Page 75 of Meet Dare

“Wow. I didn’t realize your dog could open cupboards and shuffle candles around without leaving behind bite marks.”

“What can I say? She’s a magical dog.”

“She must be friends with your unicorn.”

The door opens, and Elizabeth and Gabrielle walk in before I can think of a snarky reply.

“You have to sit with us,” Elizabeth demands.

“Why?”

“We have drinking games.”

“Drinking games? This is a business meeting.”

She snorts. “You really don’t understand Winter Falls yet.” She snatches my hand. “Come on. Let’s get popcorn and beer.”

“Popcorn?”

I glance behind me and attempt to signal Cedar to rescue me but his only response is a wink. We need to work on our silent communication. Maybe come up with some hand signals.

Elizabeth drags me past the meeting room to the bathroom with Gabrielle following.

“What are we doing in the bathroom? Are you afraid to go alone?”

The door bangs open and Ashlyn rushes in. “I can’t believe you forgot me.”

Crap. If Ashlyn’s involved, things are serious. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at my sisters. “What’s going on? And why does Ashlyn know but I don’t? Did you forget I’m your sister?”

“I’m your sister, too,” Ashlyn claims.

I cock an eyebrow at her.

“Your brother is engaged to my sister. Sister connection number one. And you’re dating the brother of my husband. Sister connection number two. Plus—”

I cut her off before she can go any further. “I’m not dating Cedar.”

“Girl. I literally saw you all snuggled up to him.”

“We were not snuggled together.”

“I—”

Elizabeth pats Ashlyn’s shoulder to stop her. “There’s no use. Once Cassandra digs her feet in, she’s stuck for-freaking-ever.”

Gabrielle nods. “Ask me sometime about the year she insisted she loved Brussels sprouts. She ate them every single day. Gagging the entire time. She thought we were idiots and wouldn’t figure it out.”

Ha! They haven’t figured out the clown thing yet, so there!

“Are you done now?” I check the non-existent watch on my wrist. “I want to get to the meeting on time since it’s my first one.”

Ashlyn giggles. “New residents are fun.” I narrow my eyes on her and she shrugs. “What? It’s the truth.”

“But it doesn’t explain why you think punctuality is a joke.”

Although, this is Ashlyn. There’s only one reason she arrives anywhere on time – because she wants the gossip first. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already submitted her application to become a gossip gal.

She waves away my concern. “They’re not going to start without us.”

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