“I mean, whatever, but it wasn’t your business. You made yourself the arbiter of someone else’s love, and you were wrong.”

Dorsey was quiet for a moment. “Well, it sounds like you have quite a few reasons not to ever see me again.” He took his coat. “I’m sorry I misunderstood our relationship. It will never happen again.” Dorsey opened the door and nearly knocked Chicho down to get himself out of the town house.

“Was that Dorsey?” Chicho’s eyes widened. “What on earth did you say to him?”

“You told her WHAT?” His sister’s voice ricocheted around the room, even over FaceTime. “Dorsey, what type of woman would ever say yes to that?”

“I thought of it as more of a logical presentation of the benefits of a relationship. Show the other party why they’re getting a good deal.” Dorsey heard how it sounded as he said it. His no-sleep logic had made sense in his head the other night, but he groaned inwardly at his reality TV comparison.

“But she had just given you some major sign of liking you, and you really threw it in her face. No woman wants to be made to feel so cheap. I mean, she’s dead wrong about Isaiah, but you’re not doing yourself any favors.”

“She mentioned you and Jennifer . . .” Dorsey said, letting his sister in on the most perplexing part of the conversation, the “side chick” accusation.

“My visit to her father’s bedside? Why?” Gigi asked.

“I have no idea,” Dorsey said.

There was a long pause on the phone. “Oh no . . . Jennifer’s post the other day.” Gigi sounded alarmed. “She posted an old photo of us with these crazy hashtags about us being sisters.”

“If Liza saw that . . .”

“Oh, she definitely saw that. She thought you were—”

“Making her the other woman,” Dorsey finished. She should have just asked, What about you and Jennifer?, and he would have set her straight. She had all the wrong ideas about him. “Well, it’s too late now,” Dorsey said. Why did he keep getting it wrong with her?

“What do you mean?”

“I told her I wouldn’t be back again and to have a nice life.”

“Wow, I can’t believe I used to date men. Why don’t I just tell her the truth about Isaiah?” Gigi said this with a nonchalance Dorsey did not believe.

“Gigi, I’m not sacrificing you on the altar of my broken relationship.”

“No, I want to tell her.” Gigi’s voice hardened. Dorsey knew that stubborn tone. She was settling in.

“I don’t want you to.”

Gigi looked genuinely disappointed in him. Damn, that face stung.