Page 25 of Enticing Her Love

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because she believed in the story fairy, and I didn’t want to steal that from her.”

He’d been attracted to many things about Sutton, but he had no idea what to do with the feelings her love for her siblings stirred. “Do you think she’s figured it out?”

She shrugged. “If she has, she never said anything to me about it. But she named her gift shop the Happy End.”

“A nod to her big sis. I love that.”

Something howled in the forest, and she froze, eyes wide. “What was that?” she asked shakily.

This time he didn’t hold back. He put his arm over her, pulling her against him. “Probably a monkey.”

“Geez,” she whispered. “Don’t the animals ever sleep?”

“There are just a lot of them.” He tried to find something to take her mind off the animals. “So, you’re the oldest girl, born after twin boys. I bet you were treated like a princess by your parents.”

“If I was, I don’t remember it. Levi and Leni are only two years younger than me, so all I remember is growing up with twin bookends and a baby sister who had cancer.”

“What was that like?”

She was quiet for so long, he didn’t think she was going to answer.

“Touchy subject?”

“No. I’m just thinking. I can’t remember anyone ever asking me that before. People always say it must’ve been fun growing up with such a big family, and it was. I love my family. My parents are amazing, and my brothers and sisters are the best. My mom would read to me most nights, and my dad always found a few minutes to sit and talk with me, but sometimes I felt a little lost among my siblings, which is probably why my grandmother and I are so close.”

“I can understand that. Did your grandmother live close by?”

“Yes. She lives in the carriage house behind my parents’ house. When I was little, she’d invite me over in the evening for tea parties. It was just the two of us. She’d serve tea in fancy teacups, and serve cookies, and we’d watch the news together. I’d talk about wanting to be a reporter, and sometimes I’d practice, and she’d tell me how great I was going to be. She used to say that people believed what we showed them, and if I believed in myself, others would, too.”

He imagined her as a lanky little girl, hazel eyes wide with excitement as she mimicked her favorite reporters. “Sounds like a smart woman, and you obviously heeded her advice.”

“I took my cues from her and my mom. They’re two of the most confident women I know, and my grandmother is a fellow fashionista, so I figured she knew what she was talking about.”

“Sounds like being a glamour girl runs in your family.”

She smiled up at him. “You should see my grandmother. She’s more of a glamour girl than I am. She wears her hair in a stylish blond pixie cut and has a closet full of designer clothes. She never goes out without makeup and being fully accessorized. My mom has a good sense of style, and Leni always looks well put together. Jules can’t help but look cute in anything she wears. But my grandmother and I really love fashion, and not to show off or for anyone else’s benefit. It’s just something we’re passionate about for ourselves. Some people spoil themselves with trips or fancy cars. For us, it’s fashion. For as long as I can remember, the week before school started, my grandmother would tell my mom we had to run an errand, as if we were staying on the island. Then we’d take the ferry to Cape Cod and get our nails done and shop all afternoon.”

“It sounds like your relationship with her is a lot like mine with my grandfather.”

“I think so, too. That’s why being the first granddaughter brought into the Bra Brigade was a big deal for me. I got special time with my grandmother, and it felt good to have something the other kids didn’t. That sounds crappy, doesn’t it? Since we had tea parties and a shopping trip once a year, too. But it wasn’t like the tea parties were every night.”

He felt a budding connection taking root and held her tighter. “Not at all. By the time I came along, my parents were already at the stage where they let me do things they never would have let the older kids do. I know what it’s like to”—feel like the lost boy—“want something of your own.”

“Who would’ve thought we’d have that in common? For me, that feeling was often overridden by not wanting to be a burden on my parents. The boys were wild, Leni was tough, and Jules had been sick. They had enough to worry about, so I kind of blended into the background, got perfect grades, and did as I was told. My dad even called me his little angel. He still calls me that sometimes.”

“That’s a cute nickname, but you’re not someone who blends in.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re not a wallflower. You’re opinionated, and behind that ball-busting confidence is a huge heart. You go the extra mile for the people who need it, and all those things make you stand out.”

“I went the extra mile for my baby sister.”

“Not just for her. When Ted’s wife had a baby, you got everyone to say congratulations on video and sent it to them with that basket full of baby stuff.” Ted was one of their cameramen. “And when that office intern had her appendix out last year, you put together a care package and passed a card around the office for everyone to sign.”