Angels at the Table (Angels Everywhere #7)(43)

Aren’s gaze shot to his sister. “I don’t have any choice.”

“Hold on just a minute. Weren’t you the one who lectured me about Jack and pride and telling me that if I was really in love with him I couldn’t take our breakup sitting down?”

“I said all that?” Aren wanted to eat those words now, seeing that they were coming back to bite him.

“That and more.”

“Did you take them to heart?” He knew she hadn’t and now, seeing the situation from her side, he understood why.

“As a matter of fact I did.” Seeing that it was her turn in line, Josie stepped to the counter and ordered for the both of them.

Aren hadn’t expected his sister to buy his coffee. He’d done it for her recently and apparently this was payback.

The barista handed them each a grande coffee and Josie paid with a swipe of her debit card. They started toward the subway when Aren pushed for more information.

“You contacted Jack?”

“Not yet, but I thought long and hard about what you said. You’re right, Aren. I have to face the fact that I do care for Jack. What I need to decide is if the pain I felt seeing him with another woman was real or if I was simply jealous and angry that he’s recovered enough to date someone new.”

“What did you decide?”

“I haven’t … not yet.”

Aren shook his head. They were certainly a pair, hurting and broken and both unwilling to let go of their pride. “I’m beginning to think I’d be better off concentrating on my career,” he told his sister. “It’s best if I avoid relationships completely.”

“Don’t be silly. You want a wife and family.”

“Who says?” he argued.

“I do. You’d make a wonderful husband and father. You can’t let a little bad luck stand in your way.”

“It’s more than bad luck. This is karma. Every relationship I’ve had—or been close to having—has gone down in flames.”

“Not true. What about Mary Jane Milton. She was crazy about you in high school.”

“I saw her at our last high school reunion. Married, three kids, and another on the way.”

“See, you didn’t act fast enough.”

“I was seventeen.”

They came to the subway and his sister paused. “Meet me for dinner,” Josie insisted.

“I’m working late,” he muttered. He knew she wanted to help, but this thing with Lucie was fresh in his mind and he preferred to take a couple of days to lick his wounds.

“Fine, call me when you’re finished and we’ll meet somewhere convenient.”

“I …”

“Don’t argue with me,” she said and started down the stairs. Halfway down, she paused and looked back. “Don’t disappoint me, Aren.”

It didn’t look as if he’d be able to get out of this easily, so he decided to make the best of it. Dinner with his sister should be safe enough.

Thankfully Aren was busy from the moment he walked into work. The distractions helped keep his mind off Lucie. He ate lunch at his desk, swallowing his sandwich of roast beef with horseradish sauce and a cup of hot coffee. By six he was tired and out of sorts. Dinner with Josie held little appeal, seeing that she was sure to lecture him. Aren wished now he’d kept his mouth shut when it came to dishing out advice, especially now that Josie was sure to give it back to him.

Being a dutiful brother, he called her as promised.

“You hungry?” she asked.

Aren had to think about it. “I suppose.”

“Great. Meet me at the Italian place I told you about.” She gave him the cross streets.

“Are you buying?”

“Yes, so don’t argue.”

Aren realized giving her an excuse wouldn’t do any good, so he capitulated. He didn’t have any trouble catching a taxi and did his best to ignore the festive mood that seemed to permeate the city. He didn’t want to think about Christmas. He had other matters on his mind. Not matters, he admitted, Lucie. He tried not to think about their painful conversation but it kept repeating itself in his mind. Bottom line: Lucie didn’t feel she could trust him. She claimed she didn’t know him.

Josie was waiting outside the restaurant when Aren’s taxi pulled to a stop at the curb.

“This is one of my favorite restaurants in the entire city,” Josie said as way of greeting. “Their red sauce is the best I’ve ever tasted.”

“Why haven’t you suggested we eat here before now?” he asked. He often talked restaurants with his sister. She loved Italian but he could remember her mentioning this place only once before.

She hesitated. “It was Jack’s and my favorite spot. Mostly I didn’t want to bring up a bunch of hurtful memories so I’ve avoided coming here ever since our breakup, which is silly.”

Aren hesitated. “Aren’t you afraid of running into Jack?”

Josie shook her head. “He probably doesn’t want to chance meeting up with me in the place we used to think of as ‘our restaurant.’ ”

Aren hoped his sister was right. Then, on second thought, it might serve Jack and Josie well if they did happen to stumble across each other. If Jack’s reaction was even close to his sister’s, then perhaps there was hope for the two of them. And if matters could be patched up between the pair, just maybe it could happen for him and Lucie. Aren frowned. His mind was playing silly tricks on him.