Derailed (Clayton Falls #1)(42)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“Don’t be a bitch, Shayna.”

“I’m trying to help you. I never understood why you wanted to be an attorney anyway. I think a better match might be pharmacy school. You were always good at science. I have an in at the school at U Dub. You may still be able to swing it for the fall.”

“In what parallel universe would my dropping out of law school mean I wanted to be a pharmacist?” The stretch in logic was pushing it, even for Shayna.

“I think it would be a great fit for you. It’s a career with lots of potential, and you can get a job with flexible hours for when you have kids.”

“For when I have kids? Because that’s going to happen anytime soon?”

“Steve’s really good with kids. Mine love him. By the way, they’d love to see their aunt once in a while.”

“That’s good for Steve, and I’ll try to get out there soon, but as you’ve already pointed out, I’m broke.”

“And I already told you I have your ticket.”

Shayna could be bullheaded when she wanted to be. She always had the world figured out and could fix anything. I wasn’t in the mood to fight. “Let’s get out of here and go to the beach.”

Shayna paid our bill and we walked down to the beach. After laying out our towels, I stripped down to my bikini, ready to enjoy the sun. Shayna had on a more conservative tankini.

“I envy you for looking so good in that.” Shayna flopped down next to me.

“You could pull it off.”

“Even if I could, it wouldn’t hold up well with the kids.”

“Probably true.”

She pulled sunglasses from her bag, propping herself onto her elbows. “Tell me more about what’s going on with you and Ben.”

“So now you want to know about it?” I asked skeptically, wondering where she was going with the question.

“I never said I didn’t. I was just surprised you’d go down that road again.”

“He makes me happy, I feel like myself with him, and the sex is great. What else is there to know?”

“Molly!” Shayna’s mouth fell open.

“What? We already established I was sleeping with him.”

“That doesn’t mean I need to hear any more about it.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that part to myself.” I loved pushing my sister. I had no idea how a doctor could be such a prude. Everything had to be so proper with her. I guess Dad rubbed off on her more. She was always the goody-two-shoes while I rebelled almost every chance I got.

“Now, that’s the Mathews I’d pick if I was a cougar.”

“What?” I followed her gaze and saw Jake coming out of the water with his board.

“Cougar? You’re twenty-seven!”

“A married twenty-seven year old with kids. He’s a baby.”

“He’s the same age as me.”

“Exactly. A baby.”

Jake waved, likely noticing us staring at him.

“If you think Jake looks good, wait until you see Ben. He’s grown up a lot too.”

“More than that?” I figured she was referring to Jake’s washboard abs and muscular arms.

“Yeah, more than that.”

“All right, maybe I can see why you’re having fun with him.” She laughed.

It was fun to talk boys with Shayna. Being five years apart, it wasn’t something we did much.

Jake came over. “Hey there. Is the whole Sander clan back for a visit?”

“No, I’m just here to bring my sister home.”

“You’re leaving?” Jake grimaced, likely worrying about Ben.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I smiled, wondering if he’d run into Ben yet.

“Good. I wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about our conversation already.”

“Definitely not.”

Shayna looked back and forth between us. “What am I missing here?”

“Nothing. Molly and I had a chance to catch up last night, that’s all.”

“Okay…” she trailed off.

“Well, I’m going to go. If I don’t see you again before you leave, it was nice seeing you, Shayna.”

“Yeah, nice seeing you.”

Shayna lay back down. “I’ve missed the beach so much.”

“Remind me again why you think I should move to Seattle? I’ve missed the heat so much the last few years. I never want to leave.”

“All right, I’ll admit the weather isn’t the best, but I still think you’d like it.”

“Maybe, but I’m not coming.”

“Let’s just talk about it again tomorrow, okay?” She knew when to call a momentary truce.

“Okay.”

We both flipped over onto our stomachs, soaking up the sun and carefully avoiding any thorny conversation topics.

Chapter Nineteen

I was lucky Shayna made me put on sunscreen. Even lathered with 45, I still managed to get two spots of sunburn from a few hours of lying out. We headed home in good moods. It’s hard to have any other mood after spending time in the sun. I know some people hate it when it’s hot, but it must be in my blood to love scorching temperatures. Mom always said it was the southern girl in me that makes me live for it so much. I couldn’t believe Shayna had willingly moved to such a rainy, overcast city.

I missed a call from Ben while I showered, so I called him back while I waited for Shayna to take her turn.

“Hey, babe.”

“Hey. Sorry, I just saw I missed your call.”

“I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight. I thought maybe I could cook for you.”

“You cook?” I asked, unsuccessful at keeping the surprise out of my voice.

He laughed. “Yeah, I cook.”

“Well as tempting as that sounds, I may have to pass. Shayna dropped in for a visit.”

“What? When did she get here?”

“Around ten. Be glad you were long gone.”

“Yeah, that was probably for the best. But, why don’t you both come over for dinner?”

I thought about it for a minute and decided it would be good for Shayna to see Ben and me together. “Yeah? I think we can do that.”

“Cool. How about you come by around seven?”

“All right, we’ll see you then.”

“I can’t wait.” I could almost hear him smiling through the phone.

“Me either, bye.”

“Bye, Mol.”

I decided to throw in a load of laundry while I waited for Shayna. I never remembered to do basic things like that anymore. Shayna showed up just as I crashed on the couch.