Midlife Love Story

She shrugged and turned over the engine. “Eventually.”

That’s exactly what I was afraid of.

Chapter 19

Carlotta

When my doorbell rang at six o’clock, my breath hitched. It was unlikely that I would find Chase on the other side of that door given our last conversation, but I couldn’t prevent my stupid heart from hoping. I slowly exhaled and opened the door.

“Pippa, this is a nice surprise. What are you and Ryanna doing here?”

Pippa rolled her eyes and pressed a kiss to Ryanna’s head before handing the baby to me. “I need some big girl conversation. And lots of food that I shouldn’t be eating.”

“You’ve come to the right place,” I assured her and stepped back so she could drag the baby’s stroller and diaper bag inside. Ryanna was wide awake with a sweet smile on her face as I bounced her. “She’s grown so much in just a few weeks.”

“Right? I’m worried that I’ll wake up tomorrow and she’ll be a surly teenager.” Pippa laughed and reached for her daughter, laughing even harder when I pulled back. “Hey, no fair.”

“Consider this me giving you a small break that you didn’t ask for.”

“Thanks,” she said on a sigh and dropped down on the sofa. She tucked her legs under herself and settled into a comfortable position. “First, let’s order food, and then you can tell me how the wedding planning is coming along?”

We took a quick break to browse menus before we settled on pizza with garlic bread and wings. And cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. We settled on the sofa again with iced tea at our sides and Ryanna still in my arms.

“Wedding plans are going well.” I updated her on all the details. “Next up is invitations and flowers, if you have any ideas.”

Pippa nodded, and her thoughtful expression told me she had given it some thought. “I was thinking white flowers, all types as long as they’re white, accented with some yellow flowers, and maybe silver ribbons on the vases and bouquets?”

I beamed a smile at her. “Those are details I can work with. Thanks.” I leaned over and grabbed the closest notepad to jot down her ideas.

“You’re welcome,” she shot back quickly. “Now, what’s going on between you and my brother?”

I don’t know if it was her words or her tone that put me on edge, but I risked a look at Pippa who seemed more amused than anything. Still, I couldn’t give in that easily. “He’s helping me plan your wedding just as you requested.”

“I’m calling a big fat BS on that. There’s something going on, and your denial only tells me that it’s more than spending time together.” Her blue eyes stared a hole into me, and I felt my resolve start to crumble. “Spill. Now.”

“There’s nothing to spill,” I assured her. “There was a moment, a brief one, where I thought or maybe we thought it could be something more. But as it turns out, we were both wrong.” That was the most expedient answer that didn’t force me to think too hard about how much I missed Chase, and how easy and fun things were between us.

Pippa shook her head and dropped her face in her hands with a groan. “My brother is the world’s biggest idiot.”

“He’s not. He and I just want, or rather, expect, different things. So we decided to shelve anything personal and keep it professional. And platonic.” Except for the regular orgasms we still shared.

“Is that why he was so miserable when he came by for dinner yesterday?” My eyes widened in shock, and Pippa laughed. “That’s what I thought. He had that hang-dog expression he used to have when he got a B in school. He was grumpy and pouting, but refused to talk about it.”

I shrugged off her words and evaded her knowing looks. “It’s probably work.”

“It’s not. He was confused and grouchy, and Chase is always sure and confident when it comes to work.”

“He’s confident and sure about a lot of things.” Including wanting to keep a real relationship secret. “Anyway, there’s nothing to tell, unless you have a burning desire to hear details of your brother’s sex life.”

Pippa’s eyelids slammed shut and she smacked her hands over her ears. “Ew. Yuck. No thank you, please.” After her dramatics were over, Pippa sighed. “This is going to end badly for both of you, please tell me you know that?”

“It won’t, in fact. I have it all under control, I promise.”

Pippa slid to the edge of her seat and rested her chin on her hands. “This I’ve got to hear.”

“Simple. We plan the wedding together and we sleep together, but that’s it. We don’t hang out or cuddle or share meals anymore. There’s a line in the sand that I won’t allow us to cross.”

Her brows dipped in confusion. “To make sure you don’t fall for him?”