It Happened One Wedding
Page 65
“Well, well, well, Miss Sneaky,” Simon said, with a grin. “You were trying to rush us out of here before we could meet the guy, weren’t you?”
“Who is he?” Isabelle wanted to know. “How come I don’t know anything about him?”
Simon cocked his head, staring at the jacket. “What’s really funny is that jacket looks a lot like the one—” He stopped, his mouth falling open. “Oh. My. God.” He looked at Sidney, and then peered up at the ceiling.
He stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Sidney closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable.
Seconds later, they heard the bathroom door open. Simon’s voice thundered down the stairs. “Oh. My. God.”
“Um, did he just walk in on a complete stranger taking a shower?” Isabelle asked.
“Not . . . exactly.”
Simon strode back into the kitchen. “Yep. It’s my brother.”
Isabelle blinked. “What?” She turned to Sidney. “Vaughn’s here? You slept with Vaughn?”
“By any chance would you believe we just went for a morning run together?” Sidney asked, going for a smile.
Judging from their expressions, they would not.
“It’s not a big deal,” she told them.
Isabelle pointed accusingly. “Amanda told me she thought you two were acting flirty last night.”
Sidney scoffed. “Pfft. Amanda. What does she know?” Aside from the fact that she was, in this instance, dead-on-balls correct.
Simon pointed, too. “I remember now! You guys were huddled in that alcove when I came over to talk to Vaughn.”
“And that didn’t strike you as suspicious?” Isabelle asked him.
“Did you see me last night? I couldn’t even say ‘suspicious,’” Simon told her.
They both fell silent when the shower turned off upstairs. There was the sound of footsteps against the hardwood floors, and then everything went briefly quiet until there were more footsteps—this time heading down the stairs.
With damp hair, Vaughn walked into the kitchen while pulling on his shirt. Thankfully, he at least had pants on. “Apparently we have visitors this morning,” he said, looking slightly amused.
“We? You two are a we?” Isabelle asked.
“We are definitely not a ‘we,’” Sidney said.
“Can I have a word with you outside, brother?” Simon asked Vaughn.
Vaughn turned to Sidney. “That’s Man-Speak for ‘You’re in some seriously deep shit.’”
• • •
AFTER VAUGHN AND Simon stepped out into the courtyard, Sidney took a seat next to Isabelle at the counter. “You probably have a few questions.”
“You think?” Isabelle asked. “How long has this been going on?”
It was just a drunken one-night stand. The lie hovered on the tip of Sidney’s tongue for several moments. “The first time we hooked up was the night you had surgery.”
“I see. And how many times have you hooked up since then?”
“In our defense, you and Simon keep finding ways to throw us together. This wedding is like a damn pressure cooker.” Sidney saw her sister waiting. “Two more times. Oh, and we kissed up in Wisconsin. But that’s it.”
Isabelle blinked. “At their parents’ house? Where was I?”
“I don’t know, probably throwing up somewhere.” When Sidney saw Isabelle make a face, she decided to come clean. “You were looking at photo albums with Mrs. Roberts. I went outside to give Simon and Vaughn some bottled waters, and I just . . . needed a break from all the wedding stuff. And also from seeing you bond with Kathleen and being in that place that I was supposed to be in. So I took a walk and Vaughn followed me and we started arguing and, I don’t know . . . somehow we ended up kissing.”
Isabelle cocked her head with a concerned expression, momentarily ignoring the part about Vaughn. “Why didn’t you tell me that all the wedding stuff was bothering you?”
“You’re doing the head-tilt.”
“Come on, Sid. It’s me.”
Sidney sighed. “I didn’t say anything because I don’t want to spoil this for you. This wedding isn’t about me, Izz, it’s about you. And I guess I also didn’t say anything, because I don’t want to be bothered by this stuff. Brody and I split up over eight months ago. I need to move on with things—which is exactly what I’m trying to do.”
“I just wish you’d told me about all this.” Isabelle nodded in the direction of the yard. “Including Vaughn.”
“I thought it would be weird for you and Simon to know that we’d hooked up, especially since it’s just a casual thing.” Sidney could hear the men talking outside but ignored it, focusing instead on what was happening between her and her sister. “I really hope this doesn’t make things weird between us. You know I would never want that, Izz.”
“I know.” Isabelle reached over and squeezed Sidney’s hand. “And I know that lately I’ve been swept up in all the wedding and baby chaos. Everything’s changing, but one thing will always stay the same, Sid: you and me.”
Sidney smiled, repeating their mantra from when they were younger. “Sinclair Sisters forever, right?”
