CHAPTER 22 Fish and Chicks
December 12, 2010
Nina and I were hanging out in my apartment wearing sweatpants, intermittently snacking, watching TV, and chatting about everything and nothing when my doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Nina groaned, shooting up from the couch. “I need to stretch my legs anyway.”
“Did we order more food?” I asked. It was such a cold day in New York, so we felt no shame spending it as couch potatoes.
“No, we didn’t.” She laughed as she opened the door. “Hi!” I heard her say. I lifted myself with my elbows but couldn’t see who it was.
“Billie!” Nina shouted. “Get in here.”
I got up and headed toward the front door. Aaron stood outside next to a petite woman. She sported a short, jet-black, cropped haircut with longer strands landing right above her eyes and wore a crisp white button-up shirt underneath a black wool-lined leather jacket and a pair of classic Converse. The fine lines of a nondescript tattoo curled up from the side of her neck.
“Hey, Billie.” She smiled and offered her hand. “I’m Moira. William sent me.”
“Nice to meet you, Moira.” I shook her hand, clueless about what she was doing here since William had told me nothing about it. “Please come in.” I nodded to Aaron, so he turned and left without a word.
“We look like shit,” Nina said to Moira, closing the door behind us. “We’re well aware of it.”
The three of us laughed.
“You do not.” Moira settled her bag on one of the foyer chairs with a smile. “Hope you don’t mind. It’s kinda heavy.”
“Of course.”
“William didn’t tell you I was coming, did he?” Moira removed her leather jacket and appeared slightly embarrassed.
“He … did not. But I’m going to kick his ass. Don’t you worry about it.”
Moira laughed. “William told me your kitchen skills needed work, and he was worried you were eating a lot of ramen. And listen, I’ve got nothing against ramen. I love it myself.”
Moira’s features had distinct Asian characteristics, which piqued my curiosity. I couldn’t help but wonder about her culinary skills, and the thought of her possibly preparing exquisite ramen grabbed my attention, even though I knew I’d already eaten my fill.
“So, are you here to teach me how to cook?” I offered an exaggerated, nervous grin.
“Oh, no. At least, not today.” She laughed. “William told me you burned the kitchen last year. He wants me to cook some hearty meals for you. Stuff you can freeze so it lasts for a few days before he arrives.”
“He arrives in three days!” I loved the gesture, but it was too much, as usual. He didn’t have to do it.
“That’s … my fault,” Moira admitted. “I meant to come sooner, but I was dealing with an ugly breakup with my ex-girlfriend. So I couldn’t fly into New York until now. And William insisted.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
I was about to offer her a hot beverage when Nina interrupted, “Wait, William flew you here just to cook for her?”
“He did.” Moira chuckled and crossed her arms at her chest. “I currently live in Austin, but I’m considering moving back to New York. You know, fresh start and all. My boss owns a few restaurants in the city, so transferring wouldn’t be problematic.” Moira pulled up her sleeves and revealed some cool tattoos on her forearms. “But enough about me. Should we get started?”
My kitchen was empty, and Moira didn’t bring any groceries, so I didn’t know how the cooking would happen. When I expressed my concern, she said, “No worries. I sent William a grocery list, and he had someone fetch the items from the store. Everything’s at his place.”
“I’ll go get the keys to his apartment then.”
Shaking my head, I walked to my room because William had promised to inform me if he ever did something like this for me. But again, he thought I’d refuse. Only this time, I wouldn’t have minded eating a few home-cooked meals. As much as I kept defending my tuna salads, sandwiches, and instant ramen, I had to admit I was growing sick of it all. I had almost asked Vesna if she cooked the day I met her, but I got distracted by William’s texts and completely forgot about it.
But William was always ten steps ahead of me. Always anticipating my wants and needs.
Nina, Moira, and I entered William’s apartment and headed for the kitchen.
“Fuck me.” Moira looked around William’s kitchen in awe. “I guess I could’ve left my cooking tools at home,” she said as he opened cabinets and pulled on drawers. “He’s got everything I need here.” She grabbed one of his knives and inspected it. “My knives are still better than his. Always have been.”
“So I assume you guys go way back?” Nina asked.
“We went to culinary school together in Stockholm,” Moira explained as she unloaded her tools and knives from her bag to set up a cooking station. “But he abandoned me to become a big-shot celebrity.”
