Page 13 of My Grumpy Billionaire Protector

I lift my chin up. “Fine. One meeting. That’s all we can do. How are we going to pull this off?”

EVIE

“Hey, E. Have you seen the sweater that—whoa! Why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?”

I twist to the side and examine myself in the full-length mirror. “Maybe because going to Friday night dinners feels like that.”

In the mirror, I see my sister linger in the doorway with her dark hair piled into a messy bun on top of her head. “Don’t you think you’re being a little melodramatic?”

I spin around to face her and place both hands on my hips. “You’d feel that way too if you were forced to go to the dinners every week.”

Dinah shrugs. “It’s not my fault that I can get out of it and you can’t.”

I scowl. “You get out of it because you come up with wild excuses, and somehow they still believe you.”

Dinah steps into the room, and her lips stretch out into a grin. “It’s not my fault you haven’t learned how to get your way. Shouldn’t you have learned that as the older sister?”

I lift my chin up and sniff. “No, they were too busy experimenting on me. I couldn’t get away with half the bullshit you do.”

As the baby of the family, Dinah is given way more leeway than I ever have, and it annoys me to no end. Only a few weeks ago, she wrecked Mom’s car, and when we found her, she was in the middle of an abandoned racetrack with a group of her college friends. They were who were stoned and shrieking like a pack of hyenas. Our mother, dressed in an immaculate cream-colored suit, only took a long look at Dinah, shook her head, and dragged her off.

On the car ride home, our mother spent the entire time on the phone speaking in rapid-fire hushed tones while Dinah hummed under her breath.

I wasn’t even sure what I was doing there.

Dinah isn’t a child anymore, and she certainly doesn’t need my help. On the contrary, since becoming a junior in college, she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want me meddling in her business, especially because it always ends in a screaming match that makes me question Dinah’s choices. My sister is smart, ambitious, loyal, and kind. However, her wild streak, one that too closely resembles my own, is a source of grief for everyone, myself included.

The last thing I want is for Dinah to make the same mistakes I have.

To be haunted by the same demons every second.

Unfortunately, short of locking her up in a room and getting rid of the key, I’ve learned the hard way after years of interfering that Dinah is as stubborn as I am. More even, considering she is able to sweet talk not only our mother but our grandfather too, who is notoriously stoic and serious.

And I have no idea how the fuck she does it.

Dinah wanders into my dressing room, and her voice comes out sounding muffled. “All you have to do is bat your eyelashes, keep your voice quiet, and make them think it was their idea.”

I raise an eyebrow and fold my arms over my chest. “Why are you sharing secrets of the trade? I thought you’d die before you ever told me.”

Dinah’s head pokes out, and her blue eyes are full of mischief. “You’re my favorite sister. What can I say?”

“I’m youronlysister,” I point out with a shake of my head.

Dinah emerges, holding out a blue long-sleeved sweater against her chest. “Same difference. The point is we’ve got to stick together. I feel bad since I’ve been busy with college lately, and I’m trying to make it up to you.”

“You can make it up to me by staying out of trouble.”

Dinah snorts and covers the distance between us. She turns to the mirror and studies her reflection. “You know that’s not going to happen, right? I want to live my life, not just go through the motions. Thank you very much.”

“Bite me.”

“No, thanks. I’ll leave that to whatever boy toy… Wait a second, how long has it been since you dated anyone?”

“We’re not talking about that.”

Dinah turns to me and smiles. “Why not? You love having an opinion about everything in my life.”

“I’m your older sister. It’s supposed to work that way.”

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