Page 20 of Beautiful Dreamer

“You didn’t have to do that.” But Elizabeth had, and the foodsmelled so good that Devyn practically wept.

“I wanted to. Oh, and there are some fresh-cut fries at the bottomof the bag. Now I will leave and not bother you with my chatter.” She zippedher lips and turned, showcasing a killer pair of jeans that looked like they’dbeen cut to showcase her specific shape.

“Wait.” Devyn sighed, owning that she hadn’t always been thefriendliest when caught up with work. “You don’t have to go.”

Elizabeth gestured behind her. “Actually, I do. Got a couple ofpoodles that need grooming and I’m in charge of making sure that happens. I’mthinking a rainbow Mohawk.”

“Please tell me you’re not serious.”

Elizabeth pointed at her and broke into a grin. “I’m not. In fact,I’m simply driving the duo to Margie Urbina, who’s accredited. I’ll be back onThursday to spend time with Jill. Bye, now.” And before Devyn could answer,Elizabeth was gone.

Left to her thoughts in the quiet room, Devyn stared at the warmbag in her lap and smiled. Okay, so maybe stars and hearts went a long wayafter all.

* * *

“So, we put in an over full-ask offer and still wound up in abidding war for the ages,” Devyn said. “It was honestly one of the mostexhilarating deals I’ve been a part of when repping a buyer.”

“In what way?”

“Well, for one, the eccentric millionaire seller asked that eachpotential buyer submit a paragraph stating what they would do with the propertyshould he sell it to them. Was totally in love with the place like someonewould be a pet and had no intention of selling it to someone with bigrenovation plans for the place.”

Jill chuckled. “Sounds like something off one of those realityshows on HGTV.”

“It honestly felt like one,” Devyn said, sliding her chair closerto Jill’s bed. It was just after three in the morning and Devyn had decided tostay the night at the hospital after noticing her sister’s spirits seemed tohave taken a dip. She’d grown noticeably quieter and had a difficult timesleeping. Her normal “look on the positive side of things” disposition had beennonexistent the past two days, and it was obvious that this whole ordeal wasbeginning to drag her under. Devyn couldn’t stand it, and tonight, she didn’tfeel right leaving her alone. She sat forward. “I was fielding calls left andright from the seller’s broker with counteroffers, contingencies, and ofcourse, the essay evaluation. He sent notes.”

“Notes?” Jill laughed.

“Notes,” Devyn said, laughing along with her. “Grammaticalcorrections and everything. The guy was comma obsessed and sent apostrophe tipsin the footnotes. Yes, there were footnotes. We had to resubmit like some sortof reprimanded sixth grader.”

“Now, those, I’m familiar with. So, what happened?” Jill pushed ahand behind her and sat up with a wince, blinking at Devyn in the dimly lit room.It made her happy to see Jill captivated by the story, a small distraction fromher painful recovery. She’d tell her a thousand more if they helped at all.

“In the end, my guy got the condo, and I’ve learned a valuablelesson about proofreading my client’s work ahead of time.”

“Victory,” Jill said, with her less bruised hand in the air. Theysmiled at each other for a moment and Jill softened. “I’m really glad you’rehere, Dev. Not because I need your help, and I do, but it’s just nice to seeyou, you know? Spend time with you.”

Devyn nodded. “It’s really nice to see you, too, Jilly. Weshouldn’t wait so long next time.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Another pause, but thecomfortable kind. “Remember when Mom used to make us warm toast with extra chunkypeanut butter when we were feeling sick or sad or low? To this day, I lovepeanut butter warm.”

“God, yes. Nothing ever tasted so good, and it worked, too. Lifefelt…manageable again when you had that warm toast on a plate in front of you.You let your problems just slide away.”

She could make out the tears glistening in Jill’s eyes in spite ofthe darkened room. “I could go for some warm peanut butter toast about now, yaknow?”

Devyn smiled, her heart squeezing unpleasantly. She stared at theceiling as guilt engulfed her. “Mom would have been so much better at this thanI am. I keep asking myself what she would do and I know I’m falling short.”

“No,” Jill said, firmly. “You’ve been so wonderful, droppingeverything to be here for me.” Jill met her gaze firmly. “I know that was hardfor you. You’re incredibly driven, Devyn, and I admire that about you so much.But you put me first.” She placed a palm over her heart. “It matters so much.”

Now she was the one battling the tears. She wiped one away and pushedbeyond the painful lump in her throat. Jill meant everything to her, and sheshould know that. “Of course I did. You’re my Jilly, my big sister, ya know?We’re family, and no matter what I have going, you come first. You can believethat.”

“I do.” Jill nodded, and a thought seemed to hit. “It has beenenlightening, though. Seeing you do business from here and stealing a littleglimpse into what your life must be like. Phone calls at all hours, a millionemails to return. Don’t even get me started on trying to keep track of yourmyriad of assistants.” She squinted. “I’ve been eavesdropping on those calls,trying to translate it all, by the way.”

Devyn raised a shoulder. “You could always just ask.”

“No. I like observing it all more. You’re an important person.”

Devyn moved her head from side to side. “I like my job, but ittakes a village to make it all come together. It’s a hustle.”

“My existence seems so much slower paced compared to yours.”

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