Laura laughed. “Some things you need to figure out on your own. ”
“Be serious. What should I do?” Her sister never had guy trouble—she was confident in a way that attracted men. Sorrow had always been confident, too, but until Damien, that’d meant she’d always ended up as the buddy. Everyone’s favorite girl. “I need your help. ” She was stumped enough that it didn’t even sting to say it. “You’re good with guys. ”
“You’re good with guys, too. ”
“Yeah, maybe at playing the part of the girl next door. ”
“Jeez,” Laura said with a scowl, “how’d you ever land Damien?”
Sorrow shrugged. “You know Damien. Damien landed me. I think he must’ve been bored. ”
Her sister’s eyes hardened. “Don’t say that. You have got to stop thinking crap like that. ”
Laura’s vehemence took her aback, touched her. Her sister was right; Sorrow was prone to being too self-effacing.
She considered confiding more, but decided not to go there. The trust just wasn’t there yet. She waved it off. “Okay, okay. I didn’t ask for a therapy session. ”
“Well then, here’s a question,” Laura said. “Is Damien going to need a therapy session when you’re done with him?”
He wouldn’t, she knew that. Their relationship had been complicated in its way, offering something they each needed. For Damien, it was that she got him. Being with Sorrow let him imagine himself something he longed to be. He wore a suit, sat behind a desk, was a power player, but that success came with a price—it kept him under his father’s powerful thumb. Whereas she’d understood that a part of Damien longed to roll up his sleeves and be a man’s man, doing things like jumping dead batteries and thawing frozen pipes.
But she wasn’t about to explain all that, so Sorrow just shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly true love with us, you know?” Feeling vulnerable, she flopped onto her back, staring at the ceiling instead of meeting her sister’s probing stare. “Please. I just need some advice. I’m not good at this flirting thing. ” She put a hand out to stop Laura’s denials, meeting her eye. “Listen. You don’t understand. It comes naturally to you. Me, I’m the girl guys confide in. I’ve always been Sorrow Bailey, The Buddy. ”
“You’re being serious, aren’t you?” Laura’s expression softened as she seemed to see Sorrow for the first time. “Well…first off, you’ve got to let him know you’re interested. Give him a sign. ”
“What kind of sign?”
“Guys don’t need much. Billy looks at you all the time. Next time you’re alone, just…don’t look away. Trust me. The man will take it from there. ”
“Okay. I can do that. Wait. ” Sorrow’s heart skittered in her chest at the thought. “Where should I be when this happens? Tell me how I should begin, exactly. ”
“How, exactly?” Laura scanned her critically. “Change that shirt, for starters. And wear something other than hiking boots. ”
Sorrow stuck her legs in front of her, rolling her ankles. “These aren’t hiking boots. They’re all-weather sneakers. ”
“Yeah, whatever. Lose them. And wear a shirt that fits. ”
Sorrow tugged at her hem. “This fits. ”
“Okay, check that. I meant, wear something fitted. ” Laura popped from the bed and grabbed her sister’s arm. “Come with me. We’re raiding my closet. ”
“Really?” Sorrow stumbled down the hallway behind her. “You’ll help me?”
Laura flung open her closet door. “If you mean, will I dress you up then shove you out the door, then yes, gladly. I’ll help you. ”
Sorrow briefly registered the surprising amount of clothing Laura had brought for what was supposedly a “short visit. ” But then her sister’s words sank in. “Wait, you’re going to shove me out the door? Where am I supposed to go?”
“To his house, dummy. ” Laura flipped through her closet, grabbing random items and tossing them on the bed.
She felt a fluttering in her belly, excited to be getting actual help, but a little nervous, too. “What should I talk about when I get there?”
Laura stopped what she was doing to give her a long, hard look. “You really don’t know, do you?”
She gave her sister a rueful shrug. “I can talk, I’ve just never gotten how to, you know, flirt. ”
Laura turned and, putting hands on hips, studied her. “You know how to flirt. You just don’t know that you know. You know?”
“Um, not really. ”