Page 21 of Patio Lanterns

“Nothing,” they chirped in unison.

“Come on, something’s going on,” Robin demanded. “Tell me.”

“Should we?” Lark asked Dove.

Dove shrugged. “Might as well. She’s going to find out later anyway.”

“That surprise I had? Well, it’s Aidan,” Lark said. “I invited him for dinner tonight.”

The blood rushed from Robin’s head. Probably because it just exploded. “Aidan Hunter is coming over tonight?” She gulped down the lemon-sized lump in her throat. “Cool, cool. Cool.”

“He’s got a place nearby on Mirror Bay, so I thought it’d be fun to have him over for old time’s sake and catch up.”

“Great.” Robin shrugged nonchalantly, but inside, her heart beat so loud she was sure her sisters could hear it too.

Dove laughed. “Geez, Rob, I’m surprised. I really thought you’d be freaking out.”

“Me? No,” she scoffed. “I mean, so what? All that stuff with Aidan is ancient history. I’ve barely thought about the guy since I last saw him.”

Lark bounced her eyebrows. “Well, he definitely remembers you.”

“Oh, I’m sure he does. As your dorky little sister.”

“And he’s still single.”

“Is he?” Robin’s voice cracked. “I mean, so what?”

“He’s done quite well for himself too,” Lark reported, eyeing Robin up and down. “Do you have anything else to wear tonight besides those ratty jean shorts?”

“Of course I do. My Christian Siriano custom couture is in the van,” Robin sneered, and Dove snickered.

“You really have to start putting more effort into your appearance if you want to be taken seriously,” Lark told her. “Tonight would be an ideal time to start.”

Robin glared. “I’ll wear whatever I feel like wearing, thank you very much.”

Dove intervened. “I might have something you can try on, Rob,” she said. That was unlikely, given that Dove was several inches taller, with slender hips and pert little teacup tits. Robin probably wouldn’t even fit into her hat.

“Okay, thanks,” she conceded. “We can have a look.”

Lark clapped. “Excellent. And I’ll take care of making dinner, you two set the table. They’ll be here at seven.”

“They?” Robin questioned.

“Oh, right,” Lark said. “Forgot to mention that Aidan is bringing his father with him.”

“I didn’t even know Aidan had a father,” Robin said.

Dove laughed. “Well, of course he does, silly.”

“No, I meant, one who was still in the picture. Weren’t his folks divorced when Aidan was like, a baby? He only ever came to the lake with his mom.”

“They were estranged for some time,” Lark said. “But Aidan says they’ve recently started trying to patch their relationship.”

“That’s nice,” Dove said.

“It sounds like it’s still a pretty delicate situation. Aidan says the poor guy’s depressed and withdrawn and practically living like a recluse. He thought it’d be good to get his dad out for a bit.”

“Hoo boy, sounds like a real party,” Robin snarked.

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