Page 51 of Caught Stealing

I tell myself it will all be okay. Andrew is honest, transparent, and has genuine interest in my well-being. I thought Rory had those same qualities, but if I’m honest with myself, I know I overlooked a lot of flaws that should have been warning signs. It’s one thing to let it slide when he left his things all over, chewed with his mouth open, and laughed like a hyena at things that were more gross than funny. It’s something else entirely to ignore when he failed to introduce me to other women, and when he did, it was never as his girlfriend.

And that was just the surface. Oh, the signs he gave me all along that I ignored in favor of focusing on the positive. There’s no doubt that positive thinking is a good thing, but now I understand I used it as a crutch. I can’t do that anymore, not this time. Not with Andrew, though I’m hard pressed to find anything about him this early on that I don’t like.

“Where is your flaw, Andrew Rossi?” I answer my own question when the image of him in his baseball uniform flashes into my mind. He's an athlete, but if that’s the worst I can think of, then I’m a lucky gal.

Chapter Twenty

Charlotte

“I can’t believe you didn’t call me immediately with all of this juicy goodness,” Rebecca, my sister, says. She stopped by the school during my planning period with lunch and an invitation to dinner at her house as soon as school lets out for the summer. To say it was a surprise is an understatement. Living in Jacksonville makes it difficult for her to drop in for a quick lunch.

“I’m sorry, Becs. The reality is that I’m not sure what will happen. He’s kind of amazing, but I’m trying to take it slow and steady so neither of us gets hurt.” She brought me a roast beef sandwich from her friend’s sandwich shop. It’s delectable.

She swallows and recrosses her legs in the opposite direction. This is her giveaway. She wants to tell me something too, but she’s being as patient as possible so she doesn’t seem pushy. “I get it. You loved Rory, and that doesn’t disappear overnight even if what he did was despicable.”

“Except I’m over it. Yeah, I loved him, but there is no sense in dragging out the inevitable, right? I don't want to be with him. It’s over, and unless I want it to be just Ginger and me forever, I have to leap into the unknown with someone else.”

“Sounds like this Andrew guy has been good for you. You don’t seem as mopey over the end of your relationship as you did even a few weeks ago.” She nudges me and brushes her light red hair over her shoulder. We were both blessed with the ginger gene, but hers is much fairer than mine. While I’m a deep, autumn-inspired red, she’s a sunny, beachy reddish blonde.

“I am, but you didn’t drive all the way up here just to see how I’m doing. What’s going on with you?”

Rebecca narrows her eyes and scoffs. “I did come to see you because I love you, but yeah, I have news. What would you think about getting to see me more often?”

I hold my breath. Her husband applied for a transfer to Savannah, but it’s been almost a year with no updates. The wait list is significant, so we didn’t hold out much hope that he’d get anything, let alone a permanant station change for them to move closer.

“Yes,” I drawl. “Does that mean…Did he get the transfer?”

Rebecca squeals. “He finally got it. It’ll be a few weeks before it’s finalized, but we can officially begin packing and home searching!”

I practically leap to my feet. “What? Becs, that’s amazing!” Hugging my sister is always an event. We made up a funny sister hug when we were little kids, and it never went away. We high five each hand, then smack our palms together, stretch our arms wide, hop three times, swing around, and finally end in a real hug.

This is less than ideal to do in a classroom filled with desks, but we manage. We’re giggling when my phone rings. One glance at the caller ID and it brings an even bigger smile to my face. “Oh, speaking of Andrew. Want to say hi?”

“Oh, you know I do. Lemme see this hunky guy in all his glory.” She snuggles in close and I tap accept to answer the call in video mode.

“Hey, you,” I say and rest my head against my sister’s. There is no mistaking we are related. We’re almost identical, save our hair shades and eye color. Hers are more brown while mine are more green.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he says with a grin.

“Well, thank you.” Rebecca flips her hair over her shoulder and flutters her eyelashes.

Andrew grins and leans back on the hotel bed. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve missed him the past few days, but our video chats are fun. “I’m going out on a limb and guessing you are the infamous Rebecca?”

“Ah, my name precedes me, I see. Whatever she said about me, is all lies.” Rebecca gives me suspicious side eye and a snarky smile. “Unless it was that I’m the most phenomenal sister in all the world, then I’d have to humbly accept my award.”

Andrew gasps. “So you’re not, in fact, a professional xylophonist? I’m disappointed.”

My sister’s cheeks pink. “Oh, I am that. The best Georgia had to offer in my prime, if I do say so myself.”

Andrew’s charm oozes even over the phone. “I’d love a full concert between the two of you.”

We both laugh because there is no chance of that happening. Sure, we’re both good at our chosen instruments, but there is no time and place in which a xylophone and a drum sound good together without additional instruments to round out the banging.

“We’ll have to put a pin in that,” Rebecca says. “I have to head back home, but I look forward to meeting you in person, Andrew!” My sister waves to him and dips off the screen. When she’s no longer visible to him, she drops her mouth open and motions over her face, mouthing he’s hot. I cover my cheeks and shake my head. This only invites her to stick her tongue out at me in the most childish way before she squeezes my arm. “I’ll talk to you soon. Love you, Lots.”

“Love you, too, Becs. Keep me updated on the move.”

Rebecca gathers her things, points to the phone to encourage me to talk to Andrew, and waves once more on her way out.

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