“No way! You’ll have me sitting around here in a dress all the time. I work mostly from home, and I need to be comfortable.”
“Okay. I get to choose your clothes every time you leave the house. Deal?” Carlie’s hand extended toward hers.
What do I care if she chooses what I wear? All my clothes are the same.
“Just to be clear,” Rylie said, “doing laundry includes folding and putting things away. Including sheets and towels.”
Carlie snatched her hand back. “If you make me fold fitted sheets, I promise you’ll be sorry.”
Rylie laughed. “Fair enough. I’ll fold the fitted sheets.”
Rylie stuck out her hand, and Carlie shook it, sporting a smug smile.
“This is going to be fun,” said Carlie. “I can’t wait to see you in some of my clothes.”
“Oh, no! I never agreed to wear your clothes.” Rylie aimed a scorching scowl at her sister.
“The deal was I could dress you every time you leave the house. I’m sure not going to use anything you own. I mean, why bother?”
Thank goodness I hardly ever go anywhere.
Rylie took another drink of water and wrinkled her nose, glad drinking hadn’t been part of the deal. She sighed, dreading the next conversation. She had to tell Carlie about Jarrett and warn her sister to be careful not to hurt him, again. And she had to do it without revealing her feelings for Jarrett.
No problem… I’ve had nine years of practice hiding my emotions.
“Let’s sit down. I need to tell you something.” Rylie motioned her sister toward the table and turned their chairs to face each other.
Carlie chewed her lip. “Did someone die? Or am I in some kind of trouble?”
“No one died, but you’re kind of in trouble.” Rylie steeled herself. “I met my next-door neighbor this morning.”
“And?” Carlie’s wide eyes betrayed her curiosity.
“It’s Jarrett Alvarez.”
“Crud!” To Carlie’s credit, she had the decency to blush. “What did he say? Does he hate me?”
“He doesn’t hate you. Jarrett’s not that kind of person.”
“But you think he ought to, don’t you?” Carlie’s penetrating blue eyes bored into hers, like looking into a mirror of accusation. “You’ve never forgiven me for breaking up with him when I left for Nashville.”
Rylie pressed her lips together. “I think you could’ve treated him better.”
“Did you ever stop to think I might’ve broken it off for his sake?” Carlie’s eyes glistened. “Jarrett was a great guy. He deserved someone who would put him in first place. I knew I couldn’t offer that because singing had to be my priority. He would’ve been miserable with me.”
It was exactly what Rylie had always thought, but it shocked her to hear Carlie say it. She’d thought her sister was too self-centered to think that way. She reached out to squeeze her sister’s hand, and Carlie’s lips trembled.
“Were you ever in love with him?” Rylie asked.
“I thought I was, but now I don’t know.” Carlie shrugged. “He was great and all, but he moved way too slow. We dated for ten months, and he never even kissed me.”
Rylie’s heart leapt for joy, but she kept her expression neutral. “Maybe you should’ve brushed your teeth more often.”
Carlie laughed and swiped at her teary eyes. “He said he wanted it to be special—our first kiss. I guess he kept waiting for the right moment. And waiting and waiting...”
“And then you left.”
“Right. And when I met Anton, he moved so fast he kind of swept me off my feet. I was head over heels in love with him, and now I can’t even stand to think about him.”
“You were young and naive, and Anton took advantage of you.”
“Thank you for saying that.” A huge tear rolled down Carlie’s cheek. “I kind of felt like I deserved what happened to me.”
“Oh, Carlie! No!” Rylie leaned to wrap her arms around her sister. “I hope I didn’t say anything to make you feel like that.”
Carlie clung to her, tears wetting Rylie’s shoulder. “I never even read my contracts. Anton said he would take care of everything, and I trusted him.”
“He was a scumbag,” Rylie said, not mentioning that she’d expressed a similar sentiment before Carlie married him.
“Thanks for not saying how stupid I was to trust him.” Carlie sat back in her chair and cast her gaze toward the floor. “Everyone always talked about how you got all the brains, and it used to make me so jealous. When I left for Nashville, I was determined to prove everybody wrong by making all my own decisions. All I did was prove them right.”
“That didn’t prove anything but the fact that Anton was a jerk. You’re as smart as I am, but you tend to be impulsive.”
“I know. I wish I could be like you. I wish I were more… uhmm…”
“Boring?” Rylie suggested.
“You’re not boring,” Carlie said.
