couch in the family room.
Will picked up the remote and muted the sound of the baseball game on TV. He’d only turned it on to keep himself from thinking about April. It wasn’t working very well. The memory of her in those tight black running pants had his mind on things it had no business being on. The White Sox could wait. His sister, on the other hand, was on the verge of a meltdown if not already there.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everything.” She threw up her hands dramatically.
“Where’s Dad?”
“At the movies with Tim. You’re it, big brother. There’s no one else here to deal with me. I don’t need a big wedding. A small backyard barbecue would be perfect, don’t you think? Or even something at the park. Easy peasy.”
“You know you want a big wedding,” Will reminded her.
“Why? What was I thinking?”
“That you’ve never been married before and you’re only doing this once, so it’s going to be a blowout affair.”
“That’s a direct quote, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yup.” He looked at her beside him. “You said it the night before Dad had his surgery.”
“Talk is cheap. Making a grand pronouncement is a lot easier than taking the steps to make it happen.”
“Talk is cheap. But I can’t help if you don’t spit it out, Kimmie. What specifically is making you freak out?”
Tears welled in her blue eyes. “I got a call from the bridal shop. My dress is back-ordered and might not arrive in time.”
“So pick out another dress.” When big, fat tears started rolling down her cheeks, he knew that was the wrong thing to say. “Hey, come here.”
She slid over and leaned her head on his shoulder. “It’s just...I w-wanted that dress.”
“And it might be fine. Back-ordered isn’t a definite not going to happen. But maybe you can pick out a runner-up just in case?”
“That’s way too sensible.” She sniffled and probably rubbed her runny nose on his T-shirt. “I just wanted to be bridezilla for a day. Throw a tantrum.”
“And it was a beauty, sis. Way to be an overachiever.” He put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her against him. “The thing is, I can guarantee that no one, including your groom, will know that any dress you wear is not your first choice.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’d look beautiful in a burlap sack.”
“Aw. That’s sweet.” She sniffled again and looked at him. “Makes me feel bad about blowing my nose on your shirt.”
“It’s yours now.”
She smiled as intended. “How do you know Luke won’t know it’s a second-best dress?”
“Because guys don’t care about that stuff. He’d be happy if you walked down the aisle naked.” He winced. “I can’t believe I just said that to my sister.”
“It’s okay. I took it in the spirit and all that. It’s not a news flash that guys are pigs.”
“That’s harsh. We just have an acute appreciation for the female form.”
“Right.” She rubbed at an imaginary spot on the leg of her jeans. “Speaking of female forms, I saw you and April go running the other day and you went in her house when the two of you got back.”
Will had forgotten how life was in a small town. Everyone watched what was going on and talked about it. At least Kim was talking to him and not someone at the Grizzly Bear Diner, which was ground zero for rumor spreading.
“So,” he said narrowing his gaze on her, “your summer job while you’re not teaching high school is doing covert surveillance for the CIA?”
“There are times when teaching teens feels like doing covert surveillance. It’s not easy to stay one step ahead of those kids.” There was a sly look in her eyes. “Speaking of steps, we were talking about you and April running together. What’s up with that?”
“She runs. I run.” He was having a little trouble concentrating after his naked woman remark, except April was the woman he was picturing naked. Okay, so he was a pig. He was a guy. He could own that. Because April had looked pretty spectacular in those tight black pants she’d worn. That spandex stuff hugged every curve and left little to the imagination, just enough that he wanted to take them off her and see everything. But that was pretty stupid, right? The two of them had their shot and he blew it. “I saw her in the alley before she started her run, so we went together.”
His sister said something that sounded like, “Good for her,” but Will couldn’t be sure. “Afterwards she invited me in for coffee and a muffin.”
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