the she in question, reached for a handful of popcorn and sat back to enjoy the show. Though the former stepsisters were best of friends, they had a tendency to bicker like teenagers around each other, which Andie oddly enjoyed. Considering the weird way the three of them were tied together—with adoptions and divorces and affairs—bickering seemed so very normal.
Jenna rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t even make sense. Yes, Rose Red is Snow White’s sister, but it’s a different Snow White.”
“Now you’re not making sense,” Mackenzie said. Andie smothered a laugh. She and Mack had talked about the Rose Red story—they’d even looked it up on Wikipedia—and Mackenzie knew very well that there were two different Snow Whites.
Jenna sighed with annoyance. “Andie’s just being nice.”
“Exactly!” Mackenzie leapt on that statement with far more enthusiasm than it warranted. Leaning over she wrapped an arm around Andie’s shoulders as if presenting her for inspection. “This girl is nice. Too nice, possibly. The nicest of the nice.”
Andie laughed and even Jenna cracked a smile as she said, “And Rose Red was nice?”
“Of course.” Mackenzie sounded shocked that they weren’t all familiar with Rose Red. “That’s her whole deal. She’s fair and sweet, even to bears.”
“Bears, huh?” Jenna said.
Mackenzie nodded. “Bears. She and her sister, Snow White, take in a bear. Long story short, the bear’s a prince.” With that, she took a sip of her cocktail.
Jenna turned to Andie. “Have you met any bears recently?”
Andie laughed as she shook her head. “No bears. Just a big burly guy covered in tattoos, does that count?”
Mackenzie turned to her with wide eyes. “Of course that counts! Tell us everything.”
Andie shifted in her seat, not entirely comfortable being the center of attention. She wasn’t typically shy but she much preferred to watch these two interact than be the focus of their conversation. Not just because she was the new sister but because she paled in comparison. They were always telling interesting stories about their careers, their love lives, their families…and Andie couldn’t even begin to keep up.
She had no career to speak of. Nearly thirty and she still hadn’t figured out what she wanted to do for a living. To be fair, she hadn’t come from money like Jenna, so she’d spent the majority of her twenties taking any job that could pay her rent. She’d just discovered her family and these two knew far more about her parents than she did so she had nothing to contribute there. And as for a love life? None to speak of.
An image of a large, muscly, shaved-headed tattoo artist came to mind. She shook her head. “It’s ridiculous. It won’t amount to anything…”
“Why not?” Jenna demanded. “If you like this guy, he would be lucky to have you.” If there was one thing she could say about her new sister, she was overprotective of her family. Including her. Which was sweet, really…albeit unnecessary. She’d been taking care of herself her whole life.
“I don’t know if I like him.” Sure, she was intrigued by him. She remembered the way her skin had tingled every time he’d drawn near. The way her heart had picked up its pace every time he was close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body. And oh man, that body. She’d never thought of herself as the type to like big, muscular men, but that was before she’d seen him. She’d barely been able to tear her gaze from the chest muscles she could make out through his thin T-shirt or the bulging biceps that were covered with tats.
Mackenzie started to laugh. “If that blush is anything to go by, you, my fair little friend, you have got the hots for this guy.”
Andie could feel the heat intensify in her cheeks but she couldn’t bring herself to deny it. “Fine. Then I guess I should say, I don’t know if he’s interested in me.”
She could see Jenna starting to bristle at that, and quickly added, “We didn’t have a chance to talk much.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she added, “Actually, I’m pretty sure I talked too much. He barely said anything.”
“Ah, so it was a meeting of the minds,” Jenna said, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement, softening the jab.
Andie laughed. “More like lust at first sight.” That physical attraction had been the reason behind her inability to shut up. She’d always been like that. Put her in an uncomfortable situation and she could not stop talking.