Page 30 of Beach Vibes

He frowned. “Beth, it’s nothing like that. She’s great, and you’re going to love her.”

Unlikely, Beth thought. In a perfect world, she would have nothing to do with the other woman, and Rick would end things in a few weeks.

“I want you to meet her,” he said, his tone earnest. “I want to bring her here for dinner.”

“What? Already? I thought you just met. How long have you been dating?”

“Only a few weeks.” His expression turned happy. “I really like her. You’re my family. I want you two to get to know each other.”

Of course he did, she thought grimly. Because that was who he was. “If you think it’s time, then let’s do it.”

“Yeah?” He sounded delighted. “Great.”

She held in a sigh. “I know you’re excited to be in a relationship, but you have to be careful. People aren’t always who they seem.”

“She’s exactly who I think she is,” he told her. “You don’t have to worry.”

“Worry comes with the job title.”

“Then youneedto meet her. If she’s not who I think, you’ll figure that out, and you can warn me away.”

She liked the sound of that. “You promise you’ll listen?”

He chuckled. “Yes. I won’t promise I’ll act on what you say, but I’ll hear you out.” His humor faded. “I know you look out for me, but this time, you don’t have to. I swear.”

Beth hoped he was right, but she had her doubts. She supposed she should be grateful he wanted her to meet the new woman so quickly. If there was a problem, he might listen to her now rather than in, say, two or three months, when he was more emotionally involved.

He rose and walked toward her. She stood, and he hugged her.

“You’re the best,” he told her. “I don’t want you to go to any trouble for dinner. We can pick up something to go on the way.”

She shook her head. “I can figure something out.” The meal was the least of her concerns. The bigger problem was figuring out if the woman really cared about her brother or if she was only in it for what she could get.

7

Jana changed three times for her dinner with Rick’s sister. She couldn’t decide if she should wear a dress or jeans or what. The evening was supposed to be casual—just a meal at someone’s house—and yet there were emotional consequences that made her feel that she should dress up. Unfortunately her office-student-single-mom wardrobe leaned toward the basics, which didn’t leave her with a lot of choices. In the end she went with dark wash jeans, a lightweight sweater and cute flats she’d bought on sale at an outlet store.

She thought briefly about texting Beth to get her opinion on the outfit, then told herself she would put on her big-girl panties and figure it out herself.

She checked her makeup one more time before walking to the front of the house to wait for Rick. She’d agreed he could pickher up at home—a first for them—but he wouldn’t be meeting any of her family. Teddy and Dex had taken all the kids out for dinner. Otherwise, she would have met Rick at his place. He might be ready for her to meet his sister, but she wasn’t going to have him meet her daughter. Not for a while. Linnie would ask too many questions, and Jana didn’t think she had any answers. At least not yet.

Rick showed up right on time. She let him in, aware of the familiar flutter in her belly. The man was appealing. Only this time the usual butterflies had a slightly anxious quality to them. She liked Rick a lot, and she was starting to trust him. Was this the most convenient time to have a relationship? Probably not, but men like him were rare. She wanted things to work out, and she wanted to keep moving forward, which meant meeting his sister had a high level of significance for her.

“You look so beautiful,” he said by way of greeting, then lightly kissed her. “I’m the luckiest guy ever.”

She laughed. “Thank you.”

He studied her for a second. “You’re nervous about tonight. Don’t be. You and my sister are going to get along great.” Something flashed in his eyes, then disappeared. “I promise tonight will be epic.”

Not a promise he could keep, she thought.

He looked around. “This is a great house.”

“It is. Teddy bought it for Valonia when they found out she was pregnant.”

“Teddy bought it? I thought he did massage.”

“He does,” she said lightly, not wanting to get into the details of her brother’s interesting financial situation. “This place has worked out well for our big blended family.” She pointed toward the family room. “Linnie and I have our own wing. It’s nice to be a part of things and to also have our private space.”

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