Isabelle smiled back, her eyes misty. “Always.” She reached forward and hugged Sidney tight, then pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Now. About this thing with Vaughn.”
“Who is he?” Isabelle wanted to know. “How come I don’t know anything about him?”
Simon cocked his head, staring at the jacket. “What’s really funny is that jacket looks a lot like the one—” He stopped, his mouth falling open. “Oh. My. God.” He looked at Sidney, and then peered up at the ceiling.
He stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Sidney closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable.
Seconds later, they heard the bathroom door open. Simon’s voice thundered down the stairs. “Oh. My. God.”
“Um, did he just walk in on a complete stranger taking a shower?” Isabelle asked.
“Not . . . exactly.”
Simon strode back into the kitchen. “Yep. It’s my brother.”
Isabelle blinked. “What?” She turned to Sidney. “Vaughn’s here? You slept with Vaughn?”
“By any chance would you believe we just went for a morning run together?” Sidney asked, going for a smile.
Judging from their expressions, they would not.
“It’s not a big deal,” she told them.
Isabelle pointed accusingly. “Amanda told me she thought you two were acting flirty last night.”
Sidney scoffed. “Pfft. Amanda. What does she know?” Aside from the fact that she was, in this instance, dead-on-balls correct.
Simon pointed, too. “I remember now! You guys were huddled in that alcove when I came over to talk to Vaughn.”
“And that didn’t strike you as suspicious?” Isabelle asked him.
“Did you see me last night? I couldn’t even say ‘suspicious,’” Simon told her.
They both fell silent when the shower turned off upstairs. There was the sound of footsteps against the hardwood floors, and then everything went briefly quiet until there were more footsteps—this time heading down the stairs.
With damp hair, Vaughn walked into the kitchen while pulling on his shirt. Thankfully, he at least had pants on. “Apparently we have visitors this morning,” he said, looking slightly amused.
“We? You two are a we?” Isabelle asked.
“We are definitely not a ‘we,’” Sidney said.
“Can I have a word with you outside, brother?” Simon asked Vaughn.
Vaughn turned to Sidney. “That’s Man-Speak for ‘You’re in some seriously deep shit.’”
• • •
AFTER VAUGHN AND Simon stepped out into the courtyard, Sidney took a seat next to Isabelle at the counter. “You probably have a few questions.”
“You think?” Isabelle asked. “How long has this been going on?”
It was just a drunken one-night stand. The lie hovered on the tip of Sidney’s tongue for several moments. “The first time we hooked up was the night you had surgery.”
“I see. And how many times have you hooked up since then?”
“In our defense, you and Simon keep finding ways to throw us together. This wedding is like a damn pressure cooker.” Sidney saw her sister waiting. “Two more times. Oh, and we kissed up in Wisconsin. But that’s it.”
Isabelle blinked. “At their parents’ house? Where was I?”
“I don’t know, probably throwing up somewhere.” When Sidney saw Isabelle make a face, she decided to come clean. “You were looking at photo albums with Mrs. Roberts. I went outside to give Simon and Vaughn some bottled waters, and I just . . . needed a break from all the wedding stuff. And also from seeing you bond with Kathleen and being in that place that I was supposed to be in. So I took a walk and Vaughn followed me and we started arguing and, I don’t know . . . somehow we ended up kissing.”
Isabelle cocked her head with a concerned expression, momentarily ignoring the part about Vaughn. “Why didn’t you tell me that all the wedding stuff was bothering you?”
“You’re doing the head-tilt.”
“Come on, Sid. It’s me.”
Sidney sighed. “I didn’t say anything because I don’t want to spoil this for you. This wedding isn’t about me, Izz, it’s about you. And I guess I also didn’t say anything, because I don’t want to be bothered by this stuff. Brody and I split up over eight months ago. I need to move on with things—which is exactly what I’m trying to do.”
“I just wish you’d told me about all this.” Isabelle nodded in the direction of the yard. “Including Vaughn.”
“I thought it would be weird for you and Simon to know that we’d hooked up, especially since it’s just a casual thing.” Sidney could hear the men talking outside but ignored it, focusing instead on what was happening between her and her sister. “I really hope this doesn’t make things weird between us. You know I would never want that, Izz.”
“I know.” Isabelle reached over and squeezed Sidney’s hand. “And I know that lately I’ve been swept up in all the wedding and baby chaos. Everything’s changing, but one thing will always stay the same, Sid: you and me.”
Sidney smiled, repeating their mantra from when they were younger. “Sinclair Sisters forever, right?”
Isabelle smiled back, her eyes misty. “Always.” She reached forward and hugged Sidney tight, then pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Now. About this thing with Vaughn.”
