“Nick isn’t that interested in business. He needs it to support his music, but it’s a means to an end—not an end to a means.”
“I’m not even sure I know what that means.” Adrienne didn’t like to admit that her sister’s reasoning often left her confused.
Aubrey blinked at her. “How can you not see this? You know him better than I do. He’s not like Seb.”
“I know he’s not like Seb.”
“You should have married Nick,” Aubrey said.
“He was just a kid when I met him.”
Aubrey arched her eyebrows. “He’s not a kid anymore.”
“I know that.”
“So don’t toy with him.”
“Toy with him?”
“Don’t break his heart.”
Adrienne clicked her suitcase closed. “This trip isn’t a romantic getaway. It’s business.”
Aubrey stood, gave her sister a parting glance, and stomped back into the living room. “You’re not even listening,” she grumbled.
Adrienne gathered up her bag, double-checked her purse for her passport, phone, and credit cards, and deposited everything by the front door. She glanced at her watch. Nick would be arriving in just a few minutes. “Nick knows I’m married.”
“He also knows you’re unhappy.”
“I’m still married.”
Aubrey wrinkled her nose as she pinched spent blooms off an African violet. “Are you still married if your spouse has broken his vows?”
“Yes. That’s his choice, not mine. His behavior shouldn’t dictate or excuse my own.”
Aubrey nodded as if she understood this logic. “You wouldn’t have an affair with his cousin for revenge.”
Aubrey’s words stung. “Of course not. You know me better than that.”
Aubrey didn’t look up from the violets, but she bit her lip as she always did when concerned. “I really like Nick. He’s a sweet kid.”
“As you said, he’s no longer a kid.”
The doorbell rang.
“He’s here,” Adrienne whispered before opening the door to let Nick in. She studied the planes of his face, the set of his broad shoulders, the strength in his hands. She could still see traces of the boy she’d first met all those years ago, but Aubrey was right. He was a man. A good one.
“Ready to go?” Nick asked.
She nodded.
He glanced across the room. “How are you, Aubrey? It’s good to see you.”
Aubrey put down her trowel and swept a glance over Nick. She was almost fifteen years Nick’s senior, but her frank assessment sent a warning shiver down Adrienne’s spine. With a start, she realized that she’d never known Nick to have a girlfriend. Why was that?
“It’s good to see you, too,” Aubrey said with sly smile.
Adrienne flashed her gaze from Nick to Aubrey. It was as if they were communicating a secret that only they shared. Adrienne mentally shook herself. “I have something for you,” she told Nick.
