Page 71 of Trouble Walked In

“TheSleeping Beautyspin-off?” Lizzie asked.

“Not spin-off. More like a loosely based twist. The guy is the one trapped, and the girl uses a dragon to rescue him. Anyway, we just signed the contract. I’m Aurora.” Piper’s voice was full of pride and excitement.

“That’s fantastic! You’re a perfect fit too. I’m so proud of you, Piper.” Lizzie couldn’t sit still anymore. She jumped up and paced the length of the porch to use up some of the energy Piper’s news generated. “Does Mattie know?”

“Yep. Just got off the phone with her. She said Renic showed up. I take it that means Baby Brat’s still there.”

Piper’s tone was loaded with innuendo and hidden meaning.

Lizzie kept her own tone guarded and carefully neutral. “Yes, to both. Renic came for Della, and they’re both still here.”

“Why’s he still there? Surely he’s done his pep talk by now. You sure he didn’t come for a little somethin’ somethin’ from big sis?” Piper’s teasing lilt came through loud and clear and entirely too close to home.

Lizzie could picture the look on her sister’s face. Her own heated up in a way that made her glad they weren’t on a video chat. “I’m sure if he did it would be none of your business.”

“Oh my God. You two really did get busy?” There was a palpable silence, followed by a strangled, choked laugh. “I can’t wait to tell Mattie. She owes me twenty bucks.”

“I didn’t say that.” Lizzie squeezed her eyes closed and rubbed her forehead. “You two are betting on my nonexistent love life?”

“No,” Piper drew out the word, “we bet that you and Renic would eventually end up together. I said four years or less. Mattie took five and over. I win.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I can see how red your face is all the way from LA.”

“No you can’t.” Lizzie cleared her throat. “Can we change the subject please?”

“Fine,” Piper said with a giggle. “Tell me straight out you did not sleep with Renic and I’ll drop it.”

Lizzie pressed her lips together and glared at the grapevines on the other side of the drive.

“You can’t, can you?” Piper laughed. “You can’t even lie about it, which means you must have had a really good time. How did this happen? Three years of avoiding him like theplague and suddenly you’re jumping him in a room at the inn? What’d he say to get you to go after it like that?”

She was never, ever going to be able to live this down. “It wasn’t at the inn. Can we move on?”

“Oh really? Where? You might as well tell me because if you don’t, I’ll just call Carrie and she’ll tell me.”

Lizzie started to tell her she was forbidden from ever calling anyone at the inn ever again, then saved her breath. “I had a weak moment, that’s all. There was beer involved. And music.”

“I’m going to need a little more detail than that.” She could hear the amusement in Piper’s voice and pictured her sister leaning forward with a big grin on her face like a kid waiting for ice cream.

She filled Piper in on the day spent hunting twinkle lights, the discovery of a new star, then tried her best to change the subject. “Anyway, the reason I called was—”

“Oh no,” Piper interrupted. “You don’t get to stop there. I haven’t heard the part where you and Renic smashed faces. Was it before or after the beer and music?”

Lizzie took a long, deep breath, then hurried through the last part of the story in the hopes Piper wouldn’t be able to understand what she said. “After we finished with Jacob we went out to the parking lot and wound up kissing next to the car and then we, um, came home.”

“You did it with Renic in a parking lot? Where, on the hood of the car?”

“Of course not.”

“The ground? That would hurt. Picnic table? There wasn’t a room out back, was there? Those small towns sometimes do things like that.”

“No.” Lizzie wrinkled her nose at the thought. “The backseat.”

Piper burst out laughing. “Like any respectable lusty teenager would. That’s awesome.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”

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