Page 71 of The Sweet Spot
A wide smile spread across her face that warmed me inside.
“Enough about that,” she said. “Your sister is coming today!”
“I’m pretty excited about that.”
“I was thinking I’d put together a nice dinner, hang out for a bit, then let the two of you have the evening to yourselves. You probably have a lot to catch up on, and you don’t need me buzzing around.”
“You can stay.”
“Nope. I have a feeling you and your sister have a lot to talk about. Things that don’t involve me. I’ll be here in the morning to make breakfast.”
As I watched her finish up my oatmeal, I thought about life before her and decided at that moment that I never wanted to go back to it.
I picked up Brooke at the airport, which was a bad decision all around. One person recognized me, that became two, and then it was a crowd of ten. Normally, I would have been a little cranky about all the photos and autographs, but my little sister was in town and that made up for everything else.
The second I saw Brooke, I politely told the last of the autograph seekers that I had to wrap this up. I scribbled my name a few more times and took off to meet her. She threw her arms around me, and I hugged her tight.
“You’re looking good,” she said as we finally walked out to my SUV.
“Changing my diet has made a huge difference. I have more energy, I feel good, and I’m sure my recovery time has shortened. Honestly, I think I’m in the best shape of my life.”
She pursed her lips and narrowed her blue eyes. “Do you think that maybe Wolseley has something to do with that?”
“For sure,” I said, unable to hide a smile.
“You are giddy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy.”
“Like I said, I made some changes. All for the positive.”
We drove back to my place, and she told me all about her job and the convention she would be attending. It was Saturday and Sunday, during the day, with some kind of dinner Saturday night. But I’d have her Sunday evening and all of Monday before she headed back home Tuesday morning. She told me all about her promotion and that she loved living in Toronto. Mostly because it was far away from Mom and Dad, but neither of us needed to verbalize that detail.
“Sunday night, we are going for dinner, on me, to celebrate your birthday. It’s not every day you leave one decade and join another.”
“Sure, but let’s keep it low-key.”
“Didn’t we always have low-key birthdays? I think we were all scared to have friends around.”
She was right about that.
We got to the condo, and I introduced Wolseley to Brooke. I’d always been nervous introducing women I was dating to family. I think I had it engrained in my brain that it didn’t matter who she was, she wouldn’t live up to my parents’ expectations. That was why Mom and Dad didn’t know Brooke was bisexual and had been in a healthy relationship with Phoebe for the last year and a half. Dad would have so many issues about that.
And that is why I should have known better with Brooke. She welcomed everyone, and Wolseley was hard not to like, so I wasn’t surprised when they immediately hit it off like they’d been friends for years.
Brooke sampled the grilled vegetables and demanded that Wolseley tell her how she made them. The same thing happened when Brooke tried the portobello pasta in marinara sauce, the marinade for the grilled chicken, and how Wolseley made the dressing for the salad.
“I’d be happy to share all my recipes with you,” Wolseley said.
By the time we got to dessert, we were all stuffed, but that didn’t stop us. Wolseley had made tiramisu, Brooke’s favorite, and when she took her first bite, I thought she might pass out from joy.
“I don’t know how my brother isn’t fat,” she said, scooping more tiramisu into her mouth.
“Because I burn four to five thousand calories a day! Wolseley also doesn’t make dessert that often.”
Brooke turned to me, pointing her finger. “You marry this woman right now!”
I laughed, and Wolseleyblushed.
Brooke and I insisted that Wolseley relax while we cleaned up. Brooke and I were well-acquainted with housework, something Mom instilled in us many times. They probably thought it was a form of punishment, but I enjoyed those moments of cleaning when I didn’t have to deal with their bullshit.