“Get over it.”
“I’m working on it, aren’t I? Anyway, we had to get to what do we do about it, if anything. He had an outline.”
“Of course.” Parker smiled as she spooned up yogurt.
“You’d expect that because the two of you are from the same mold. I told him if you and I were gay we’d be married.”
Parker nodded again as she ate her yogurt. “I could see that.”
“We talked it over and we agreed we’d see each other and do stuff that people do, except no sex.”
Brows lifting, Parker licked her spoon. “You’re going to date but not have sex?”
“For thirty days. The theory being we’d know by then if we really wanted to have sex, or if it’s just ... hmm. I know it’s reasonable and adult, but we know we want to have sex now.”
“You take a little time first to make sure you’ll still like each other if and when you do.”
“Yeah, that’s the sticker.There was more in there. Tribes and my legs, but the upshot was we’re going to see how it goes.You’re really okay with it?”
Parker rapped her knuckles lightly on Laurel’s head. “Of course I’m okay with it, and if I wasn’t okay with it, you should tell me to go to hell and mind my own business. Want some of this yogurt?”
“No, thanks. Pot stickers.” But she leaned her head on Parker’s shoulder. “I’m glad I didn’t manage to sneak in.”
“Be gladder I’ve decided to be magnanimous and not be insulted you tried to.”
“Best friend ever.”
“It’s so true. I am. He’s a good man. I know he can be bossy because, same mold.And I know he has flaws, but he’s such a good man.” She laid her hand over Laurel’s briefly. “He deserves you. You and I have to make a pact right now, that when you need to bitch about him—or he needs to bitch about you to me—that you and I handle it the way we handle any other bitching about guys. You don’t feel hamstrung because he’s my brother, and I don’t take offense because he’s my brother.”
“All right.”
They hooked pinkies on the swear.
“Now I’m going up, finishing up a couple things.” Parker rose. “You know if you don’t fill in Emma and Mac, their feelings are going to be hurt.”
“I’ll update them.” She pushed to her feet to walk to the third level with Parker.
FULL DISCLOSURE, DEL DECIDED, AND MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO meet Jack for a morning workout. Since the word was full, he told Jack to drag Carter along. He started off with cardio while Carter approached a treadmill with obvious trepidation.
“I try to avoid doing this sort of thing in public. People could get hurt.”
“Start off slow, then kick it up every couple minutes.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“I’ve missed this place.” In solidarity, Jack took the machine on the other side of Del. “Having the home gym right there’s convenient, but you miss the group buzz. Plus the many athletic females in skimpy outfits. I’m engaged, but still breathing,” he said at Del’s look.
“I don’t understand walking on an electric belt when there are sidewalks right outside.” Gripping the bar with one hand—just in case—Carter gestured vaguely. “And they don’t move under your feet.”
“Kick it up, Carter. Snails are passing you. How’s my Macadamia?”
“She’s good.” Brow furrowed, Carter increased the speed slightly. “Staff meeting this morning, and a studio shoot. It’s probably good I’m out of the way for a couple hours.”
“You’ll have your professor room before long,” Jack told him. “Then we’ll move on to Emma’s new space, and Laurel’s.”
“Speaking of Laurel, we’re dating.” He heard the oof from the left and glanced over. “You okay, Carter?”
“Just missed my footing. Um, by dating, you mean each other?”
“That would be my definition.”
“This would be my cue to jump down your throat and demand to know what you mean by taking advantage of one of my girls?”
Del shifted his gaze toward Jack as he punched up his speed. “Unlike you, I’m not sneaking around and hiding it.”
“I wasn’t sneaking and hiding, I just hadn’t figured out how to explain about Emma, for a short period of time. And since I’m marrying into the Quartet, I have certain privileges and duties. If you’re sleeping with Laurel—”
“I’m not sleeping with Laurel. We’re dating.”
“Right, and the two of you are just going to hold hands, admire the moon, and sing camp songs.”
“For a while. Minus the singing. No comments from you?” he asked Carter.
“I’m kind of busy trying to stay on my feet.”To ensure he did, Carter gripped the bar one-handed again. “I guess, off the top of my head, I’d say this is a quick situational change.”
“I thought so at first, now I’m not so sure. It feels like it’s been brewing awhile.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Jack said, punching up his speed to match Del’s pace. “How did this brewing situational change happen?”
“We had a fight, culminating in her telling me, and demonstrating that, I wasn’t her brother. Which I’m not. So we’re dating, and I’m just letting you know”
“Okay. Three miles?”
“You’re on. Kick it up, Carter,” Del told him.
Carter said, “Oh God.”
SUNDAY MORNING LAUREL LEFT HER KITCHEN WORK TO DASH upstairs for the pre-event briefing. When she found her three partners already in place, she held up a hand. “I’m not late.”And since she’d already had two cups of coffee that morning, grabbed a bottle of water. “Just FYI, it’s raining.”
“The forecast calls for it to stop midmorning,” Parker stated. “But we’re prepared to move everything inside if it doesn’t.”
“The arrangements are pretty simple,” Emma put in. “If it clears by noon, we can have everything dressed outside by one. Otherwise, we can shift it all to the Great Hall, do a big fireplace arrangement pretty quickly, add candles. We’re set either way. We’ll have both suites finished by ten.”
“The grooms are due to arrive at eleven.”
“I’ll shift back and forth for formals.” Mac nodded at Parker. “Both grooms have sisters standing up for them, which makes it nice. I can get some good shots with that dynamic. Doing guys means less hair and makeup time, and each has just the one attendant, so I should be done with the formals by twelve, twelve fifteen.”
“Guests arriving twelve thirty, short cocktail mixer.” Parker read off her schedule. “For the outside ceremony, we line up at one, attendants will walk down the aisle together, then grooms will approach from either side. Ceremony time, twenty minutes. Mac takes post-pictures, caterers pass finger food.”
“Again, it’ll be pretty quick. Fifteen minutes should do it.”
“Figure one forty-five for the grooms to be announced, buffet brunch, toasts. DJ announces first dance at two thirty. Cake cutting three thirty.”
“All the pastries are done for the dessert table. I’ll finish the cake by ten, and we’ll move it into the Ballroom. We’re providing the knife and server. The happy couple has requested the top layer be removed and boxed for them to take home.”
“Okay. Dancing continues at three forty until four fifteen. We’ll transfer the gifts, announce the last dance.We’re clear at four thirty. Any concerns? Potential disasters?”
“Not on my end. They’re both really cute and should photograph well.”
“They went with big, happy geranium boutonnieres to match the cake,” Emma added. “Pretty adorable.”
“They wrote the script for the ceremony themselves.” Parker tapped her file. “It’s incredibly sweet. We’re going to have a lot of crying. Laurel, anything on your end?”