Page 43 of The Wrong Sister

“I know. I like that about you. I guess I suddenly felt nervous. I like to know where I stand.”

“You’re not currently standing at all, but I’m a fan of our circumstances.”

“That’s only because my ass is in your hands.”

“100% true.” I squeeze for emphasis. “This is real. I mean, it’s fucking real to me.”

“Excellent. I like you, Griff. You know that. There’s a lot of history here. Promise me, if things feel off, if we reach a point where you’re worried this is going to ruin our friendship or hurt our families, you’ll tell me. I’m not saying it will be easy or I’ll be happy to hear it, but I’d rather that than lose you forever.”

I hate that thought, and I readily agree. I know exactly how she feels.

26

mina

I think I need someone to pinch me. No, that won’t be enough. I need a swift punch to the boob. I’m dating Griffin Simms! If thirteen-year-old me could see me now…eh, she’d probably scowl and insist someone was fucking with her. It’s that unbelievable. I think what I’m enjoying the most is the fact that it’s not some empty fantasy. We’re having fun together and I’m getting to know who he is as an adult. We spent the morning hiking and swinging over the falls, then had lunch before going home, separately. It was an actual date, not an undefined bubble of sexy times. I have the rest of the afternoon to myself. We didn’t make other plans, but I feel sure I’ll see him again tonight. Hanging out with him is comfortable and he’s quite literally across the street. Until then, I need some sister time. I haven’t seen Catherine this week—we’ve both been too busy, and I’ve missed her.

Me: Come hang out with me! Or I’ll come to you. I miss you

Catherine the GREAT: I miss you too! I just got out of the shower so if I come to you it will probably be an hour.

Me: K

Me: I’ll be at yours in 10

Catherine the GREAT: love you!

If you would have told me, as a child, that my picture-perfect older sister would be my best friend in the world, I would have laughed myself hoarse. Today, thank fuck I have Catherine! There’s no friend better than a sister. All those shared experiences, good and bad; the full knowing of each other and all our incarnations; the innate understanding of how our history and family play into who we are now; they all make for the deepest, most real relationship I’ve ever had. I know I can rely on Catherine. She’ll always be there for me. I also appreciate how accepting she is of who I am now because she knows how hard I worked to get here. She doesn’t mind opinionated, strong-willed Wilhelmina Brookner because she remembers ‘Mean Mina’ with her unrestrained fury and careless words all too well. I certainly feel the same way about her. I no longer see a perfect, boringly buttoned-up woman when I look at her. I know Catherine is restrained, ladylike, and calm but, underneath her tidy exterior, she loves deeply and measures her words and actions carefully because she cares so much about the feelings of those around her. She’s not as sugar-sweet as one would assume. There’s grit and steely resolve in there.

Catherine has shopping to do and I’m game to help if it means spending time together. I catch a glimpse of blond hair and a thick neck, turning a corner in front of us quickly and my pulse spikes. I still haven’t quite shaken the feeling I had early, at Waimano Falls, that I was being watched. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw Troy, which was absolutely ridiculous. Like he would just randomly be on that hike, of all the multitude of hikes on O‘ahu, at the same time that we were. That’s about as likely as him being here, outside a high-end swimsuit boutique.Shake it off, Mina, and stop being paranoid.We’re finishing up in the first store when I get a text from Griffin.

Griffin: I need you to do something

Me: Shoot

Griffin: I need you to be ready, dressed in something sexy, at 5:30 on Friday

Me: Can do

Me: Are you going to tell me what for?

Griffin: Nope

Me: *grinning*

Catherine is trying on a dress I picked out for her so I peruse the racks for myself. I zero in on a body-con bandage dress in a deep plum. It has this gorgeous detailing that highlights the curves and the length of the skirt reminds me of Griffin’s favorite article of my clothing. It’s exactly what I need. This dress is coming home with me.

Catherine comes out of the dressing room triumphant and adds strappy gold sandals to her pile.

“What is that, a dress?” She gestures toward me.

“Yeah, what do you think?” I hold it up to my body on the hanger. “I have a mystery date, details withheld, on Friday night.”

She tilts her head, golden waves swinging. “You are going to look so hot in that. Please take a pic so I can see it on!”

“Promise.” We squeeze pinkies. “Ooh, that gives me an idea!”

I make a quick stop in the men’s department and then we pay and get gelato to celebrate a successful shopping trip. She’s filling me in on what she has coming up and listening to her makes me realize I haven’t told her a very crucial piece of information. Shit. I hope she doesn’t think I was purposefully hiding it from her! I’ve been too caught up since Griffin apologized and we started over.

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