to find. At a certain point I had to narrow down my focus and decrease distractions.
I told all the animals, and they’re very excited to see their Aunt Fi, she wrote back. Everything okay though?
I tapped my fingernails on the side of my phone. Roxy hadn’t been that enthusiastic about Brendan the one time they’d met. Her exact words had been duller than watching paint dry. The memory was gratifying now, and, okay, I’d fucking never admit this to my big sister, but she was right. I kept hoping his personality and charm would appear out of nowhere, like he was only hiding it to surprise me with later. His (supposed) excitement over marriage and commitment was what kept me going.
I hated to admit defeat. But the second Roxy saw my face, her sneaky big-sister powers would spot the lie. Brendan dumped me. I’m fine but need your and Edward’s help with something.
A second later, my phone lit up with her reply. Hiding his dead fucking body?
I pressed the phone to my chest and shut my eyes, happy I was alone for this brief moment of vulnerability. The Quinns could be frustrating and intense, but there was never any doubt they wouldn’t move mountains for me if I asked.
Thank you for that generous offer, but I’m good on body removal services. I carefully placed files and document templates into my bag. Picked up the needle on the record and silenced the music. I fixed the tiniest smudge of eyeliner and checked my appearance one last time.
I knew what I had to do now.
It was time to sign a fucking contract.
2
Fiona
Roxy opened the door to her and Edward’s apartment in Washington Heights wearing a scowl filled with sisterly affection. She held out a glass of red wine so fast I had to jump back.
“Your support is appreciated, as always.” I smirked. “And I’ll take that, thank you.”
Wine in hand, I went to slide past her, but she stopped me with a hug I hadn’t seen coming. “Did that boring asshole break your heart?”
“Not a chance in hell,” I said. Although the spontaneous hug from my sister had me feeling more than Brendan’s text. “Also, I miss you.”
She pulled back, led me inside to be greeted by her parade of rescue pets. “Yeah, same. Where have you been, by the way?”
I set the glass and my bag down as two cats and a dog came bounding over to me. Sinking to my knees, I gave grateful hugs to my furry nieces and nephews. Apple and Cucumber purred at my feet while Roxy’s three-legged pit bull, Busy Bee, spun around in excitement. My sister was devoted to animal rescue, an issue that revealed the secret soft heart beneath her snarky scowls and heavily inked skin.
“Work has been chaos. As usual. And I’ve been busy dating boring assholes and then being dumped by them, via text.” I opened up my text exchange with Brendan and handed her my phone. Her eyebrows shot up in approval.
“‘Go fuck yourself forever’ has a nice ring to it. And I’d be happy to terrorize him in a dark alley, even if he is only a minor annoyance.”
I lifted one shoulder and managed to avoid her concerned gaze. “He was all about commitment and monogamy two days ago when we were having sex. Interestingly enough.”
Roxy shot me a look I couldn’t avoid. “And you’re sure your heart’s okay?”
“It wasn’t like that with Brendan,” I said. “My heart reserves judgment until I can ensure they meet my requirements.” I poked her arm. “No falling in love with my business school mentor on day one, like some of us in this family.”
Teasing my sister about how rapidly she’d fallen in love with her sophisticated, British fiancé was one of my favorite things to do. And the way she grinned back at me illustrated how hopelessly in love she was. My sister’s passionate love affair with Edward was painfully obvious to anyone standing in the same room with them. I’d never experienced that feeling—yet. My relationships, when I had them, tended to be a little quieter. Muted. More of a study in our compatibility and less tearing-your-clothes-off-I’m-obsessed.
But I assumed this came after your soul mate status was guaranteed. What was the point in messy, distracting passion if it only derailed your plans?
I stood, reaching for the freshly shaved side of Roxy’s head. “Edward touch that up for you?”
“What are hot fiancés for?” Like me, she was blond—although her dye job was more