Page 28 of Marrying Off My Husband

“Lynette, leave the evening gown and a few pairs of shoes and purses. We’ll return the ones we don’t want,” Louise said before she grabbed her purse and crossed to me, pulling me in a tight embrace. “I’ll let you visit with your sister, we’ll talk soon.”

I said goodbye to her as Lynette dragged the items she wasn’t leaving with me from my apartment. Louise waved and winked at me before she pulled the door closed behind her.

“What was that about?” Audrey asked.

“Sorry, Louise is a little overwhelming.”

“I’ll say. When did you two become best friends?”

“Want some tea?” I asked as I filled the kettle, needing something to distract me.

My sister settled at my tiny table, her fingers drumming against it. “I want some answers.”

“To?”

“Who this Louise is, when she became your self-proclaimed bestie, and who in the world you are dating that you need an evening gown that looks like it’ll take you a year to pay off.”

“Louise is a little overzealous at times, but she means well,” I explained. “And…I’m not dating anyone.”

I waved a dismissive hand in the air as I set the kettle on to boil and busied myself with readying the mugs.

“She said you were dating someone. Last I checked, you weren’t seeing anyone. Aren’t you unlucky in love?”

I slid my eyes sideways, reminded of how true that statement was as I changed the subject. “Exactly. So, how are things with Steve, speaking of love?”

“Don’t ask. We broke up.”

“Oh,” I said as the tea kettle screamed and I grabbed it to pour our tea. The memory of my own disastrous date with Steve, which ended with an awkward goodbye and an unreturned call still felt too fresh. I wasn’t just unlucky in love, I was practically jinxed.

The last man I’d dated had dumped me for my sister. “I’m sorry, sis.”

She lifted a shoulder, a smirk on her face. “He’ll be back.”

I settled at the table across from her. “You sound pretty certain.”

“I am,” she said, her sultry dark eyes settling on me. We couldn’t be more different despite being sisters. Outside of our dark hair and eyes, we were nothing alike. I’d never been able to pull off the sexy look my sister achieved with ease.

And she reminded me at every turn that men preferred her to me. I’d always just been the little sister tagging along.

“Well, that’s good, then.”

“I still want to know who you’re dating.”

“No one,” I assured her as I stared in my tea. “It’s nothing. Louise wanted to set me up on a date. But like you said, I’m unlucky in love. It’ll never work.”

“Probably for the best. You’ve never been good with men.”

The conversation turned to Audrey’s latest argument with Steve and their anticipated reunion, but my mind was stuck on my upcoming date. My sister was right. I was almost certainly walking into heartache.

CHAPTER 8

LOUISE

Iwalked out of Eve’s apartment with my nostrils flared and my fingers curled into fists. That little snot she called a sister was a walking nightmare.

I stared at Eve’s door, ready to burst back inside and give the woman a piece of my mind.

“Dress like a tramp?” I scoffed at the words, coming from a woman with a V-neck t-shirt low enough for me not to imagine much.

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