said.
“ Come on. She’s 21 for crying out loud. How bad can it be?”
“ About like having a teenager. I’d have to know where she is every hour of the day. I’d have to look after her spiritual development. I’d have to... ”
“ She’s your sister,” Cameron reminded him.
Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. “Well... if you’re sure you don’t mind, I guess I don’t. She’s a good cook so we could eat in, and we wouldn’t have to pay Molly Maid for awhile. She might save us a bundle.”
Cameron laughed out loud. “Leave it to you to think of it in financial terms.”
Caleb’s brows rose. “I guess if I’d been born with a silver spoon in my mouth I wouldn’t think about it much either, but as you know... ”
“ Yeah, I know,” Cameron grinned. “Just quit being jealous, alright?”
Caleb threw a cushion at him.
Shoshana had never been so excited. Having rarely been away from home as a youngster, driving through a city the size of Lexington was a big deal for her. She threw her head back against the pickup truck window to peer up at the tall buildings and saw Caleb grin and shake his head in her peripheral vision.
“ Did I tell you how much I so appreciate this, Caleb?” she said.
“ Yeah, about twenty times now. I’m glad you could come, Shana. I mean that.”
Shoshana smiled. Caleb had always been her favorite brother even if he was a bit stern at times. “I won’t be any trouble at all. You’ll see.”
“ I know you won’t be any trouble... ” he said as he pulled his truck into an apartment complex, parking in the large parking garage. Shoshana shielded her eyes from the sun and peered upwards. It was going to be so cool living right downtown in a big city.
Caleb removed the two largest of her suitcases from the truck bed and Shoshana brought the two smaller ones. She followed her brother through the glass doors and to the elevator where he pushed the button for the fifteenth floor. Shoshana’s heart pounded with excitement. Lexington was a far cry from the teeny tiny town in eastern Kentucky where she’d spent most of her life so far.
Caleb’s apartment was lovely, if a bit neglected. Shoshana could already envision a nice vase of flowers on the kitchen table, an afghan on the back of the sofa, and some throw rugs scattered here and there. But that was after the floor was vacuumed, the kitchen floor mopped, and those terribly smelly dishes out of the sink.
Shoshana’s heart picked up in rhythm when a man she assumed was Caleb’s roommate walked into the room, shirtless and barefoot, and flashed them a devastating smile with deep dimples on each side. She felt her face flush when he strode across the living room, hand outstretched. He was the most attractive man she’d ever met. How would she manage to live with him for three months and speak in coherent sentences?
“ Shoshana, I’d like you to meet Cameron. Cameron, my sister, Shoshana,” Caleb said before moving on into the room with her suitcases.
“ Shoshana,” Cameron said with another heart stealing smile as he shook her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“ Hi,” she managed to whisper before ducking her head and following Caleb down the hallway.
He put her suitcases into a small room that contained a desk with a computer, some bookcases that had been pushed off to the side, a twin-sized bed, and a small chest of drawers. Shoshana looked around and smiled at Caleb. She’d never had her own room. She pulled back the curtains and peered out the window. She had a beautiful view of the courthouse square with its fountains and statues. At night the lights would be stunning.
“ Thank you, Caleb.”
“ You’re welcome. Make yourself at home.”
Cameron walked into his apartment and froze. This did not look like his apartment, and it certainly didn’t smell like it. He ran his fingertips
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