Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Victoria listened to her excuse with a chilly indifference, shutting the door on her once both girls were inside. Sucking in a deep breath, she told herself over and over that telling the woman off would only make matters worse.
When she returned to the apartment, she only had forty-five minutes to prepare for the dinner party. At that point, she no longer cared what she wore.
Taking out the dress her mother had brought her for Glory’s engagement party, she took a three-minute shower before putting the dress on. She ran a brush through her hair and hastily applied a few sweeps of makeup, then stood by the bed.
“What do you think?”
Glory’s eyes swept over her. “Thank God you didn’t wear that dress to my engagement party. Denny wouldn’t have married me.”
The compliment made her bend down to press a kiss on her sister’s cheek. “I could have worn the most beautiful dress in the world, and Denny would have still married you.”
A pain-filled expression filled Glory’s face. “I miss him so bad.”
Sage sat down on the bed next to her to take her scarred hands in hers. “I know you do.”
She sympathized with the pain Glory was still going through. The sister she had grown up cherishing was gone. She had died the same day Denny had. In her place was a shell of the woman she used to be. Glory was the reason she forced herself not to cry anymore. The wealth of pain that Glory had to endure yet never complained about made her feel petty when the urge hit her.
“You should wear my earrings,” Glory suggested.
“I don’t want to wear your earrings.”
“I wonder why.”
Sage teased her, “Remember when I borrowed a necklace one time, and I had to listen to you complain about it for six months, even though I asked if I could borrow it?”
Regret lined Glory’s face. “You’ve always been a better sister to me than I have to you.”
“That’s not true,” she protested.
Glory made a face at her. “It is true. You were always so supportive of me, whatever I did. You would come and sit in the bleachers and watch all my softball games, while I complained about going to a recital once a year. I never shared anything with you, while you shared everything with me.”
“Stop, Glory. I was an irritating little sister—”
“That’s it. You weren’t. You did everything in the world to please everyone around you while I acted like a spoiled brat. Even now, you’re carrying all my burdens on your shoulders, yet you never complain.” Glory gripped her hands tightly. “Wear the earrings. It’ll make me happy.”
Nodding, Sage got up to get the earrings out of the jewelry box. They had been an engagement present from Denny.
She looked in the mirror. The diamond dangle earrings added another layer of elegance to her appearance. The high-necked, shimmering, rose-colored dress skimmed her body loosely, falling in pleats until it came to the top of her thighs, where the material fell into layered ruffles, ending mid-thigh. She wished she had her watch but shrugged it off. The jewelry was gone. It was just one other thing she had learned to accept. Wishing for anything was useless.
Walking back to the bed, she did a twirl. “Better?”
“Kent won’t want to bring you back.”
“Too bad for him. I told him I wasn’t going to have sex with him until our tenth date, or was it the ninth?” She laughed, plopping back onto the bed to check her sister’s oxygen level.
“You didn’t?” Glory laughed.
“I did.”
“I had sex with Denny on our second,” Glory confessed.
Sage gave her an accusatory glance. “You told me you made him wait until you were married!”
“I lied.”
Sage laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach, and Glory had to wipe tears of mirth away. The doorbell ringing broke the moment.
“Go get you some,” Glory urged, her laugher stilling. “You only live once, Sage. You can’t put a timer on when you want to do something. I’d rather do what I want to do and regret it later. Some opportunities never come back. Mistakes are easier to live with than regrets. Take it from someone who knows.
“I should have been there for you when we lost Mom and Dad. I should never have let you drop out of Julliard. I shouldn’t have yelled at you when you told me you were going to be late today. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were only a phone call away when Mom and Dad died. I dropped out of Julliard because there isn’t a place I would rather be than with you and the girls. I don’t blame you for being upset today—we know how dirty Victoria plays. We’ll handle it like we also do.”
Playfully, Sage pressed a hand to Glory’s forehead, pressing her head back onto the pillow. “Read your book and get some sleep. I’ll wake you when I get back to tell you all about it.”