brought breakfast,” she sang, stepping over a mound of dirty clothes. “Now get over here and give your big sister a hug!”
Jenna leaped to her feet. “Dominique, what are you doing here?”
“I came to check up on you. I haven’t seen you in weeks, and I wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”
Within minutes, the sisters were sitting on the unmade bed, sipping ginger tea and munching on apple muffins. A self-proclaimed tomboy with a penchant for hooded sweatshirts, Jenna was the quietest of Dominique’s sisters, and despite being born with a heart defect, the nineteen-year-old sophomore never complained about her health.
“Everything okay?” Dominique asked, studying her sister closely. Aside from the dark rings under her eyes, she looked like her usual bubbly self. “Have you had any more fainting spells?”
Jenna shook her head. “I think the new medication Dr. Petrov prescribed is working. Sometimes after taking it I get queasy, but that’s about it.”
Remembering the conversation she’d had with her mom yesterday, she wondered if now was a good time to discuss her sister moving back home. Dominique didn’t like the idea of her mom living alone, especially since there had been a string of robberies in the area. “Jenna, Mom really misses you, and—”
“I’m not going back home.”
“Would you at least hear me out before you say no?”
Pouting, she crossed her arms. “I’m tired of Mom babying me. That’s why I left. To get away from her constant nagging.” Jenna stuffed her empty cup into the trash. “I’m not a kid anymore, Niq. I don’t need Mom to fix my meals or make my bed. I’m almost twenty.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Dominique told her. “I wish I had someone to do my laundry and cook me dinner.”
“Good, then why don’t you go live with Mom?”
Ignoring the jab, she pointed at Jenna’s disheveled closet and packed clothes hamper. “You’re obviously having a hard time staying on top of things. It might not be a bad idea to go home for a while.”
“I haven’t had time to clean up,” she explained, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. “I worked forty hours last week.”
“Why? We agreed that you’d only work at the mall part-time.”
“I need the money, Niq. I have to pay my tuition on Monday.”
“Speaking of which, how did you do on your summer courses?”
Jenna yawned. “All right, I guess. I got two As and a B.”
“Way to go! Your GPA’s going to skyrocket this term.” Wrapping her arms around Jenna, Dominique leaned over and pecked her cheek. “We’re all really proud of you, sis. Keep it up!”
“I’ll try.” Standing, she stretched her hands over her head. “Listen, I better get my butt in gear, or I’m going to be late. The Adult Literacy Program meeting starts in an hour.”
“You joined another committee? Why would you do that when you have so much going on already?”
“Because they’re short of tutors,” she explained. “You should come, Niq. It’s a lot of fun.”
Dominique considered going with Jenna. She could hand out some of her business cards and post some Destination Wellness flyers onto the bulletin board. “How long does it last?”
“An hour.” Jenna tossed an arm around her shoulder, an innocent smile on her lips. “Niq, is there any way I could get a small loan? All I need is a hundred and fifty dollars.”
“What is it for this time?”
“I have to get the textbooks for my algebra course, and I don’t get paid until next week.”
There goes my facial, she thought, picking up her purse and plunking it on her lap. Unzipping it, she retrieved her wallet. Dominique counted out two hundred dollars in cash and handed it to her sister. “If you don’t get an A in your algebra class, you’re dead!” she joked.
Staring down at the money, Jenna licked her lips as if a sixteen-ounce steak had just been placed in front of her. “Can I get a pair of jeans, too?”
“Don’t push it,” Dominique warned, concealing a smile. Because of her two jobs, she’d missed out on spending quality time with her sisters, and as she watched Jenna rummaging around in her closet for something clean to wear, guilt consumed her. Now that her dad was gone, she was the head of the family. So she had to do a better job of keeping in touch with Jenna, because it was clear her kid sister needed her support. “Jenna, I told Mom you’d phone her tonight. Don’t forget. She’s expecting your call after dinner.”
“All right, all right. I’ll call her.” Jenna grabbed a towel from her drawer and put on a plastic shower cap. “Will you be here when I get back?”
Dominique put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Of course, you’re taking me to lunch after this meeting!”
The sultry August heat was unbearable, and as Dominique trailed Jenna into the large state-of-the-art building, she dabbed at the perspiration on her cheeks. The campus library was thronged with students and faculty, but when Dominique stepped through the beveled glass doors, Marcel Benoit was the first person she saw.
Peering around the checkout desk while still remaining concealed, she tried to get a better look at the sexy heartthrob. Dominique couldn’t remember ever being this enamored with a man. Marcel had a confidence about him—a strong, compelling presence that couldn’t be denied or contained. The sleeves on his button-down shirt were rolled up, displaying arms rippling with muscle.
Growing aroused, she removed every sinful thought from her mind. Get a grip, girl. You’re too old to be drooling over a guy! The library was filled with dozens of cute brothers, but Marcel stood out from the pack. He wasn’t tattooed or pierced, and his pants weren’t hanging off his butt like the other guys strutting around. Marcel obviously took pride in his appearance, and she liked a man who knew how to dress.
“You’re going the wrong way,” Jenna said, taking her by the arm and leading her through the main floor. “The Adult Literacy Program group meets at the learning center at the back of the library.”
Dominique’s heart raced. Now they were heading toward Marcel. Excited to see him again, she picked up her pace. He glanced up from his textbook, and Dominique’s legs froze. His lips clamped together; he wore a serious, almost guarded expression—one that said she wasn’t welcome. “Do you know the guy sitting at the round table?” she asked, glancing at Jenna. “The one in the collared shirt and tan pants?”
“Yeah, that’s Marcel Benoit. His fiancée’s in my study group and—”
“Fiancée!” Seething inwardly, she told her sister about the bachelor party she worked at last week and her conversation with the soft-spoken Frenchman. “He told me he was single.”
“No, he’s definitely engaged,” she said, nodding her head. “Girls are always flirting with him, but he only has eyes for Sarita. He’s completely devoted