“Tell us all about William before he was, well, William Sj?berg.” Nina’s eyes widened with interest as she claimed one of the stools and propped her elbows on the counter to rest her chin on her hands.
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” Moira sang. “But first. Allergies? Intolerances? Preferences? Anything you hate?” She threw an olive-green apron over her head and tied the black straps around her delicate frame.
“I eat everything except strawberries.”
“Ay, ay, ay.” Moira tugged the industrial-looking fridge’s doors open and pulled out fresh produce, placing the items on the cutting boards on the counter. “How did William take it? You know, since he’s obsessed with strawberries.”
“Thank you!” I threw my hands up. “Finally, someone gets it. He keeps trying to force-feed me strawberries whenever he gets the chance.”
Moira laughed as she began chopping carrots and onions at a dangerous speed. She was one of the coolest people I’d met and seemed like an ultimate pro. Something told me her food would be as amazing as her.
“So …” Nina stared at Moira’s hands with a terror-filled gaze. “Have you ever cut yourself?”
“Plenty of times.” She lifted the wooden cutting board, transferred the vegetables to a bowl, and resumed the chopping. “But that’s how you learn. I’ve got a few burn scars, too.” She pulled her sleeve even higher and showed us a reddish scar on her forearm. But it didn’t catch my attention as strongly as the beautiful art in her tattoo sleeve did.
“Is it like a prerequisite?” Nina started to ask. “To have cool haircuts and badass tattoos to be a chef?”
Moira snorted a laugh. “I guess our line of work allows us to be ourselves since it’s a very relaxed environment. High-paced and very stressful, yes. But relaxed in that it’s not Wall Street or a law firm.”
Nina’s phone vibrated on the counter. “It’s CJ.” She grabbed it and stood. “I’ll take it in the living room. Be right back.” She walked away, and I kept staring at Moira with fascination. William was beyond incredible in his cooking skills, but one could quickly tell Moira was a seasoned, well-trained chef with thousands of hours in the kitchen backing up her technique.
“Did it come as a shock when William dropped out of school to become an actor?” I asked Moira, who was now boiling water in a large pot. “And … do you need any help?”
“No and no.” She pointed at me with a ladle. “You stay put and enjoy the show.” Moira winked at me. “I’m preparing some authentic Korean ramen for you to store for a few days. It’s my grandma’s recipe on my dad’s side. So, if you can, look away occasionally, or she won’t forgive me for cooking this in front of another human being. She can get overprotective of her recipes.”
“I’m the safest person to be around while cooking a secret recipe anyway.”
We laughed.
Moira’s confident energy overflowed the kitchen, but in a refreshing way. It was an interesting contrast to her soft, feminine features. It was like a superpower. As if once in the kitchen, she became an unstoppable force, and she knew it, and it showed.
“But to further answer your question,” she said, “we were very sad and disappointed to see William go. Shocked? No. We knew who his father was, and he would toy around with the idea of being famous every time he had a few beers. But he was the best in our class. Not gonna lie. Hurts to admit it.” She made an exaggerated sad face. “We were constantly measuring ourselves against each other, competing about stupid stuff like who had the best egg-cracking technique or made the best fish and chips. Shit like that.”
“And?” I loved knowing more about this side of William, a side he rarely shared with me. The “him” before he became “William Sj?berg.”
“He was faster and better at egg cracking, and my beer batter is and will always be superior. But he was better than me—than all of us. But he must be a bit rusty now, I’m sure.” She chuckled, ending it with a long, wistful sigh, the memories of their time together clearly having an impact on her. “That’s what you’re having for dinner tonight. Fish and chips. The best of the best.”
Zara’s favorite food was fish and chips. The idea of inviting her for dinner and trying to talk things through with her invaded my thoughts. This was a perfect opportunity to do so. I wanted nothing more than to be on good terms with her. As annoying as I’d found it in the beginning, I couldn’t wait for her to start calling me sis again.
So I texted her, hoping she would be available and willing to accept my invitation.
Me: Hey, Zara! Are you free tonight? Wondering if you
would like to stop by for dinner at 6-ish. I would love for us
to talk too.
“Sorry,” I said to Moira. Leaving my phone on the counter. “Tell me more.”
“William doesn’t talk about this period of his life much, does he?”
