Page 58 of Someone to Tempt
She turns to look out the window, and it breaks my heart to see tears shimmering in her eyes under the moon’s silvery glow.
“People think I’m a hero. ‘Sloane has such a good attitude. She’s so strong.’ I don’t feel strong. You flaunt your flaws, Iris. Use them as a calling card. At least you’re handling the hard stuff.”
“Look at my life.” With what I hope is a wry—and not pathetic—smile, I hold my fingers up one at a time. “I’m fighting for a job I don’t even know if I truly want. My heart hurts watching a man I shouldn’t want to go on a date I pressured him into. I’m trying to have fun but suck at dancing?—”
“You love it,” she interrupts.
“But I suck,” I repeat. “There’s a decent chance I’m going to publicly humiliate myself in front of half the town at Fun Fest. Oh, yes. Fun Fest. To prove that I’m the right candidate for the job I don’t know that I want, I’m on a mission to also prove I’m fun to a community that seems to care more about karaoke than literacy. And I can’t convince them otherwise.”
I slap a palm to my head. “I won’t bore you with the rest of the list, but it’s a doozy. Trust me. I’m not handling anything. At least not well.”
“That’s what I mean.” She swipes at the edges of her eyes and then offers a watery smile. “You’re so upfront with your shit-show life that you make me feel better about mine. We’re quite a pair.”
I reach across the console and wrap her in a tight hug. “If it counts for anything, there’s no one I’d rather be dysfunctional with than you.”
“It counts for a lot,” she whispers into my hair.
“You know…” I cup her too-thin face with my palms. “A brilliant person told me you can’t move through emotions unless you let yourself feel them. You’re allowed to be pissed about having cancer. I think it would be more concerning if you weren’t.”
“But what if I let the rage and hate have their way with me?” She bites down on her lower lip. “What if the hate latches on and doesn’t let go, the way it did with my mom and dad? I might as well let cancer win because I’ll poison everything and everyone around me.”
I grab her shoulders and give her a gentle shake. “Don’t you say another word about cancer winning. This world needs you, Sloane. You’re a gift to the people lucky enough to have you love them.”
“I could say the same about you,” she says. “The outcome of an election and some festival dance routine don’t determine your value as a person. Nothing outside of you can. I’ve seen the soft parts beneath your prickly exterior. You deserve a lot more than you’re giving yourself credit for.”
“Maybe,” I say, even though it’s still hard for me to believe. “We might just have to agree to disagree on which one of us is more awesome.”
“Uhhhhh...” Sloane mock scoffs. “It’s me. I’m the more awesome one.” She taps on the cotton beanie she’s wearing. “There’s no way you could rock a pixie cut the way I’m going to when my bald nut grows out.”
I laugh and hug her again. “Fair point. For the record, I love your bald nut and all the rest of you.”
“Love you, too, Iris.” She starts to open the door, glancing over her shoulder. “Call me after you talk to Jake.”
“What makes you think I’m going to talk to Jake before I see Jodi on Monday?”
“Just call me,” she repeats with an eye roll, then heads inside.
Driving home from downtown only takes a few minutes, and the quiet night surrounds me like a blanket. I appreciate the houses that leave the porch lights on, welcoming visitors to their door. It tugs at something deep within me—the community I never had growing up with my mother's nomadic lifestyle. In these lit doors, I see the possibility of belonging. It's what drew me to local politics in the first place—the chance to help weave together the threads of community that I'd always longed for but never experienced.
My heart skips a beat when I notice the silhouette of a man sitting on my porch swing. I smirk and secretly wonder if Sloane’s treatment has made her clairvoyant. I plan to rip Jake a new one because he shouldn’t be here, but I’m also ridiculously happy to see him.A ridiculous, hopeful part of me perks up at the idea that it might be Jake.
Only it isn’t Jake. Disappointment stings sharper than I expect.
Worry suddenly tinges my happiness as I park in the driveway and rush toward the house.
“Hey, Sis.” Nick stands to greet me as I take the front porch steps two at a time, throwing my arms around him. No matter how long it’s been or what he’s done, seeing my twin in person is like having a part of me come home.
“When did you get in? What are you doing here?Howare you doing?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Nick drops a kiss on the top of my head. “It’s good to see you, Sis. Let’s pump the brakes on the firing squad of questions.”
I pull away and look into his face, searching for...what, I’m not sure. That’s a lie. I know exactly what I’m looking for. Evidence that he’s using again. That he’s here to ask for money or hide from some shady deal he got himself into.
“I’m okay, Iris.” His voice is so sincere I can’t help but believe him. “I mean it.” He gives me a gentle smile. “I’m in a good place. And I’m staying there.”
“That’s good, Nick.” I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Really good.”
As easily as I can read my brother, the twin bond goes both ways. He’s studying me in return and sees something that makes his thick brows draw together.
