I couldn’t wait for Gran to wake up to find I’d moved her beloved computer.
“I wasn’t sure where to put you,” I said, looking at my sister as we entered the house and headed upstairs to the west wing after pointing out the east side to the security crew. “They’re over there, and I set up the two rooms across the hall from each other up here for you.” Those rooms had been ours when we’d come to visit as kids. “I wasn’t sure if you and, er … Ryan, would be sharing a room.”
There was a question in my voice, and I wished I could reel back time and sound a bit more confident, but there was an unfamiliar feeling ricocheting around inside me.
I was having a hard time believing that my sister was dating Ryan McDonnell. And that she hadn’t mentioned who exactly she’d be bringing, just that she had a new boyfriend who’d be joining her. If I hadn’t seen the Internet video, I’d have been far less prepared than I was now for meeting Ryan. At least, with a bit of notice, I’d been almost verbal. If I’d had no idea and he’d just popped out of the car like that, I probably would’ve fainted.
“We’ll take them both and play it by ear,” she said, smiling at Ryan with her eyes aglow, shimmering like they shared ten thousand secrets together.
My stomach churned with what I was horrified to admit was jealousy.
Ryan reached out and traced a gentle finger down her cheek, returning the look.
“Um. So.” I wasn’t sure if I was intruding by speaking when he was looking at her like that. I cleared my throat. “Are you hungry? I mean…it’s late, but you’ve been traveling.”
“I’m okay,” Juliet said. “Tired mostly. Ryan?”
He shrugged and smiled at me, “I can always eat. But if it’s any trouble, I can wait until breakfast.”
“No trouble,” I said, something multi-legged spinning around inside me, making it hard to stand still as it jigged and jumped.
“Do you mind helping him find something?” Juliet asked. “I might just go to bed.”
“Yes, well, sure…” I was still not coherent. This wasn’t good.
“Okay, great,” Juliet said, giving Ryan a quick kiss on the cheek and heading into one of the rooms I’d set up for them.
“I might just grab a quick rinse to wash off the flight,” Ryan said. “I’ll be five minutes,” he said, grinning and then disappearing into the bedroom behind me. The one Juliet hadn’t gone into, which seemed a little odd, but I was too busy trying to recover my ability to speak to worry much about it.
I tried hard not to think about the fact that he was very likely taking his clothes off in there, stepping into the tiny bathroom for a shower. Ryan McDonnell. Naked. In my house.
Juliet stepped back out of her room, frowning. “I just realized I didn’t really even get to say hi,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “I hope this is all okay, having Ryan and me.”
My sister held me tightly and I closed my eyes, inhaling the scent that I remembered, her nearness erasing all the distance created by the fact that she lived all the way across the country and was more famous than the president. She was still my big sister, and I’d missed her. For a long time, we’d been partners and best friends. And it was good to have her back.
“It’s fine,” I said. “It’s good. Gran will be thrilled to see you.”
“I wish it wasn’t so late. I want to say hi, introduce Ryan.”
“Tomorrow,” I said. “Although she’s going to be pretty pissed off because I moved the game rig to the back of the house.”
Juliet’s mouth formed a little “o.” “She’s still obsessed with that game?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Pretty much.”
“I thought you were going to wean her off of it.” Her eyes narrowed at me.
“She’s so mean when I don’t let her play.” I heard the whining tone in my voice and tried to squash it. “I figure there’s not much harm. She’s ninety years old—who am I to tell her what she can and can’t do?”
“It can’t be good for her,” Juliet said.
“She doesn’t smoke as much pot when she’s playing,” I pointed out. “So I think it’s actually good for her health.”
Juliet shook her head, one blond tendril escaping her messy bun and falling down around her cheek.
“So this thing with Ryan,” I said, walking around one side of her bed to smooth a fold in the duvet I hadn’t noticed before. “Is it pretty … uh … serious?” I hated the way my stomach clenched as I waited for her answer.
She pressed her lips together and glanced to one side before she answered, and then gave a quick shake of her head. “I don’t know.” She threw out a false little laugh.
Something was up. That was the Juliet trifecta. She might be the country’s most popular actress, but I could see through her. The side-glance and the lip press were hallmarks of a Juliet Manchester untruth.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I took a step closer.
“There’s nothing to tell, Tess. Zac was a shit, and now I’m seeing Ryan.” She turned. “I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Good night,” I said, my mind still trying to work out what she wasn’t saying. She didn’t seem as excited as I would be to be dating the hottest man on Earth. I left
