shake off her melancholy mood as she hauled her butt out of her Volvo. The day was supposed to be fun, not a day to dwell on the past. “I hope you came to help me carry some of this stuff in?” She slammed the door and walked back to the trunk. “My son took off before I could ask him to help.”
“Give him a break. It’s his big day,” Jackie said, smiling. She looked great in white denim shorts, a pale peach tank top, and white flip-flops. They shared the same fair hair and skin, but Jackie’s new interest in gardening had given her a healthy glow. Rennie really needed to get out from behind her desk more often.
“I guess you’re right.” Rennie handed her sister two shopping bags containing party favors and supplies. “Besides, I’m really getting tired of arguing with him. It’s exhausting.”
“You sure you’re not losing sleep for some other reason?” Jackie leaned her hip against the polished black car.
“Don’t start with that today.” She’d wasted enough time thinking about Zach and arguing with her son about him. She didn’t need her sister to add to it.
“You said you’d call and let me know what happened with the lunch,” Jackie said, pouting.
“Sorry, I got busy at work.” That much was true. Between coordinating three projects and helping out with Sheldon’s fundraiser, she was stretched pretty thin.
“Too busy to call your own sister? Come on, I’m dying to know what happened with Zach. You can’t just leave me hanging.”
“Sssh,” Rennie hissed, looking around to make sure their mother wasn’t hovering nearby. “Lunch was fine. No drama.” Spending time with him had actually been nice, much nicer than she would ever admit, even to her sister.
“Was it weird?” Jackie asked, wrinkling her nose. “You know, going out with him again after all these years?”
“We did not go out .” Rennie pushed the button to close the trunk once she’d extracted the last three bags. “We had a busy lunch. It was very productive.”
“Just how productive was it, sis?” Jackie asked, grinning.
Rennie rolled her eyes behind her dark sunglasses. Her kid sister always said what she thought, no matter the consequences. Rennie had always envied that about her. “We did what we set out to do.” She led the way up the stone path. “Don’t say anything to Mama and Daddy. I’m not ready for them to know I’m seeing Zach again.”
“Ah hah!” Jackie’s bright blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “You said it yourself. You two are seeing each other.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Rennie smiled at her sister’s single-mindedness. She was like a pitbull when she went after something she wanted. “Zach and I are not getting back together, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Jackie said, looking dejected.
Rennie had almost forgotten how difficult it had been for Jackie to accept that the man she viewed as the epitome of male perfection had deceived her sister. “I know you’re a sucker for a happy ending, but it’s not going to happen.”
“What do you think will happen?” Jackie asked.
“I don’t know.” Rennie saw no point in worrying her sister with worst-case scenarios.
“Does he know about Nathan yet?” Jackie’s big blue eyes filled with the same sympathetic look she always got when talking about Rennie’s husband.
“No.” She knew she should tell Zach the truth, but his not knowing she was a widow provided a buffer she desperately needed.
“Wait ‘til he finds out.” Jackie nudged her hip as they walked up the stone path to the backyard. “Then it’s really gonna be game on.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rennie said, trying to ignore the flutter in her belly when she thought about going out on a real date with Zach again. It could never happen, but thinking about it was kind of nice. They’d had a lot of great years together, and time had softened her anger over the way things had
“Give him a break. It’s his big day,” Jackie said, smiling. She looked great in white denim shorts, a pale peach tank top, and white flip-flops. They shared the same fair hair and skin, but Jackie’s new interest in gardening had given her a healthy glow. Rennie really needed to get out from behind her desk more often.
“I guess you’re right.” Rennie handed her sister two shopping bags containing party favors and supplies. “Besides, I’m really getting tired of arguing with him. It’s exhausting.”
“You sure you’re not losing sleep for some other reason?” Jackie leaned her hip against the polished black car.
“Don’t start with that today.” She’d wasted enough time thinking about Zach and arguing with her son about him. She didn’t need her sister to add to it.
“You said you’d call and let me know what happened with the lunch,” Jackie said, pouting.
“Sorry, I got busy at work.” That much was true. Between coordinating three projects and helping out with Sheldon’s fundraiser, she was stretched pretty thin.
“Too busy to call your own sister? Come on, I’m dying to know what happened with Zach. You can’t just leave me hanging.”
“Sssh,” Rennie hissed, looking around to make sure their mother wasn’t hovering nearby. “Lunch was fine. No drama.” Spending time with him had actually been nice, much nicer than she would ever admit, even to her sister.
“Was it weird?” Jackie asked, wrinkling her nose. “You know, going out with him again after all these years?”
“We did not go out .” Rennie pushed the button to close the trunk once she’d extracted the last three bags. “We had a busy lunch. It was very productive.”
“Just how productive was it, sis?” Jackie asked, grinning.
Rennie rolled her eyes behind her dark sunglasses. Her kid sister always said what she thought, no matter the consequences. Rennie had always envied that about her. “We did what we set out to do.” She led the way up the stone path. “Don’t say anything to Mama and Daddy. I’m not ready for them to know I’m seeing Zach again.”
“Ah hah!” Jackie’s bright blue eyes twinkled with amusement. “You said it yourself. You two are seeing each other.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Rennie smiled at her sister’s single-mindedness. She was like a pitbull when she went after something she wanted. “Zach and I are not getting back together, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” Jackie said, looking dejected.
Rennie had almost forgotten how difficult it had been for Jackie to accept that the man she viewed as the epitome of male perfection had deceived her sister. “I know you’re a sucker for a happy ending, but it’s not going to happen.”
“What do you think will happen?” Jackie asked.
“I don’t know.” Rennie saw no point in worrying her sister with worst-case scenarios.
“Does he know about Nathan yet?” Jackie’s big blue eyes filled with the same sympathetic look she always got when talking about Rennie’s husband.
“No.” She knew she should tell Zach the truth, but his not knowing she was a widow provided a buffer she desperately needed.
“Wait ‘til he finds out.” Jackie nudged her hip as they walked up the stone path to the backyard. “Then it’s really gonna be game on.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rennie said, trying to ignore the flutter in her belly when she thought about going out on a real date with Zach again. It could never happen, but thinking about it was kind of nice. They’d had a lot of great years together, and time had softened her anger over the way things had
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