“What are you two talking about?” Gray asked.
“Wedding dresses,” Evelyn said. “Which you can’t see.”
“Okay. But you know, I’m a pretty good judge of fashion.”
Evelyn stood. “Not in this case. You’ll just have to remain in the dark.”
Carolina stood, too. “Thanks for coming up to play dress-up.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t you know? It’s my favorite thing.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I’ll just bet it is. Which is why I appreciate it so much. But now you’re good to go until the day of the show.”
“Have you got time to have lunch with us?”
She didn’t, but she would, for her brother and for Evelyn. “Absolutely.”
She told her staff she’d be back in an hour. They acted like it was no big deal, which to them, it probably wasn’t. They all had their assigned tasks and didn’t need to be watched over. That’s why they were all awesome. To her, she felt like she had to stay on top of everything, which was probably her own OCD nature coming out.
“Come on, Carolina. The world of your fashion line won’t stop turning just because you grab a sandwich with us,” Gray said, dragging her out the door.
He was right, of course.
They went down the street and ordered sandwiches from one of her favorite delis, which made Gray ecstatic, since they were huge sandwiches. Carolina and Evelyn split a sandwich, since the deli loaded about a half pound of turkey on each one. They split a fruit salad as a side dish, too.
“How are things going with you and Drew?” Gray asked.
“Oh, just fine.” She had no idea how to have this conversation with her brother.
“So he treats you good?”
“He does.”
Gray shook his head. “I still can’t believe the two of you are a couple.”
Carolina looked at Evelyn, who just gave her a helpless look in response.
“Well, we are. Sort of. I don’t know. We’re seeing each other. For now.”
She cringed, even as the words came out of her mouth.
Gray frowned. “What the hell does that even mean?”
Evelyn laid her hand over Gray’s. “I think it means your sister would like for you to mind your own business.”
Gray’s gaze shifted from Evelyn back to Carolina. “What did I do? I just asked how things were going. It wasn’t like I was asking how good he was in bed.”
Carolina laid her head in her hands. “And it goes from bad to worse.”
“Okay, fine. I give up. I won’t ask anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” Carolina said. “It’s just . . . awkward, because the two of you are such good friends.”
“So that means there are problems between the two of you, and you think if you complain about him to me that I’ll get pissed off and go punch him out.”
Carolina laughed. “No. Well, I mean yes. That could happen. Or maybe it wouldn’t. God, I hope you wouldn’t do that. That would be so juvenile.”
Gray slanted her a look across the table.
“Okay, fine. No, there are no problems between us at the moment. We get along great. We have fun together. I can’t define what it is that’s happening between us, Gray, because, honestly, I just don’t know. We enjoy being with each other, but we’re both so heavily invested in our careers, I don’t know where it’s going. Or if it’ll last.”
“And if it doesn’t, and you two break up, you think it’ll come between Drew and me.”
“Yes. And I’d rather that doesn’t happen. I didn’t want you to know about Drew and me at all.”
Gray leaned back in his chair. “Cutting me out of that part of your life just because you think it will affect how I feel about my best friend kind of sucks, Carolina.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “For me, too. You and I have always been really close. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t tell you.”
“Until now.”
She nodded. “Because I also know how close you and Drew have always been. My relationship with him will affect your relationship with him. And it shouldn’t.”
“You can’t change that. He’s been one of my best friends for a lot of years. But you will always and forever be my sister. Family. Nothing trumps that bond. Not even friendship.”
Gray’s words shouldn’t have made tears fill her eyes. But they did. He was right. The bond they shared had always been strong. And it always would be. How foolish of her to think anything, or anyone, would come between them.
She reached across the table and grasped his hand. “Thank you for that. But I’m a grown woman now. And if it doesn’t work out between Drew and me, just know my eyes are wide open. And I can handle it, okay?”
Gray nodded. “Okay.”
TWENTY-FIVE
TRICK PASSED THE PUCK TO SAYERS. DREW WAS IN position, and despite the elbow from the defender trying desperately to shove him out of the way, he was determined to stay in front of the defender’s goal.
So when Sayers shot the puck to him, Drew turned and took the shot.
And the goalie scooped it up in his glove.