“Tell me about it.”

“I like her,” Piper declares. “She’s definitely an improvement on the girls you bring around the bar, swooning all over you like you’re God.”

“Callie doesn’t think I’m God,” I agree.

“You’re good together, too.” Piper’s smile gets wider. “You’ve been alone for way too long. It’s nice to see you happy.”

I feel a shot of guilt. Telling a tiny fib to Zelda seemed fair game, but I didn’t stop to think about how it meant lying to my sister, too. And as much as I like to give her a hard time, there’s nobody I’m closer to in the world.

“Honestly? I’d rather not talk about it.” I say, trying to steer the conversation away from my lie. “I don’t want to jinx things.”

“Typical, denying me all the good gossip.” Piper pouts. “Although, I get the part where you’re worried about jinxing things. It’s a miracle that you were able to convince a woman like Callie to give you the time of day.”

“Gee, thanks!” I protest, laughing. “And what about you? Who’s the new loser of the week that you’re dating?”

“I don’t date losers,” Piper cries, smacking me on the arm.

“I beg to differ,” I grin, walking back to the house with her. “That hedge fund guy? Loser.”

“He earned high six figures.”

“And couldn’t stop telling us about it,” I remind her. “Loser. And the guy running for city council—”

“—was incredibly successful. Elected in a landslide—”

“—and a self-important jackass,” I correct her. “Seriously, these stuffed shirts you pick are the worst.”

“Well, maybe if you and the rest of your friends didn’t scare off any guy who tries to talk to me, I’d have more options,” Piper says with a scowl. “Seriously, I can’t hang out at Mavericks anymore. The last time I was there with my girlfriends, Flynn threatened some guy just for offering to buy me a drink.”

“We don’t threaten,” I insist. “We simply… Warn them that you’re not to be trifled with.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I might enjoy some… Trifling?” Piper retorts. I gag.

“Don’t say things like that.”

“I’m twenty-five, I’m not your kid sister anymore!”

“You’ll always be my kid sister,” I tell her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. She groans and bats my hand away.

“That’s exactly the problem!”

“What’s he doing this time?” Zelda asks, greeting us from her perch on the back terrace. Her latest pet du jour, the goat, is frolicking nearby, sniffing around the rose bushes.

“Breathing.” Piper replies, sticking her tongue out at me.

“Real mature,” I smirk.

Zelda adjusts the brim on her floppy black sunhat. “Dash, I ordered you up some breakfast. Why don’t you join me?”

I wince. I know a summons when I hear one.

Piper does too, which is why she blurts out a quick greeting before escaping into the house.

Traitor.

I press a kiss onto Zelda’s cheek and plop an empty chair. “Beautiful morning.”