Vanessa quickly picked up the phone. “Okay, Taylor, it’s not my birthday, and there’s no such thing as Sister’s Day, so why do I deserve the honor of a phone call?”
She could hear Taylor laughing on the other end of the line. It wasn’t that Taylor never called, she just didn’t call as often as Cheyenne. But lately even Cheyenne’s calls didn’t come as often as they used to. And there were times she couldn’t be reached at all. Donovan had once teased her about leading a double life, which was something Cheyenne hadn’t thought amusing at the time. She had simply explained that as a model she would often frequent countries with poor cell service.
“Don’t mess with me, girl,” Taylor said. “I shouldn’t be calling now. I still have tons of work to do on this deal I’m trying to close for my client.”
“It’s that big?”
“Bigger. With the commission alone I’ll be able to buy that place I’ve been eyeing for a while in D.C. The one that’s right on the Potomac.”
Vanessa smiled. Taylor had fallen in love with the nation’s capital when she’d lived there while attending Georgetown University. At the time, she’d had an apartment in Virginia, but had always had dreams of returning one day and buying a place right in the heart of D.C., preferably on the water.
“Hey, I’m not mad at you. Go for it,” Vanessa said, knowing what a workaholic her sister could be at times.
“Speaking of going for it, I talked to Cheyenne earlier and she told me that you and Cameron finally hooked up.”
Vanessa frowned. Cheyenne had a big mouth. And she didn’t know the full details of what had transpired between her and Cameron those two weeks. Since Vanessa hadn’t told her youngest sister anything, she’d evidently drawn her own conclusions. “Cameron and I have not ‘hooked up.’”
“Sorry. I was just going by what Cheyenne said.”
“And you of all people should know better than that. He bought the house next to Cheyenne’s in Jamaica, so he was there at the same time I was. No big deal.”
“Sure, if you say so,” Taylor said chuckling. “You know I’m not one to get in anyone’s business, Van.”
“Please, don’t start now.”
“I won’t, but I wasn’t born yesterday. I know the man wants you. Now, whether or not he’s finally gotten you is your business. But I think he’s cool and handsome and everything you need.”
“And just what is it that you think I need?”
“The same thing most women need. A good man in your life. A man to hold you close at night, keep the demons away, be there when the going gets tough.”
“And you think Cameron would do all those things?”
“I don’t know why he wouldn’t. He seems like the type of guy who takes his obligations seriously. You could do a whole lot worse.”
Vanessa fought the urge to tell her sister that at one time she had. And “worse” was a man by the name of Harlan Shaw. Before Harlan there had been Dr. Derek Peterson. She’d met Derek at a party right after returning to Charlotte from college. She had liked Derek and had quickly accepted his date, although her cousins had warned of his reputation.
Derek had come to pick her up one Saturday night and they hadn’t been out of her driveway five seconds before the good doctor began growing hands. They were hands he intended to use on her at every traffic light and stop sign. The words, No, Behave yourself, and Keep your hands to yourself, had fallen on deaf ears. By the time they’d reached the restaurant she had taken as much as she intended. As soon as he came around to open the door for her, she had kneed him in the groin so mercilessly, that the restaurant manager had thought they needed to call an ambulance. An embarrassed Derek had assured everyone that he was okay before literally crawling back into his car and leaving her stranded. She had called her cousins to come get her, and to this day there was still bad blood between them and Derek.
“Vanessa?”
She remembered she still had her sister on the line. “Yes?”
“Think about what I’ve said about Cameron and I promise that will be the last time you hear anything from me on the subject.”