"I'm out of ideas," I tell Marina.

My sister laughs. "Then I guess you're also out of luck," she tells me.

She stopped accepting the flowers. She won't answer my calls. She doesn't return my texts. I even tried writing her an old fashioned letter snail mail. I have no idea if she read it.

For the last week I've been begging Rod and Marina to help me convince Amanda to just give me a chance to explain myself.

Both of them are taking entirely too much delight in my misery. It's like watching me lose at something brings them personal satisfaction. And, OK, I get that. I can be kind of an asshole, I admit that, but couldn't they just beat me at Monopoly or something?

Amanda is the best thing that ever happened to me. She's supposed to be my future, dammit! Losing her isn't the same as not being able to book a high profile guest for the show, or losing a damn bet.

Losing Amanda has been..."Mar," I'm out of pride, "you still talk to her, don't you?"

Marina looks at me over the rim of her water glass, sets it back on the table between us, and dabs the corner of her mouth with her napkin, never taking her eyes off me.

My sister suddenly looks worried, like she's seeing me for the first time and realizing something she hadn't noticed before.

"How have you been sleeping, Chris?"

I shake my head absently. I haven't. I tell her as much.

"What's going on with you?" Marina asks, "You aren't focused on the show, you haven't discussed next year's election or your campaign at all, Rod says you barely talk to him."

"I still talk to Rod," I grumble.

"Hmm." Marina focuses her attention on her unused spoon still on the table, "Yes. I do still talk to her," she says quietly.

My heart rate picks up pace and I try not to get too optimistic about the rush of hope that surges through me. In fact, I make an effort not to be too quick to say anything.

"You should stop sending the flowers," my sister says softly.

"I had Rod cancel the order already," I tell her.

"Maybe you should have Rod stop doing a lot of things for you?"

I know that sister tone, the one that's all heart wrapped in sarcastic edge. There's a meaning there I'm not sure I understand.

"He's my assistant," I tell her.

"Chris," she leans forward and stares at me, "Rod's your assistant for work. I know you guys go back a long way and I know you're friends-- although why the man puts up with your arrogant ass, I have no idea." She rolls her eyes and gives me half a smirk. Half a smirk from my sister means she's also half serious.

She's lucky she's my sister or I might be offended.

"Rod can't manage your personal life for you too."

Sister or not, maybe I can still be offended after all.

"He doesn't manage my personal life for me," I tell her a tad defensively.

Marina squints her eyes and purses her lips, giving me a look that needs no explanation.

"He doesn't," I repeat, "My personal life is personal."

My sister laughs out loud. Not a sarcastic laugh, a deep, full bellied laugh that shakes her body and transforms her face into pure mirth as she throws her head back.

I watch her, waiting till she's done and ready to talk to me again.

"Chris, really? You can't honestly believe that?" She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye then goes quiet when she sees me staring at her.

"Really. Why would you think otherwise?" I clench my jaw for a second before I realize I'm doing it and then force myself to relax it.

"Christopher," my sister leans back in her chair and fixes me with an accusing glare that makes her look like Mom, "when you decided it was time to get married and start a family for your career, you hired someone to make that happen for you. Even finding a wife was a job that you delegated to someone else."

She makes it sound like I was looking for some sort of mail order bride scenario. I feel my jaw clenching again.

"And when it turned out that your very exclusive marriage broker actually needed to talk to you in order to do her job, you kept sending Rod to answer her questions. It's amazing that Raven was even willing to take your application, let alone that she was actually able to find you a woman that was perfect for you in more ways than Rod and I could have expected.

"The fact that you fucked things up with Amanda in the first week isn't a surprise to any of us."

Marina takes a sip of her water and I'm not sure if she's just wetting her whistle for round 2 or if she's giving me a chance to respond.

I get my answer quickly enough when I open my mouth and she cuts me off.

"I'm thrilled that you and Amanda were working out. I adore her and she would be so good for you if you would just get over yourself and stop being such a damn ass, Chris. But the reason you fucked it up is because you put Rod in charge of taking care of your personal business-- again. And the reason you can't figure out how to get her back is because you keep putting Rod in charge of fixing it for you.

"Rod's not the one that needs to win Amanda's heart. He's not the one that's going to marry her and share his life with her and raise his children with her-- and neither are you if you don't get your head out of your ass, brother."

Marina finishes her point with a point of her fingertip in my direction and then checks her watch before jumping up from the patio table where we'd been having lunch.

"Shit! I'm late," she tells me with a smile as she comes to my side to kiss me on the cheek. "You know I love you, Chris, but you're seriously a jerk." She says it with a warm laugh as she pats my shoulder, "I'd really appreciate it if you'd make things right with her, I was really looking forward to her being my sister in law."

Marina doesn't wait for me to answer before she grabs her purse and hurries off, leaving me sitting alone trying to put together everything she just said.