I shook my head no a few times. “I feel like it hurts him to do so. You know what I mean? He loves cooking, and knowing how he is, a part of him must’ve wanted that recognition of graduating and earning his title. Or maybe wondering what his life would’ve looked like if he had chosen a different path.” I paused for a second to readjust my stool’s height. It was too low, and I wanted to have a better angle to watch Moira cooking. “As I said, we’ve only talked about this a little.”
She lifted her eyebrows mischievously. “Lucky for you, I’ve got all the dirty details.”
“How dirty?” I placed a hand on my chest, feigning apprehension.
“Nah, just kidding.” Moira laughed as she added a few pieces of chicken into the pot to make the ramen broth. She explained everything she was doing as she went.
“I know you’re not.”
She zipped her lips with two fingers and then directed a big, easy smile at me. “No, but in all honesty, I do believe cooking is William’s true passion. Do you know how many times he texts me asking for a photo or a little video of the kitchen I work in? Or to talk about food and recipes?” She remained still and looked at me for a few seconds to allow a reflective silence after her rhetorical question. “Let’s just say I’m impressed you didn’t know of my existence before today.” She didn’t seem bothered about William not mentioning her. It’s as if she had expected him to have buried this side of him, which included her.
Moira’s attention returned to the broth, and my screen lit up with Zara’s reply.
Zara: Hey, Billie. I’m not sure yet. I’m waiting for a friend to confirm if we’re going out or not.
Me:There’s a professional chef at home preparing fish
and chips.
Zara:I’ll be there at 6.
Me:*smiley face* See you soon.
Bribing Zara with her favorite food to corner her into accepting my invitation wasn’t something I felt proud of, but it worked nonetheless, and that’s the only thing that mattered. She was evidently hesitating to come and trying to let me down easy with the excuse of having other plans. But I genuinely cared about improving our relationship, and I knew it was something that would make William very happy.
Setting my phone on the counter, I stood and braced my hands on the white marble and leaned in to say, “So … my boyfriend’s sister, who hates my guts but loves fish and chips, is coming over for dinner in the hopes of hashing out our differences.” I stopped to take a deep breath. “You better deliver and make her love me.”
“Ohhhhh.” She clapped once and rubbed her hands. “Darling, she is going to worship you. But wait … did you say, sister? I wasn’t aware that William had any sisters.”
“I … yeah.” Shit. I didn’t think twice before blurting that out. “This information is not available to the general public, but Zara is William’s half-sister and my ex’s half-sister as well. So you can imagine why she hates me since I broke up with her brother because I realized I loved her other brother when the other brother didn’t even know she had any half-siblings yet.”
Moira’s jaw dropped along with her knife, giving me her undivided attention. “Girl, I’m not sure I follow you, but this is intense.”
“Please don’t tell anyone because I know it will be announced someday, but I’m not sure when yet.” I joined my hands in prayer. “But I feel like William trusts you and won’t have any issues with you knowing. I’ll let him know I told you anyway.”
“Damn it.” Moira grabbed a bowl and began cracking eggs to make the batter while she waited for the broth to boil. “I was planning to call my Talk Magazine contact and give them the juicy details since I could use the extra cash for the move.” She laughed, and I did too. “I’m kidding. Secret’s safe with me.”
“So you’ll make her love me with your magic beer batter, right?” I stared at her with determination.
“Oh, pff, yeah.” She waved an unworried hand in front of her. “As easy a task as any. Today will be the happiest day of her life.”
Nina returned and deflated on one of the stools, looking worried and upset.
“What happened?” I was growing concerned when she didn’t reply right away. “Is CJ okay?”
“More than okay.” She rolled her eyes. “He wants me to move out so David can move in.”
“They’re moving in together?” I beamed and baby-clapped in front of my face. That was such exciting news, and I was elated for them. I knew things were going well between them from what CJ told me when I talked to him, which wasn’t as often as I liked, and from the three sentences I would pull out from Aaron whenever I asked him about them. I knew him and David were still in touch.
“Which makes me homeless.”
“Come live with me,” I said impulsively.
“What? No, Billie. I can’t come between you and William’s honeymoon phase dynamic here.” She pulled on the elastic hairband, letting her hair fall on her shoulders, and redid her messy bun. “What am I going to do?” She emitted a small, mock-sobbing sound, expressing her frustration about the situation.
