Sweet Trilogy: Sweet Talk / Sweet Spot / Sweet Trouble

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Whatever. We can talk in my office.”

“We can talk right here,” Claire told her.

Everyone scattered.

“Is humiliating me your goal?” Nicole asked. “Because you’re doing a hell of a job.”

“You know exactly what my goal is, however much you try to avoid it. I want us to be sisters again.”

Nicole’s gaze narrowed. “Sisters don’t betray each other.”

“Sure they do. Sisters do everything everyone else does. It’s the nature of close relationships.”

“You’re an expert now?”

“More than I was. You’re pissed off because I bailed Jesse out of jail without talking to you first. Fine. You didn’t talk to me about putting her in jail in the first place.”

“It wasn’t your business.”

“She’s my sister.”

“She stole from me.”

“You’re still punishing her for Drew. You couldn’t do anything about that, so you’re looking for another way to get back at her.”

“Why the hell not?” Nicole demanded. “Should I be happy about what they did together? Should it fill me with pride? She screwed up everything.”

Claire got it. She finally got what was going on with Nicole.

“You’re the victim,” she said slowly, filling in the details as she talked. “I can’t believe it. You’re so tough on the surface, but underneath, you’re blaming everyone else for what’s going wrong. It’s true you were left with all kinds of crap here, but you did an amazing job. You took care of everything. But that’s not enough. I don’t know if you can’t accept your part, or if you’re not getting enough support or what.”

“Stop it!” Nicole yelled. “Don’t you dare think you can get inside my head. I don’t need any amateur psychology from a poor little princess who doesn’t know how to function in the real world.”

“At least I’m trying to make things better. I’m not running around, blaming everyone else.”

“No, you’re sneaking around, hiding from your manager because you’re not willing to face her like a grown-up.”

That shot hurt, Claire thought, but refused to acknowledge the zing.

“I did run,” she admitted, “but I also faced her. I keep showing up with you, time after time. You keep trying to get rid of me. Who’s the one with the problem? Want to blame me for that? Or maybe Drew. I think a lot of this is his fault. It sure can’t be yours.”

Nicole glared at her for several heartbeats, then turned. “I don’t need this or you. Get out. Just go away. I don’t want to see you again.”