Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
That was the nice thing about having a sister as close as hers—there was so much she didn’t have to bother explaining. “I feel confused and restless and I need your help.”
“You want to come up here? Or I can come to you. Or maybe you’d prefer to go surfing?”
Erin knew up here meant Hersch’s beautiful new home in Carmel Valley, and much as she liked Hersch and felt as though he was already part of the family, she didn’t really want to be in an unfamiliar house right now. Erin loved Mila’s cute cottage, but for some reason she wanted to stay put, right here in her safe place. She suggested that Mila drive down, and within half an hour her sister was knocking on her door.
Better still, she was holding a Tupperware container. “Don’t even start with me. Yes, I baked muffins this morning. That’s how badly I am in love with Herschel Greenfield. I, Mila Davenport, baked muffins. Blueberry muffins. What’s more, they’re delicious.”
Erin took the container and ushered her sister inside. She was happy that Mila had been lucky in love, and if her confident, athletic, and wildly independent sister could become a homebody and start baking muffins, who was to say that Jay Malone couldn’t also make a huge change in his life? Okay, maybe his change was a little bigger than baking, but she’d work with what she had.
After Mila had finished making a suitable fuss of Buzzy, who adored her second only to their mom, Erin started the coffee machine. “Coffee?”
Mila nodded, taking a seat at the kitchen table. No matter the time of day, she was never one to turn down caffeine. Erin put the muffins on a pretty ceramic plate and then poured them both a cup of steaming hot coffee.
Mila took a deep sip and waited for Erin to begin. Except now that it came to it, she didn’t know where to start. Because the whole story went beyond Jay, way back in time, and it was one she’d never told before.
She took a muffin and bit into its still-warm center, then exclaimed in delight. “Hey, these are really good!”
Mila laughed. “Don’t sound so surprised. I think the secret is a little lemon peel.”
“Nice touch.” Erin took another bite. “You can come here more often.”
“But you didn’t drag me down here for my fabulous baking. Tell me what’s going on.”
Erin steeled herself and took a deep breath. “It’s Jay Malone.”
Mila all but smacked herself on the forehead. “Call me clairvoyant—I had a feeling it was about him.”
Erin gave her sister a wry smile. She took a sip of coffee and contemplated where she wanted to begin. She wasn’t like Mila—she didn’t rush into things, including conversations. She wanted to choose her words carefully. Since her sister knew her very well, Mila just waited.
When Erin was ready, she let out a long sigh and confessed, “I’m half in love with him.”
“Erin, that’s no surprise to anyone but you. What I can’t figure out is why you’re sitting here with me having blueberry muffins and coffee instead of having hot, wild sex with Jay?”
Erin felt torn. She wanted to tell Mila the whole truth, but she didn’t want to humiliate Jay by dishing the details of their disastrous dinner. So all she said was, “We’ve been getting closer, and I think I’m scared. I think he’s scared too. I’m pretty different from the women he usually dates, and he kind of fell back on his old tricks.”
Mila straightened and her eyes widened. “He didn’t pull a line about you having such a beautiful smile your portrait should hang in the Louvre or something, did he?”
Erin cringed and reluctantly nodded. “Close.” How she wished that wasn’t the truth.
“Oh, Jay,” Mila said, shaking her head in disgust.
“I know.”
Mila sat back and seemed to mull things over. “I think you’re right that Jay is scared too. The thing about Jay is he’s so successful, so slick, and dating hot models is kind of like an immature badge of honor for him. But the fact that he so obviously cares about you tells me that he’s growing up. That he might be ready to make a change.”
Okay, so maybe Erin didn’t love the fact that Mila made such a big distinction between Erin and the supermodels, but the heart of what she was saying was true. She nodded.
Then Mila said, “What if you just go for it? It was my advice from the very beginning. He’s a hot guy, he’s single, you’re single, and now there’s obviously something much deeper developing between you. Jay doesn’t have to be the love of your life, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. You’ve been in kind of a rut, dating those geeky guys who follow you around with sad puppy eyes.”