Whispering “I love you,” he kissed me again and turned toward the garage. As I watched him walk away, I thought about how I might surprise him. Maybe a nice dinner? Or me in sexy lingerie? Or a nice bubble bath for two?
I’d think of something good.
Chapter Eighteen
Nina
A few minutes after Tristan left, my phone rang. Thinking it was him calling me to say he loved me, I didn’t pay attention to the number that flashed across the screen and simply answered the call.
“Hello,” I said in a happy, singsong voice.
“Nina? It’s Kim.”
Just hearing my sister’s name made my mood change from blissfully happy to completely miserable. She must have had some kind of happiness radar that beeped as soon as I began to feel good in life, but this time, I wasn’t going to let her ruin my great day.
“What do you want, Kim? I’m a little busy.”
The phone was silent for a long moment, and then when she spoke again, her voice sounded different, almost contrite, for the first time ever. “I thought maybe we could meet.”
“I’ve got a lot to do this week. I’m getting married, so it’s not really a good time. Maybe after I get back.”
I knew I was being a bitch, but after years of her being just that, I figured she had it coming. No matter how sorry she felt for our relationship, or lack of, I didn’t want to hear it.
“Baby, you’re getting married? I thought you and Tristan already had the wedding. You weren’t going to tell me, were you?”
Just the word baby made guilt rush over me. My father would be heartbroken to know on the biggest day of my life that Kim wouldn’t be there to share it with me. I heard his words echo in my mind at that moment.
“No matter what else you two are, Nina, you’re family. Always remember that, baby.”
“Kim, what do you want to meet about? I’m not interested in hearing you tell me I’m making a mistake. Considering the man I’m about to marry saved you and your family from being killed, I’d think all you’d have to say to me would be glowing praise for Tristan.”
“Please, can we meet? I’m in Manhattan for the night.”
Every fiber of my being told me not to go to her, except for that tiny part of my brain whispering that no matter what else Kim was, she’d always be my sister and I owed it to my father to give her another chance. We didn’t have to be the best of friends, but I’d always wanted us to be closer. Maybe now we could be.
“Okay. Meet me at a restaurant called Malone’s. I can be there in an hour.”
As I gave her the address, a sense of satisfaction came over me. Perhaps this was finally the time we could be the kind of sisters I’d always wanted us to be. I felt strong enough to handle her now.
I tracked down Jensen near the carriage house to let him know we’d be hitting the road again, and as I made my way back to the house, I saw Varo. I didn’t need a bodyguard to meet my sister, but if I tried to leave without letting him and West know, the hassle wouldn’t be worth it.
“Since you’re only seeing your sister and Karl’s been taken care of, I can probably handle this without West. He seems to be feeling under the weather anyway. He’s been scarce since we returned from our little lunch get-together.”
I couldn’t help but smile. No matter how snide he sounded, I knew he had a good time. “Yeah, don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it.”
He smiled and I saw a sparkle in his dark blue eyes. “Always the matchmaker, Nina. I hope Jordan and I don’t disappoint you. We’re mere humans, after all.”
“All I want is you and her to be as happy as Tristan and I am. That’s all.”
He chuckled at my statement, and as he walked away toward the car he and West used, he turned around. “I don’t know about that, but maybe Jordan’s right about that good things happening to good people thing. I guess we’ll have to see.”
“Just give it a chance,” I yelled as I walked back to the house.
The hostess led me to where Kim sat, and I saw that her time in the islands had been good to her. Tanner than she’d been since she was a teenager, she practically glowed. I sat down and was greeted with a smile that looked so different on her. Optimism surged in me, and I was ready to begin what I hoped would be a new future with my only sister.
“Nina! You look wonderful.”
“You too. You wear the tropics well.”
“You should see the girls. They’d never seen so much sand. It’s going to be hard for them to get used to Pennsylvania weather again,” she said with a smile.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the resort Tristan arranged for you.”