Page 99

“When Aunt Cecilia said that, I thought she meant your—” She looked at his lap. “But you’d proven that wrong.”
“My downstairs plumbing is in Olympic shape, which you will see tonight after we get off work.”
Cleo opened the door, one hand covering her eyes, but the pointer and middle finger were parted so she could see through the slit. When she saw they were both clothed she dropped her hand with a disappointed sigh. “He says it’s flooding the storage room and has the potential to ruin your book inventory.”
“Go,” Summer said, standing up.
“But—”
“Go, we can finish this later.” She kissed him on the lips and smacked his butt.
Summer was tying a bow around the gift bags that held a bookmark, pen, and magnet for the first thousand customers when the front door of the apartment opened. Thinking it was Wes, she turned with a big smile, which fell the moment she saw Autumn.
Her twin looked as if she’d just come from a photo shoot. Her hair was perfection, her makeup was flawless, and her outfit was runway-ready. She looked like a bona fide influencer.
The two hadn’t spoken since the beach house and Summer had refused to make the first move. She’d always been the one to go to Autumn, apologize for fighting even when she hadn’t been the cause or initiated the disagreement. Well, this wasn’t a disagreement, it was a battle of moral compasses, and she didn’t know how to navigate that.
Wes had taught her her worth, and she wasn’t willing to be a doormat anymore. Not even for her sister. Which was why she didn’t run over and embrace Autumn, even though that was what every cell in her body was telling her to do. Autumn seemed disappointed that Summer hadn’t made her usual first move.
“Hey,” Autumn said tentatively, her face clouded with uneasiness.
“Hi.”Don’t you dare move! This is her doing. She needs to come to you.
“I went to the shop to see if you were there and Cleo told me to go eat a bag of dicks. So I figured that meant you were in the apartment. And still mad at me.”
“I’m not mad, Autumn. I’m hurt and devastated and, yeah, angry. But mostly I’m just sad. You lied to me, broke a promise to me, and blindsided me. That’s not how sisters treat each other.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I put my dream above yours. Which is why I have this.” Autumn held out an envelope that was so stuffed it barely closed.
Summer looked at it like it was a scorpion ready to strike. For all she knew it was a letter explaining all the reasons why Summer couldn’t be in the wedding. “What’s that?”
“Me paying off my debt.” Autumn took out a wad of cash and fanned herself with it.
She walked over, but the island was between them. She set the money on the tile counter.
“It’s all there. Ten grand plus interest.”
“Where did you get this?”
Autumn smiled. “I listened to my really smart twin sister and came clean with my fiancé.”
“He just gave you ten thousand dollars?” Oh, to be a Kingston.
“No, I wouldn’t take his money. But I did take his help. He co-signed my loan that will give me enough breathing room to go after my dream the way you’ve gone after yours, and really make it as an influencer. I already have a photographer and lighting guy set up. They come highly recommended. One even worked for the Kardashians for a bit. And I made a business plan, a real one that you would be so proud of. I’m going to make this work. I promise.”
“That’s great, Autumn,” Summer said with no emotion. Once again, her sister was making it about herself.
“But what I really came to ask is if you’re okay. I know you’re with Wes, how is that going?”
A little brick of her emotional wall crumbled at the sound of his name. “He said he loved me.”
Autumn took a step closer. “He did? I knew you two were a match when you made the bet for him to pack up and leave.”
“You knew about that? How?”
“You two were talking so loud the whole house heard. That’s why we all voted for him to win.”
“So you rigged the game?”