Page 52 of Mass Sins

He didn’t.

Dad was nothing like Alexis. And neither was I. Actually, she was nothing like any of us in the family. For a thirty-seven-year-old, Alexis still acted like a teenager.

“Hi, Alexis,” I said, trying to catch her attention.

She sighed again as she turned around, and her eyes glared in Joska’s direction. She took him in, head to toe, then something in her fiery eyes changed.

She looked intrigued.

That’s the Joska-effect.

“You’re her boyfriend?” she asked, still not looking at me.

I could feel Joska tense next to me. He didn’t like how Alexis was treating us, but he kept calm. He held his hand out to her, waiting for her to place hers into it, and once she did, he said, “I’m Joska. Nice to meet you, Alexis.”

He was friendly. Joska had manners.

“Joska…” She said his name slowly, dragging the first part with a sensual undertone. “What is a man like you doing with someone like my baby sister? Aren’t you a bit too old for her?”

I pursed my lips. I took that as a win. I was the lucky one here, and Alexis was clearly jealous. It didn’t show on her face, but I could see it in her eyes.

“You don’t have to answer that. It’s a stupid question,” Dad said, shooting Alexis a glare. “Dinner is almost ready. Go sit down at the dining table.”

I nodded and wrapped my hands around Joska’s arm, looking up at him with a gentle smile. “Hungry?”

“Very. Smells amazing already,” he said, complimenting Dad’s cooking. I was sure he’d like it. Dad was a great cook.

Alexis followed Dad into the kitchen while Joska and I headed to the dining room to sit down at the table. I set it earlier, and I put a lot of detail into all the decorations. And while I loved how it ended up looking, the Peonies Joska brought made it even more perfect.

“You keep buying me flowers,” I stated as we sat down at the table. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I loved whenever he stood there with a bunch of Peonies in his hand, smiling brightly because he knew how much I loved those flowers.

Joska placed his hand on my thigh, squeezing gently. “And I’ll keep buying them for you. It has become a habit. One I don’t want to break.”

I smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You’re the most amazing man I have ever had the honor to meet. Well…besides Dad.”

He laughed and shrugged with one shoulder. “I accept and understand that. Your father’s a good man. Your sister, on the other hand…”

“I know. I’m sorry about her. She’s…I think she’s just unhappy with life and lets it all out on others. Dad said he’ll talk with her after tonight. I just wish she would acknowledge me a little more.”

It broke my heart every time Alexis ignored me. Sometimes she acted like I wasn’t even there. Even when I was little and fighting cancer, she rarely came to visit me at the hospital. I used to think she hated me, but Dad always assured me that she didn’t. Still, it was hard for me to see my big sister be so cold, when it had been two times where I was close to death.

Joska took my hand and lifted it to his mouth to kiss the back of it. “The important thing is that you know you’ve always been respectful and loving toward her. You’ve done everything right, and you have nothing to feel bad about. The rest is for her to figure out. And sometimes, people need time to realize how hurtful their behavior can be toward others.”

He always said the right things to make me feel better.

And I loved him for that.

Chapter 19

JOSKA

I wanted to give Alexis a chance, despite her being extremely rude toward Bennie.

She barely looked at her baby sister, rarely spoke to her, and when Bennie asked her a question, she often completely ignored her until Connor repeated the question. Connor was being very patient with Alexis, but I could tell how strongly he wanted to lecture her on her rude behavior.

I was certain that Connor was holding back his anger to not upset Bennie, but if he wasn’t going to say anything soon, I would.

I squeezed Bennie’s hand under the table and smiled at her as her eyes met mine. The sadness in her gaze broke my damn heart. She had been so polite toward her sister, and it pained me to see her so upset about the way her sister treated her.

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