It seemed impossible that Mia had more tears to shed, but as she and Eva walked arm-in-arm to the baggage claim, Mia’s cheeks remained wet. Her initial outburst had lasted long enough for the luggage to make its way from the belly of the airplane to the terminal. Mia collected her suitcase and followed her sister to short-term parking, where she’d left her car.
Because it was impossible for them to have a conversation while Eva drove, they sat in the parking lot long enough for Eva to ask several questions.
“Have you spoken to Ivy and asked her what she was thinking?”
“No. I was afraid what I might say.”
“Have you talked to Mom and Dad?”
Again Mia shook her head. “I’m also afraid of what they’ll say.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened now or wait until we get to my condo?”
“I’ll wait.”
While Eva drove, she shared with Mia bits of what had been going on in her job. Although Eva preferred to sign, she’d also learned how to speak. She’d had to in order to communicate with their father and sister, neither of whom had learned more than the most basic of signs. Mia knew this hurt Eva, but she was a pragmatist. Which was why she’d left California to pursue psychiatry. Her life in Chicago was the sort of normal Mia craved.
“Are you hungry?” Eva signed as they waited at the bottom of the freeway ramp for the light to turn green. “We can go to a restaurant and you can tell me what’s going on. Or we can go home.”
Mia grew confused by something in her sister’s manner. An evasiveness so unlike Eva that Mia grew immediately suspicious. She had to wait until the next stoplight to ask her question.
“What’s going on at home?”
“I thought you might be more comfortable talking without anyone around.”
“At a restaurant?” Mia eyed her sister intently. “What’s at home that you don’t want to bring me there?” Not for one second did Mia think it was anyone from their family, and she knew Nate wasn’t aware she’d taken a detour. “Jeremy? Did I interrupt your evening? I’m so sorry.”
“Nonsense. I haven’t seen you in six months.” She shot Mia a wry grin. “Him I see all the time.”
Eva had been dating Jeremy for the last year. He was a pediatric doctor at Evanston Hospital. They’d met when she’d done her residency there and had been friends for several years before deciding to give dating a try.
Joy flooded Mia. If anyone deserved to be happy it was Eva. “It’s gotten serious then?”
The joy shining in Eva’s eyes was answer enough. “We’re living together.”
“Wow.”
A spike of envy drove through Mia’s heart. She didn’t resent her sister’s happiness, but it shone a light on her own failure to grab the brass ring. Mia’s eyes went to Eva’s bare left hand as her sister rubbed her ring finger in an unconscious gesture.
“Are you engaged?”
Eva nodded but looked pained. Mia flinched as the subtext hit her in the chest.
“How long?”
“Six weeks. We wouldn’t be living together otherwise.”
Eva had been engaged for six weeks and had kept it secret from her family. Or perhaps secret wasn’t the best word. Their parents, Ivy, even Mia, were so focused on Ivy’s career that there wasn’t room for anything else.
“Where is your ring?”
“My purse.”
Mia opened her sister’s purse and dug the diamond ring from a zippered interior pocket. She drew it out and handed it to her sister, who slipped it on. “I’m sorry I didn’t know.”
The stoplight turned green and Eva started the car forward.
“My fault. I should have told you.”