. If I were a betting woman, I would say it’s something to do with Austin Drew,” Ali added, looking at her sister who, after that comment, was refusing to make eye contact. “You’re not even looking at me! Come on, spill the beans.”
Jane locked eyes with her sister and felt herself start blushing, “What do you want me to say, Ali?”
“Just talk to me,” Ali said, as she maneuvered herself onto Jane's bed getting ready to hear about her trip, “Spill the beans.”
Jane shook her head again, feeling a bit overwhelmed. It’s true, she did feel something for him, but she also knew that it was a moot case. Molly McKee had her sights set on Austin, and it seemed that he felt the same way.
“Are you going to talk to me?” Ali went on, looking at her sister with worry and confusion, wondering why she still wasn’t opening up. “Did something happen with Austin?”
“No, nothing happened,” Jane replied quickly.
“Oh, God,” Ali added just as quickly back, “you really like him. Don’t you?”
“It’s nothing, Ali,” Jane answered in an exasperated tone, “I’m fine, and I will get over whatever it is that I’m feeling. It’s not that big a deal,” she remarked, trying to talk herself out of whatever was going on in her head and heart.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s not a big deal’. Of course, it is,” Ali responded. “Something must have happened. What am I missing here?”
“You’re not missing a thing,” Jane went on, looking distressed, and unlike herself. “I admit, I made a mistake letting my guard down a little, but that’s not going to happen with him again.”
“Was he rude to you at all?” Ali asked, feeling herself start to get defensive toward her sister.
“No,” Jane responded, shaking her head. “Let’s just put it this way, he’s into Molly. It was clear the second they connected in L.A.”
Ali took a deep breath and looked over at her sister. She didn’t want to see Jane hurt by Austin again. Once in a lifetime was enough. “Jane, don’t mistake this present-day Austin Drew with the guy you had a crush on in high school. He’s the same guy. He may be pretty to look at, but he’s completely different from you and me. He grew up differently. His work ethic is different. His responsibilities are different. His lot in life is just different. He’s a Drew.”
Jane rolled over and sat up in bed to look at her sister. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked. “Are people not allowed to change?”
“Janie, come on, he’s a Drew. And he’s Austin Drew. Don’t make me spell it out for you,” Ali stated.
“Spell what out?” Jane asked her sister, defensively, knowing that there was more to Austin than she had ever imagined. When he told her about the birthday parties in Florida that he helped out with, she had been floored by the revelation.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Ali stated. “You’re just different people.”
“What are you saying? That I’m not his type?” Jane asked, looking at her sister with a bit of defiance.
“I’m saying you’re too good for a guy like him, Janie,” Ali replied. “Come on, two weeks ago he was on a six-week hiatus in Palm Beach. Then he got assigned a job at The Oxford to make his family happy. He obviously puts on an act, and I don’t want you to be fooled. Remember what he was like in high school; he only looked at the girls who showed up at his football games with his name on their shirts,” she said, “completely dismissing girls like you. Enough is enough. And don’t forget that for the past couple of weeks you’ve been killing yourself over this damn celebrity wedding, and I bet he’s done nothing but look good and schmooze everyone in sight.”
Jane looked at her sister, wanting to tell her what she knew about Austin in Florida, but she had a feeling that a simple example wouldn’t put a dent in Ali’s thoughts about him . She also knew that on some level Ali was right, but she was still unable to ignore her feelings for him, “He just seemed different while we were away, that’s all,” she said.
“I just have trouble believing this leopard has changed his spots,” Ali said, curious to know what had caused this major switch in her sister.
“On the plane,” Jane added, finding herself trying to defend her feelings, “he was everything I had hoped he would be … kind, nice, funny, and sweet. He took care of me, making sure I wasn’t nervous or scared during the flight. I’d never seen him like that. I don’t know if many people do.”
“But why are you home in bed looking upset?” Ali asked reasonably, feeling badly for her sister.
“Because I know Molly has her eyes set on him,” Jane answered.“And after seeing the two of them together in L.A., I feel like he has his eyes on her, too.”
“So that’s why he went,” Ali nodded, understanding a bit more about this story. “He went for her, just to be with her. Did they spend the night together?”
