Page 14 of The Perfect Distraction

“I know what you meant, but I’m not ready yet.”

As if she hadn’t even heard her, Becca said, “So, what else can you tell me about the hot dad?”

“I never said he was ‘hot.’” I just thought it!

“Good looking. Whatever. What’s his story?”

“All I know is that he’s been divorced for almost two years and he’s a carpenter. He’s the one who installed Aunt Jenny’s hardwood floor.”

“A carpenter, huh? He must be good with his hands,” Becca said suggestively.

“So overdone,” Beth said, but she giggled anyway.

“You should ask him out.”

“What? No! I’m tutoring his son, not trying to get in his…”

“Toolbelt?” Becca said and then burst out laughing.

“Okay. This conversation is officially over. I’m hanging up.”

“No. Wait. I have something to tell you too.”

“Oh. Is it about that guy you’re dating—Richard?”

“Richard is so last week. No, it’s about Christopher.”

Beth’s heart plummeted, and she slumped into the nearest chair. “What about him?”

“I ran into him a couple days ago.”

Beth wasn’t really surprised. Clarkston wasn’t that big a town, and they were bound to run into him occasionally. “Do I even want to know?”

Sisters were excellent mind readers, and Becca was no exception. “He was with someone,” she said quietly as if that would help soften the blow. “I didn’t call you right away because I wasn’t sure you’d want to know, but Brooke told me to tell you.”

That figured. Their youngest sister, Brooke, hated keeping secrets. She wouldn’t have liked the idea of Becca keeping this from her.

“Did you talk to him? What did he look like? Tell me everything.” She wished she didn’t want to know, but she did. Curiosity always got the best of her.

“There’s not much to tell. Richard and I were eating at Outback Steakhouse when they walked in. I tried to crouch down in my seat so Christopher wouldn’t see me, but it was too late.”

“And then what?” Beth had stood up and resumed pacing, as if that would make the news any easier to take.

“He, well, they stopped by the table and said hello.”

“Was that all?”

“Basically.”

Beth got the feeling that her sister was purposely omitting something, but how could it be any worse than what he’d already done to her. “Did he say anything else?”

“He asked how you were doing,” Becca said hesitantly as if she were bracing herself for an attack.

Beth was struggling to keep her anger in check. “And what did you say?”

“I said you were doing excellent and that you’d gone away for the summer.” Becca cleared her throat and then added, “I might have said you went somewhere exotic like, I don’t know, Tahiti or someplace like that.”

Beth stopped in her tracks and burst out laughing. “Are you serious? Tahiti?”