Free Smart Girls Think Twice by Cathie Linz Page A

wasn’t her heart pounding in her ears. The pounding was coming from her front door.
    “Come on, Emma, I know you’re in there,” Leena yelled. “Open up!”
    “Ignore her and she’ll go away,” Jake said, nibbling on her throat.
    Emma wished that were true, but knew it wasn’t. She reluctantly moved away. The spell was broken. For now . . . “You don’t know my sister. She’s very persistent.”
    “Emma!” Leena yelled again.
    Not in the best of moods, Emma marched over and yanked open the door. “What?”
    “How could you?”
    Emma bit her bottom lip, the one that Jake had just been kissing. How did her sister know she’d been making out with Jake? Had their dad suspected something and sent Leena to check up on her?
    “How could I what?” Emma asked carefully.
    “ aked firemen ring any bells?”
    “I had no idea you were into naked firemen,” Jake noted from the futon, where he eyed Emma with wicked speculation.
    “I don’t . . . I’m not!” Emma sputtered.
    “Not her. Our sister Sue Ellen. At the bridal shower tomorrow.”
    “You’re having naked firemen coming to your bridal shower?” His dark eyebrows rose.
    “Sounds like quite a party.”
    “Thanks for stopping by, Jake.” Emma sent him a look. “I don’t want to keep you.”
    “I’m not in any hurry,” he said, settling himself more comfortably.
    Emma narrowed her eyes at him. “My sister and I need to share some girl talk. In private.”
    He nodded knowingly. “To talk about the naked firemen.”
    “Among other things.” She tugged him to his feet, no easy task given the fact that he had to be six foot two of muscular male who enjoyed making trouble. He seemed to also enjoy her attempts to get rid of him.
    “You’re not telling me you want me to leave, are you?” He pretended to look hurt.
    “Yes.”
    He gave her a head to toe once-over that was hotter than the surface of the sun. “We’ll finish this later.” Reaching out, he tucked a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear before ambling out.
    “Are you crazy?” Leena demanded.
    “Probably,” Emma muttered, closing the door after him before turning to face Leena.
    “How could you tell Sue Ellen to post pictures of naked firemen at the shower tomorrow?”
    “I didn’t tell her what to put up. She was upset because she thought your table was going to look better than hers—”
    “She’s right. It will.”
    “—so I told her that she should make her table her own.”
    “Great. Just great. So what are you going to do about this mess?”
    “Me?”
    “Yes, you.” Leena pointed at her. “You’re the one offering dumb advice.”
    “It wasn’t dumb, and I’m getting tired of being in the middle of this competition between you and Sue Ellen.”
    Leena responded by bursting into tears.
    Sue Ellen might turn on the waterworks at the drop of a hat, but Leena rarely did. Emma felt awful for making her cry. “I’m sorry.”
    Leena just cried harder.
    Emma was getting desperate. “I’ll talk to Sue Ellen. Get her to put up something noncontroversial.
    Like pictures of sunflowers or something.”
    Leena hiccupped, her tears slowing, her face red. She wasn’t a pretty crier.
    “Here, sit down.” Emma led her to the futon. “Can I get you a glass of water? Or Dr Pepper? I know. How about Cherry Garcia ice cream? It’s your favorite, right?”
    Leena nodded.
    “Okay then.” Emma retrieved the carton and two spoons and a box of tissues. They were just about to dig into the creamy dessert when there was a knock on the door.
    Emma opened it to find Sue Ellen there. “I decided against the naked firemen,” she said as she walked inside. “I’m not sure that Donny’s mom would approve. And Leena has a nun coming.”
    “Cole’s aunt is a nun,” Leena reminded Emma.
    “Right.” Emma got another spoon.
    She turned to find her sisters sitting side by side on the futon, digging into the Cherry Garcia together and waving their spoons as they brainstormed