The doorbell sounded, putting an end to her musings.
Jordin opened her door fully expecting to see her sister. She gasped in surprise. “Austin...” She had no idea that her brother was already in Charleston, but seeing him at her door thrilled Jordin beyond words.
“Hey, little sister.”
“When did you get into town?”
“Thursday night,” he responded. “Can you pretend to be a little happy to see me?”
“Oh, I’m glad that you’re here,” Jordin replied. “I was just surprised to find you at the door. I was expecting Jadin and I thought you were her. C’mon inside.” She stepped aside to allow her brother entrance into her home.
“Good, I want to talk to you both.”
She studied his expression for a moment before asking, “Is everything okay, Austin?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
The room enveloped in uneasy silence.
“I heard Ryker got married again,” Austin stated, breaking the quiet.
“He did,” Jordin confirmed, “and they have two beautiful daughters and another baby on the way. They recently found out that this one is a boy.”
“I’m happy for him.”
Another pregnant pause.
“Austin, I’m ecstatic to hear that you are joining us at the firm.” Jordin broke into a smile. “You have to know that it’s a dream come true for Dad.”
He did not respond.
“How is your mother?” she asked.
“She’s great.”
“How does she feel about your coming here and working with Dad?”
“She’s not thrilled about it,” Austin admitted candidly, “but it was my decision to make.”
“It’s really going to be nice having you around,” Jordin stated.
The doorbell sounded.
“This has to be Jadin,” she announced. She walked briskly across the hardwood floor and opened the door.
Her sister entered the house. “Are you ready to go?”
Jadin’s eyes strayed over to where her brother was sitting. “Austin, I had no idea you were here. When did you arrive in town?”
“I’ve been here since Thursday evening.”
“You’ve been in town for a day and a half and we are just now hearing from you. Why is that?” Jadin questioned.
“I spent yesterday looking for a place to live. I’d like to get settled as soon as I can before I start work.”
“Austin, what’s the real reason you came to Charleston?” Jadin wanted to know. “I know that it wasn’t just because you wanted to be close to Dad.”
“Actually, it has everything to do with him,” he responded. “I want to get to know Etienne DuGrandpre for myself. I need to see if he’s anything like my mother said.”
Jadin smiled at him. “I think that’s a smart decision.”
Jordin wasn’t so sure that she believed Austin. She clung to the idea that there was another reason for his coming to Charleston. One that he obviously wasn’t willing to share with his sisters.
“Well, I’ll head out since you two already have plans.”
“You’re welcome to join us,” Jordin stated, “but I have to warn you—we love to shop.”
He smiled. “Maybe next time.”
Jordin and Jadin each gave him a hug before walking out with him.
“Well, big brother is in town,” Jadin murmured as she settled into her sister’s car.
Jordin nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t think this is just about Dad.”
“So what do you think the real reason could be?”
“I have no idea,” Jordin responded. “My instincts are telling me that he also came to Charleston for another purpose.”
“Well, we will find out what his motives are in time.” Changing the subject, Jadin said, “Ryker told me that you went to see Ethan. How did that go?”
“Fine,” she answered. “I was so happy to see him. Sis, he is so handsome.”
“He’s always been nice looking.”
Jordin agreed.
Fifteen minutes later, they strolled through the doors of a downtown fashion boutique.
“I know that you really care about Ethan, but maybe you should keep some distance between the two of you,” Jadin suggested as she switched her purse from one shoulder to the other.
“It’s not like he came looking for you when he returned to Charleston.”
Her words stung, but Jordin kept her expression blank. “No, he did not contact me, but Ethan’s still my friend and I’m not going to abandon him. He’s been through a lot.”
“You can’t save him.”
She turned and met her sister’s gaze straight on. “I’m just trying to reconnect with my friend. That’s all.”
“I don’t think even you believe that,” her sister responded.
“Seriously,” Jordin uttered. “This is about friendship.”
Changing the subject, she asked, “What do you think of this dress?”
Jadin smiled and nodded in approval. “I love it.”
“So do I,” Jordin responded. She was glad to put an end to discussing Ethan. She and Jadin would never agree when it came to him.
After forty minutes in the store, they were finally satisfied with their selections. Jordin led the way to the cash register.
“I spent more than I’d planned, but I found some great buys,” she said, pulling out her credit card.
“There were some great items on sale,” Jadin agreed.
Purchases in hand, they headed to the exit door a few minutes later.
Jordin heard a familiar voice shortly after they stepped outside. She looked over her shoulder, then stopped in her tracks.
“Hello, ladies...”
“Hello, Ethan,” she and Jadin replied in unison.
He chuckled at their response. “Still doing the twin thing, I see.”
Jordin laughed. “Since we’re identical, I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
Ethan’s smile warmed her.
“I didn’t expect to run into you,” Jordin stated.
“It’s Saturday and the day is beautiful,” he responded. “I thought I’d enjoy some of it.”
Jadin gave a slight nod. “It’s a really nice day.”
Ethan met Jordin’s gaze and said, “I’d planned to call you, but this was a really hectic week for me. I had to fly out to Arizona for business, and then Memphis for a conference.”
“I understand,” she murmured. Deep down, Jordin felt a measure of relief upon hearing the reasons why Ethan had not called. She was beginning to wonder if he was avoiding her.
“Do you have any plans for this evening?”