Chapter 7

“Candace.” She held her head high, wishing she were wearing jeans and a sweater instead of her revealing rumpled outfit from the night before. She’d been so tired when she got home around four, she’d dropped right into bed, and slept until Candace’s and Nolan’s voices woke her. “You have twenty seconds to explain why when I told you I found a great guy, you drove straight up here and seduced him.”

“That is not what happened.” She dropped the bedspread, grabbed a loose skirt and teal sweater from Michelle’s floor.

“You did drive straight up here.”

“Yes. I did.” She pulled on the skirt, which barely fit over the curvy hips Michelle wished she had, dragged the too-tight sweater over her generous boobs, ditto. “I was worried about you.”

“So the phrases ‘I’ve changed’ and ‘this guy is different’…you thought I was lying? Or so stupid that I had no idea what I was talking about?”

“What is so great about a guy who makes a move on your sister?”

“I thought you said all that went on was sleeping.”

Candace’s face went blank. She slumped against the wall and knocked off Michelle’s tiny calendar. “I wasn’t going to tell you.”

“Why?”

“Because what was the point of hurting you more?”

She looked so miserable Michelle had to force herself to calm down. She knew Nolan wasn’t a player, but then Candace wasn’t, either. So…“What happened?”

“I was asleep. My doctor gave me new pills and then Nolan…I thought I was dreaming.”

“Come on. You slept through sex?”

“We didn’t have sex. He just—”

“Ew.” Michelle put her hands out. “I don’t want to know.”

“But also, I had a headache and took one of the ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet. It didn’t look right, and I wondered if maybe I was so asleep because—”

“Oh, gosh.” Michelle’s eyes widened. “I wondered where those were.

That wasn’t ibuprofen, those were sleeping pills I borrowed from Joe.”

“Whoa.” Candace’s eyebrows shot up. “I guess that’s how you sleep through sex.”

“I thought you said—”

“No.” She waggled her finger back and forth. “I meant it. No sex. But the guy is bad news, Michelle.”

Here we go. Mommy Candace on a roll. “He didn’t know who you were.”

“What was he doing making a pass at anyone if you’re dating seriously?”

“Oh.” Michelle did everything she could not to look guilty. They weren’t exactly dating yet. But he’d shown interest moving in with her, hadn’t he? And with the two of them together so much, something would happen. He was perfect for the new her. But if she told Candace she’d asked Nolan to move into their house when she’d only seen him four times briefly at Habitat for Humanity, Candace would stay for the rest of Michelle’s life.

“Well…he was drunk. He didn’t know what he was doing.”

“And this is an excuse why? For one thing, blacking-out drunk is serious. For another, alcohol doesn’t force you to cheat.”

“Look. Just drop it, okay? Nolan and I have worked this out. He’s moving in today and that’s what we both want. I’ve never seen him drink too much before, this was probably a one-time overindulgence. And if not, I’ll keep an eye out and handle it, okay?”

“No, not okay. I don’t want you getting involved with someone—”

“Who you don’t know at all and who has a perfectly reasonable explanation for how he behaved? It’s actually more reasonable than yours.” She wanted to turn into a bear, growl and terrify Candace out of the house, then shred a tree or something. She couldn’t stand the fighting. It was all they did. “Tell you what. I’ll put him on probation for a month.”

“Michelle, I can’t believe—”

“One month.” She held up a finger. “Any signs of excessive drinking or, um, cheating on me again, and I’ll throw him out. In the meantime, while you’re here, you make an effort to talk to him and get to know him when he hasn’t been drinking, which I’m telling you is not like him. If you still think he’s a jerk, then we’ll talk. But I know you won’t.”

Candace sighed and pushed herself away from the wall, “Okay. I know I’m a buttinsky. I just worry about you.”

“Ya think?” She couldn’t help grinning. Her sister did look worried, and Michelle was aware a lot of the worry was love. She just wished Candace would keep her worry and love safely long distance. “I’m fine, really. You and Nolan got off on…okay, rephrase, started off on the wrong foot, but he’s really terrific. I don’t know where he was last night, but—”

“You don’t?” Candace pounced. “He doesn’t tell you where he’s—”

“Candace…”

“Okay.” She lifted her hands. “Okay, okay. Shutting up. Where were you last night?”

“I went out for a drink after work with Jennifer and Nick. Came back to change, then Jennifer and I went to a party.”

“Ah.” Candace looked at her watch, doubtless thinking, You’re too old to be partying this hard at your age, young lady. “You don’t have work today?”

Michelle whirled around, peered at her clock and gasped. “Oh, God. I’m late.”

She started peeling off her clothes, looking desperately around at her discarded wardrobe. What to wear, what to wear.

“I’ll find you something for breakfast.

Candace left the room before Michelle could tell her she didn’t eat breakfast. Whatever. Mommy Candace wouldn’t listen anyway. She’d lecture on the importance of a good nutritious start to the day and whip up oatmeal with prunes. Michelle hated oatmeal. And she hated prunes.

Twenty minutes later, dressed in beige pants and an olive-patterned top she’d bought on sale and never worn because it made her look sallow, teeth brushed, makeup on, stairs leaped down two at a time, she managed not to roll her eyes at the spread on the table. Toast, cereal, power bars, peanut butter, cheese… “You eat like this every morning?” She grabbed a power bar to keep the peace.

“That color looks horrible on you.”

“Thank you.” She relented when her sister looked contrite. “I know, but it’s the only thing I found that didn’t need ironing, and don’t say that if I kept my clothes hanging in the closet they wouldn’t get wrinkled.”

Candace looked startled, then drew her fingers across her lips, zzzip. “Have a good day at work, dear.”

Michelle giggled. “Thank you. Have fun with Nolan. Try to stay out of bed with him, okay?”