Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“Do you want to leave?” Prue asked anxiously.
“No,” I said fast. “Not at all. It’s just…not paying anything for room and board?”
None of them had a reaction to that either.
I wasn’t sure I could have this discussion again, especially when I was already going to when I saw Battle again.
About the time I had that thought, Tempie noted, “Obviously you know you must stand down from your position.”
I turned to look at her. “I do?”
She smoothed the material of her black slacks and stated, “He is that man, Vivi. And I do believe you know what I’m saying.”
I had a sinking feeling I did.
She caught my eyes. “It’s enough you made the offer. Now leave it.”
“I hated the idea of you going anyway,” Prue stated, sounding almost petulant. “And if you went, what would Snowball and Gingerface do?”
I also had to admit, I was going to miss those kitties. I didn’t have a pet at home. I was waiting for when I bought my house to decide if I was going to go dog or cat, or both (or two of both).
“Well, I’m staying,” I muttered. “And not because I have no choice. I was dreading leaving anyway.”
Prue clapped happily.
“But now we’re quarreling about me buying dinner tonight because he won’t let me pay for my train ticket,” I shared.
Again with Prue’s mouth dropping open.
“If it was any one of us,” Tempie started, “I would like to think we would do the same. But I don’t know. It wasn’t any of us. It was Battie. Battie who was the oldest. Battie, who saw there was no one there but a member of staff to clean Chassie’s scraped knees and palms and calm her tears when she fell off her bike. So he did it. Battie, who knew Dad wouldn’t show up, and Mum was already in Greece, so he drove from university to be there when Prue won that drawing competition and got her ribbon.”
Okay, I couldn’t dwell on Battle cleansing little Chassie’s wounds and how that made me feel super melty.
I had other things to deal with.
“You won a drawing competition?” I asked Prue.
She shrugged.
Truth, she’d kept a lot from me.
And with that new tidbit, which shouldn’t embarrass her at all, I wondered why.
Tempie kept talking. “You see, it’s ingrained in him now, to see to the people he cares about. Especially women, not because we’re weaker, or poorer, or anything like that. Because fate gave him three younger sisters. He can’t not do it, Vivi. I think it would cause him physical pain, if he’s in a position to offer something and not do so. I know it would cause emotional pain.”
As I started to feel shitty about throwing Battle’s generosity in his face, she turned fully to me and kept going.
“So I ask you, don’t make him. You offered. You pushed back. He knows your stance and you’re not one to take advantage. But that isn’t what you’re doing it. You’re giving him something he needs.”
“Oh, all right, I won’t buy dinner,” I gave in.
Tempie smiled a slow smile.
It was then, Chassie dropped the bomb.
“Well, this is good, because it would be most inconvenient for Battie to keep falling in love with you if you were off to some cottage on the sea.”
I froze.
“Chassie,” Tempie admonished.
“What? It’s not like we all aren’t seeing it,” she whisper-talked back.
Now I couldn’t take the time to deal with Chassie’s “keep falling in love with you” remark, because I had to address the matter at hand.
As such, I stared hard at Prue.
She was smiling. “It’s so amazing. You might be my actual sister one day!” And she clapped on that.
“He’s just flirty. He’s just…we’re just…it’s just a—” I stammered.
“Oh my God,” Tempie groaned. “Stop. Watching my brother on the prowl is enough. I can’t handle you trying to pretend it isn’t what it is. Though, the constant nausea it induces is helping me keep trim.”
“Tempie!” Prue snapped.
“I think it’s lovely,” Chassie whisper-declared. “Finally, Battie’s found a good woman. We like her. Bartie likes her. The cats like her. The house likes her.” She smiled sweetly at me. “It’s perfect.”
The house liked me?
I couldn’t get into that either.
“We haven’t even had a date yet,” I pointed out.
“So have,” Prue contradicted. “Best dates ever. All at The Downs. If he wasn’t my brother, I’d think it was all dreamy. Instead, it’s just slightly gross dreamy.”
Chassie giggled.
“You’re okay with this?” I asked Prue.
“Absolutely,” she answered perkily.
“It hasn’t even very much started.”
Chassie shocked me by rolling her eyes when I said that.
“Okay, it has, but it’s new and it might not come to anything,” I warned.
“Vivi,” Prue smiled brightly, “I’m not twelve. And you’re a good person. So is Battie. If it doesn’t work, it won’t work for whatever reasons you two have. But he won’t be cruel to you, and you won’t be cruel to him, that I know.”