“Stop!” I rubbed Nina’s back soothingly. “Look at me.” She did. “Seriously. I have a spare room. My apartment is huge, and William travels a lot. He’ll be happy to know one of my best friends will always be here to keep me company.”
“I’m one of your best friends?” Nina batted her long, dark lashes at me.
“Duh.”
She hugged me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She held me at arm’s length and stared into my eyes. “I promise this won’t be forever. But you know how hard it is to find a good place to live here, and everything’s crazy expensive, and wait … you need to talk to William first. It’s his apartment now, and you’re paying rent, so I want to pay rent, too.”
I parted my mouth to say she shouldn’t worry about it. I knew how hard it was to get William on board with me paying rent, so I assumed it would be an issue if Nina and I offered to pay more than we initially agreed upon.
“Promise me you’ll talk to him first.”
“I promise.” I’d ask him next time I talked to him. “But feel free to move in whenever you want. I swear it’s not going to be a problem.”
Oddly enough, as much as I valued my alone time, Nina and I had become closer since the summer, so I was excited about her moving in with me.
“I guess I should start packing then.” Nina hugged me again. “CJ said there was no rush, but I’m sure he’ll be secretly ecstatic to know I’ll be vacating his apartment soon.”
“Zara is coming over for dinner tonight.” I grimaced. “But I can stop by to help you pack tomorrow.”
“Wait, Zara?” Nina widened her gaze at me. “William’s sister Zara?”
“Do we know any other Zaras?” I smiled. “Besides, you know her waaaay better than I do,” I teased.
“We hooked up once.” Nina rolled her eyes and walked toward the front door. “You’ve talked to her more than I have at this point.”
“Well, that’s the plan for tonight,” I said. “Talking her into loving me again.” If she ever did in the first place.
“Let me know if you need my charms to lure her back into your good graces.” Nina shot an exaggerated wink at me, lifting the corner of her mouth into a playful smirk.
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her off. “I’ve got Moira’s culinary powers in my corner now. But see you tomorrow!”
“Good luck with your sis!”
I wrinkled my nose as Nina shut the door behind her.
“The drama is nonstop around here, as you can see.” I rounded the counter and grabbed a bottle of merlot William kept for me in his wine cooler. I told him I could keep them at my place, but he insisted his wine cooler had the perfect temperature setting for them. “And I sure need the liquid courage before Zara arrives.” I pulled out two glasses of wine and offered Moira one, which she accepted.
“So, how have you been after your breakup?” I slid the wineglass toward Moira. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“My ex and I had been together for three years.” She raised the wineglass to her lips and took a long sip. “So I won’t lie and say it’s been easy. We’d been living together for a little over a year, so the abrupt change has been an interesting adjustment. I moved out of our place and have been staying with a friend while deciding my next move. My boss offered to transfer me to Chicago or New York, but I wasn’t sure yet if I wanted to leave Austin until my plane landed in New York and all the memories of my time here came flashing back.”
“Oh, wow. So you met your ex here in New York?”
“I did.” Moira took another sip of her wine and began prepping the fish to dip it in the batter. The oil was hot and ready in the deep-frying pan. “After I graduated, I came here and started working in one of my current boss’s restaurants. She also works for him in the restaurant group’s administrative department, and we clicked right away and started dating soon after. But when my boss wanted to open a new restaurant in Austin, he invited me and my ex to kickstart the project, so we moved to Texas.”
“I see.” The first few pieces of fish she had placed in the frying pot were now sizzling. So she checked on the broth and added a few more ingredients to it. I couldn’t understand how Moira remembered everything she had going on simultaneously on the stove, a superpower she and William shared. “And why did you decide to study in Sweden?”
“Stockholm has one of the best culinary schools in the world, and it was free.”
“What do you mean free? Do you have a European nationality?”
“I do.” She added the noodles to the broth and quickly flipped the fish in the frying pan. “My mom’s from Switzerland, and my dad is second-generation Korean American. I grew up in Virginia, so my initial thought was to study Culinary Arts in New York. But, man … the tuition cost was beyond my means. Still, I was going to start the process to secure a scholarship when a friend gave me the brilliant idea of checking out the program in Stockholm. And with my Swiss passport, the tuition was free. The rest is history.”
