Chapter 234

"You... he's your older brother?" Lauren froze, completely blindsided. Her brain kind of just short-circuited, and she stood there for quite a while without snapping out of it. So... she'd totally gotten Oliver wrong? Was it really like those lyrics—"She's just like a sister to me"? Eyeing Claire in that flowing smoky-lavender dress, Lauren suddenly didn't know what to say. Claire seemed to have caught onto what was swirling in Lauren's mind and couldn't help but smile, though she kept it restrained. She didn't call Lauren out, just gently brought her back to reality. "Lauren, how about you go freshen up first? Breakfast is already set downstairs. Once you're ready, we can eat together and then maybe head out for a bit? I just got back to Raventon, and my brother's been really tied up with work. He said you've got a few days off anyway, so maybe you can keep me company?" Last night, on the way to pick up Lauren, Claire had cleverly gotten a few things out of Oliver. She still didn't kn