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“Why? I like to be prepared.”

“For what?”

“Murder, duh,” she says, as if that’s even a thing someone can be prepared for.

I need to hang up and get ready for my shift, but I can’t let this one go. “Okay, I’ll play. How on earth would a true crime show help you when someone’s holding a knife to your throat?”

“For starters, I’d know how to escape. The victims who survive these horrible ordeals all have special moves. I can use their experience to my advantage.”

I frown. “Special moves? Like The Avengers?”

“Of course not, they’re not real.” I can hear the eye roll in her voice. “I’m talking about kicks and punches. Specialized jiujitsu moves. That kind of thing.”

I shake my head with a laugh. “You’ve never even taken a jiujitsu class. Wouldn’t it be wise to practice? There’s no way you can pull off a move like that just by observing someone who can.”

“You and I can wrestle later tonight, and I’ll prove it to you.”

“Yeah, no can do. There’s a group of fifteen senior ladies waiting for me to give them the time of their lives.”

“Where exactly are you?” she asks, an incredulous tone to her voice.

“At work.”

“You work in a strip club now?”

“Ew, no,” I say, pinching the space between my eyes. “Look, I’ll explain later. I’ve got to run. I will make it up to you, I promise.”

She sighs. “Fine. I’ll call the restaurant and ask if they have any availability later this week.”

“Thanks for understanding. Love you.”

“Same. See you later. Oh, and I shouldn’t wait up, right?”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “I don’t think I’ll have to work that late. I’ll be back by nine, tops.”

She chuckles. “That’s what you say now, but what if one of the seniors wants to get her hands on you? You might wake up in a back room of the park tomorrow morning, all blissed out.”

I shake my head. “You’re unbelievable, sis. First of all, I’d never do that. I’m at work, for goodness’ sake. Second of all, stop putting images like that in my mind.”

“Nah, I won’t. That’s what siblings are for, right?”

She laughs heartily. Before I can come up with a snarky reply, she’s disconnected the call. Now I can’t stop thinking about those sweet ladies making a pass at me. I shake my head and chuckle. Sisters. Never a dull moment with one of those in your life.

I head back to the castle gardens through the staff only doors and corridors. Elle’s already there, and when she spots me, she throws me one of her dazzling smiles.

I quickly scan the area before planting a soft kiss on her lips. She reacts with a content sigh. Then she leads me to one of the wrought iron benches.

“I want to talk to you about something.”

She’s still smiling, so I figure it’s not bad news. “Go ahead.”

“I think we should tell Maggie about us.”

“You’re right,” I say.

Her face lights up. “Really? Wow. It feels so good to know we’re on the same page about this. What a relief.”

“When do you want to tell her? I was meant to go out to dinner with her tonight, but apparently we have this work event.”