“Wow.” Moira’s story was fascinating to me. She’d been exposed to so many cultures, languages, and backgrounds. It reminded me of my culturally varied upbringing, except she had the liberty to do and move as she pleased, and I didn’t.
Moira and I talked a bit more about her family and her dream to become a restaurant owner one day while she finished preparing the fish and chips. It was almost 6:00 p.m.
When I was done setting the table and uncorking a fresh bottle of wine, the doorbell rang. Knowing Zara had arrived made my hands feel clammy and my stomach warm with anticipation.
This was my opportunity to finally set things straight between us, and I couldn’t mess this up.
“I’ll have your dishes ready in two minutes!” Moira shouted from the kitchen.
“No rush! Take your time!”
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly through my mouth, I summoned a smile and opened the door.
“Hey, Billie.” My jaw dropped. Zara looked stunning, as she usually did. Only this time, she seemed ready for a fancy party. She wore a long-sleeve red dress with a cowl neck and her hair up in a tight, slick bun, leaving two frontal pieces framing her gorgeous face.
Thank God I washed my face and changed into jeans and a sweater before she arrived, or I would’ve looked like a gremlin beside her. Never mind that I already felt like one, anyway.
“Thank you so much for coming.” I gave her a quick hug and waved her in. “You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” She pressed her lips into a small, awkward smile, and I guided her to the dining room and offered her a glass of wine.
“I assume you have somewhere else to be, so I don’t plan on taking up too much of your time.” I filled both of our glasses, and she took a sip.
“Oh, this is my go-to fish and chips outfit.” She chuckled at her own joke, and I smiled, but it didn’t do much to settle the palpable tension in the air. But I thanked her on the inside for trying to soften the mood. I could tell she was trying, too. “It’s um … Nathan’s birthday today. And we’re going out to a club to celebrate. I’m sorry I was unclear about it earlier.”
Shit. Nathan’s birthday. I’d completely forgotten about it. Not that it would’ve made any difference if I hadn’t. When I had discussed this particular subject with Nolan when I told him I’d seen Nathan on Thanksgiving, his advice was clear: Do NOT text your ex happy birthday.
That had been my initial reaction. I didn’t want to do it, but I wanted confirmation from a friend I trusted. And Lily, of course, didn’t mention anything about Nathan’s celebration because we had a strict rule of not talking about him. Ever.
“Don’t worry. I completely understand.”
“Good evening,” Moira said as she walked out of the kitchen carrying our plates and setting them in front of us with meticulous care.
“Zara, this is Moira.”
“I … hi,” Zara stammered, offering her hand to Moira. Moira shook it and smiled, but I could see her eyes widen at the sight of Zara. I don’t think there’d be a person who wouldn’t have that reaction when Zara looked like a goddess.
“Nice to meet you, Zara.” Moira seemed to reel in her reaction quickly and returned to chef mode. “I’ll be right back with the tartar sauce.”
“Moira went to culinary school with William in Stockholm,” I explained. “He flew her in to cook for me because he thinks I’ve been eating crap, and he’s not entirely wrong.”
“You’re shitting me!” Zara brought her wineglass to her lips and took a sip. “The things William does for you.” But it sounded genuine, like she wasn’t offended by it, for a change. “He really loves you.”
“I love him very much, too.” I stared into her eyes when I said that so she could feel the devotion and conviction in my words. She probably feared that I would change my mind or hurt William as I did Nathan. But there was no way I’d allow it. I was crazy in love with William. Like I’d never been before.
“Tartar sauce and lemons.” Moira interrupted us by placing two small bowls between me and Zara.
“Thank you. This looks amazing.” Zara gave Moira a once-over. “I love your tattoos.”
Moira gave her a stiff nod. “Thanks.”
“Are you joining us for dinner?” Zara asked.
“I’m still not done in the kitchen, but please, enjoy.” Moira rubbed her hands and smiled. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Moira walked away.
“Um, her number?” Zara whispered, and I laughed under my breath.
“She’s pretty awesome,” I added.
“And hot. Did you see those tattoos?” Zara grabbed the tartar sauce and served a few spoonfuls on her plate. “Do you think she might be …”
“She’s gay,” I whispered back. It was my turn to help myself to some tartar sauce. “I just met her today, but I really like her. She’s the coolest.”
