Page 6 of Willa

“Now you sound like Dad.”

“What’s your game here, Andie?” I sit on the edge of my desk and give her my best direct stare to let her know I’m serious.

She plops down in a chair, unfazed. Plucking a decorative paperweight off my desk, she examines it a little too closely. “What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing Willa? You said she never wanted to see me again.”

Andie sets the paperweight back on the desk and looks down at her lap, a sure sign she was scheming. This time, I can use it to my advantage.

“So, she changed her mind and decided she was willing to see me?”

Even though she’s looking down, I see my sister cringe.

“Andie,” My voice starts low but rises as I draw out her name in warning.

“Fine. She didn’t know you were going to be here, okay? It’s just,” Andie sighs. “She changed after you rejected her and I thought if she faced you, maybe it would help.”

“Changed? Changed how?”

Andie plays with her thumbnail for a moment before looking up at me. “It ruined her confidence. After that night, it seemed she was always just waiting for the next rejection.”

I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut. She’d been too young. She wasn’t the kind to look for a one-night stand, and neither of us had been ready for a relationship.

“You’re going to keep your nose out of it,” I say. “In fact, you’re going to bow out of the rest of the weekend.”

“What? Why?”

“Because if you’re there, we’ll never address the topic. It will be a three-way conversation all weekend with you answering for Willa. Just like you did at dinner.”

Andie huffs out a breath. “Fine. I didn’t mean to answer for her. I just feel guilty. I forced her hand and now I feel like I should protect her.”

“You need to let us have a private conversation and work it all out. You’re going to fake being sick tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Andie slumps in her chair. “But if you hurt her feelings again, I’m not sure I’ll want to speak to you again, either. And you’ll owe me another trip to San Francisco where I actually get to see the sights.” She flounces out of the room before I can reply.