“I don’t know. I think you should have put me in charge of chips and salsa. We both know dip is beyond my culinary skills.”
“Believe me,” Anna said, “I wouldn’t have let you make it if I didn’t know it would taste good.”
Jenny laughed. “So true.”
Anna opened the fridge and grabbed the large bowl of potato salad she’d made earlier. “Now come on.” She bumped the fridge closed with her hip. “Your guests are hungry.”
They made their way out of Jenny’s house and across the yard. Under the hot August sun, the lake glistened a stunning silver and blue. Someone had plugged an iPod into a pair of speakers. The Beach Boys were belting out, “And she’ll have fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the T-Bird away.” Jenny paused at the edge of the beach and smiled.
Over two dozen of her friends and family were here, with more arriving every minute. Her dad was manning the barbeque they’d moved down from the house. Each time an unsuspecting guest walked by, he’d snag them and proceed to give a five-minute lecture on the proper way to grill salmon. Jenny shook her head. Right now poor Mrs. Murphy was the unlucky recipient of her dad’s unsolicited advice.
Mom stood a little ways off to the side, talking to a group of friends. She’d recently discovered a new sculptor from Vancouver and was convinced he was going to take the art community by storm. Jenny had no doubt he would. If Catherine Beckinsale said it was so, it was so.
Cody stood on the left side of the dock, a group of kids around him. The sketch he’d drawn last night of a sand castle was taped to a stick he’d pushed into the sand. The paper fluttered in the soft breeze as Cody directed the kids on what needed to be done to build the most intricate sand castle Jenny had ever seen. As she watched, the kids dispersed, ran to various spots on the beach, and began scooping sand into their brightly colored buckets.
Maddy, Sharron, and several other girlfriends of Jenny’s had taken up residence in lawn chairs. While babies slept in portable playpens, the women watched their husbands and boyfriends battle it out at the volleyball net. Even Paul was in the mix. And so was the new lawyer he’d hired, Kara, a tall brunette who was as beautiful as she was smart. Both Jenny and Anna knew it was only a matter of time before their brother fell for her. The only question was how long would Paul take. Jenny had laid odds on a month. Anna had shocked her by giving Paul less than a week. An all-expense-paid spa day was the wager. Watching Paul and Kara, Jenny had a feeling she’d be the one who ended up paying. But she didn’t mind. A day at the spa with her sister sounded like heaven—no matter who ended up paying.
The only people who hadn’t been able to make it were Steven’s parents. They were still in Arizona, but Jenny had called them and they’d talked for over an hour. The phone call had been cathartic—exactly what they’d all needed.
The moment Anna reached the picnic table, she set down her potato salad and frowned. It was the same thing she’d done all day. Jenny wasn’t the least surprised when Anna began to once more rearrange all the platters of food. The perfectionist in her just couldn’t help it. Jenny grinned when she saw Phillip walk up behind Anna and scoop her into a hug. Anna squealed and then laughed, her face aglow. And when her husband pulled her away from the table and down to the beach, Anna didn’t make one word of protest.
Jenny marveled at how much her sister had changed in such a short amount of time. Right after their talk on the Fourth of July, Anna had swallowed her pride and fought for what she wanted. She’d called Phillip that same night and asked him to come home. She told him that she needed him and missed him. And that she loved him. Phillip had been on the first available flight. He’d even made it home in time to see Cody pitch in the championship game.
And just like Anna, Jenny was going to fight for what she wanted. For who she wanted. Jared had broken her heart as much as he’d healed it. Now it was her turn to show him just how perfect they were for each