“Such a lovely face.” Zara dipped the fish in the tartar sauce and brought it to her mouth. “Fuck me.” She slammed her fist on the table and moaned. “This is absolutely scrumptious.”
It was exquisite. Moira was right. It was, without a doubt, the best fish and chips I’d ever tried. The crispy batter was golden-brown, and the fish was tender and perfectly seasoned. The chips were thick and slightly salted—a perfect savory balance.
“Moira?” Zara shouted, relishing another bite.
Moira rushed out with a worried face. “Is everything okay with your dishes?”
“Depends,” Zara said. “Is there enough for seconds? Because this is divine.”
“Aw, thank you!” Moira smiled at the praise, looking relieved. “There’s more where that came from. I’ll bring out a plate with a few more pieces.”
“Seriously, this is the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.” Zara wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
“Same,” I agreed.
“You have to give me the recipe.”
“Nope.” Moira crossed her arms at her chest. “William’s harassed me for that recipe for years. So I would never share it with his sister.” She lifted a defiant brow at Zara.
Zara audibly gasped. A mix of surprise and amused delight escaped her lips, turning the sound into a chuckle. “Aren’t you cheeky?”
Moira shot that confident, sly wink of hers at Zara and said, “Most of the time.”
Zara considered Moira’s reply with narrowed eyes and said, “Well, if you’re free tonight, I’d love for you to join us for my brother’s birthday celebration.”
“I’m free.” Moira nodded, her smile reaching her dark brown eyes. “Here’s my number.” Moira pulled a pen from her apron’s pocket and wrote her number on a napkin. “Text me the address. I can be there when I’m done here.”
“Lovely.” Zara grabbed the napkin and placed it underneath her mobile.
“I’ll be right back with that fish.” Moira turned on her heel and walked away.
“This is a trap!” Zara whispered with urgency, seizing my arm with a laugh. “The girl, the food. What do you want from me, Billie?”
“I won’t lie and say I didn’t use your favorite dish to lure you in.” I took a longer sip of my wine and set the wineglass gently on the table. “But I really want us to talk. I know you’re in the middle of a complicated situation where you want to show your support for William without making Nathan feel bad or feel like you’ve picked a side. And I know I put you in that position, but I’m truly sorry about how things went down. It was never my intention to hurt Nathan.”
Moira returned with the fish and placed it on the table, escaping to the kitchen without a word after Zara and I thanked her in unison, likely picking up on the shift in the atmosphere.
“I’m aware that it was a complex situation,” Zara started to say. “Especially with all the secrecy involving my true relationship with the Sj?bergs. And I don’t want to victimize Nathan because he’s not a victim, and he would kill me if I portrayed him as such, but he loved you, Billie. He was madly in love with you. He couldn’t shut up about wanting to marry you whenever I talked to him about you, and I would tell him to slow down, but he was so sure of his feelings. And while that happened, Will would tell me how he felt about you, and you seemed so confused that it made me think things wouldn’t end well. I could see the way you looked at Will, so even if he kept promising he was done with you, deep down, I knew he wasn’t. And I knew my presence in Will’s life made you jealous.”
“It did.” I swallowed hard. “And I’m so sorry.” She had every right to feel the way she did, and I didn’t blame her. I’d probably feel the same if I were in her position. “All I want is for us to start over and see if you could find it in yourself to trust me when I tell you that I love William with all my heart, and I will forever try my best to make him as happy as he makes me. And I loved Nathan, too; I never meant to hurt him. I swear. But William’s … William.”
“I know.” Zara took a deep breath and stared at her plate for a moment. “Nathan’s a big boy. I need to learn how to relax around him. I know I hate it when he gets overprotective
with me.”
“Listen, I don’t have any siblings, but I imagine I’d want to protect them too. So I get where you’re coming from, even if I’ll never know what that’s like.”
“You have me, sis.”
My eyes welled up with emotion, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of embarrassment at the vulnerability of sharing my feelings with Zara, so I tried to regain my composure.
“Come here.” She stood and pulled me up from my seat.
I hugged her and couldn’t hold in the tears any longer. “I hated when you called me sis,” I said with a choked laugh.
“I could tell.” She chuckled as she swayed me from side to side. “But we were destined to be sisters, one way or the other.”
We gently broke off the embrace. “So we can start over?” I asked.
She smiled, and for once, it wrinkled her eyes sweetly. “We already did.”