Page 33 of The Sweet Life

“I do, but it’s like you used to say to me when you weremy cool,chillolder sister:Everything happens for a reason.” Eva nudged her with her tray. “She’s suspended with pay, and you heard the doctor, she needs time to rest and recover.”

“I know. And it’s not like we could ever convince her to take time off.” She smiled. “It’ll be nice having her home for a while.”

“Are you going to tell her about Aaron?”

“Did you have to bring him up? I’ve got enough on my plate without thinking about him,” Gia said as she grabbed a yogurt, a bottle of raspberry kombucha, and a salad for Sage. Beside her, Eva loaded her tray with doughnuts, cookies, chocolate cake, and two cartons of chocolate milk.

“That better not be for my daughter.”

Eva grinned. “Which one?”

“The one lying in a hospital bed.”

“A little sugar never hurt anyone. Besides, she’s exhausted. A sugar rush will do her good.” Covering her ears, Eva moved her tray along the counter with her hip. “I can’t hear you so don’t bother lecturing me on the evils of white sugar.”

Gia grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and put it on her own tray, shrugging when her sister looked at her. “Don’t judge. I could use a sugar rush too. It’s been a day.”

“Okay, don’t get mad at me, but you realize the Aaron thing isn’t Cami’s fault, right?”

“Of course it is. If she hadn’t written her memoir, there wouldn’t have been a reporter out there hunting Aaron down.”

“You’re right, and I understand how it must feel thinking about that time of your life being splashed across tabloids and on the big screen. But it’s in the past. The very distantpast. And Cami’s right. It’s not like Aaron is suddenly going to show up in Sunshine Bay. Besides, if he did, there is a gorgeous six-foot-four man who would happily beat him up for you.”

“As much as I’d appreciate your husband’s willingness to go all macho man for me, I can take care of myself.”

“My husband is a beautiful, protective beast of a man, but James wasn’t who I was talking about, so let’s try this again. And remember, while you are my sister, you are also my best friend, and best friends don’t lie to each other. So, what is really going on between you and the fabulous Flynn?”

Her sister was her person. She shared everything with her—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and Eva did the same. It hadn’t felt right keeping her relationship with Flynn from her sister, and Gia could use a sounding board.

She glanced around for any family members who might have come in search of her and Eva. When she didn’t see anyone, she raised her hand. “Pinkie swear you won’t tell a single soul.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re not kids anymore. I promise I’ll take your secret to my grave.”

Gia wiggled her baby finger.

Eva rolled her eyes but then latched on to Gia’s pinkie with hers. “I swear I will not tell a single soul that you are in love with Flynn Monroe.”

“Eva!” Gia squeezed her sister’s pinkie with her own while once again looking around the cafeteria. Thankfully, her family and Flynn were still in the waiting room on Sage’s floor. She had a feeling the nurses weren’t as grateful as she was. Carmen had been standing at the nurses’ station, grilling them abouther granddaughter’sconditionwhen Eva and Gia had sneaked away. “I’m not in love with him.”

Her sister tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowed on Gia’s face. Then she straightened her head and nodded. “Yes, you are. You just don’t want to admit it to yourself.”

“We’ve only been dating for two weeks.”

“You’re dating!”

“Why don’t you tell the entire hospital while you’re at it?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. You took me by surprise, that’s all.”

“How? You just told me I’m in love with him.”

“Never mind that.” Eva waggled her dark eyebrows. “Tell me everything, and I mean everything. Is he good in bed? Because he looks liked he’d be amazing.”

“What does that even mean?” She waved her hand. “Never mind. I don’t want to know, and no, we haven’t slept together.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You rarely broke your no-sex-until-nine-dates rule, but you’ve had such a long dry spell, I thought you might have skipped the waiting period. Especially because it’sFlynn Monroe.”

“You better not let your husband hear you talking about Flynn that way. You sound like you have a crush on him.”

---