“Your anxiety has taste,” she grinned, looping her arm around my shoulders as we walked out from beside the tree.
“Speaking of that realm of things,” I said. “You’ll be happy to know I have a date tomorrow.”
She gasped. “With a real human boy?”
“Yup.”
“Who?”
“Oliver Tate.” It felt strange saying his name out loud.
“I have no idea who that is.”
“Remember the waiter I told you about?”
She looked at me with worry. “Oh no.”
“Mom orchestrated it. Even gave him my number, and now he wants to meet me at our favorite café.”
“Not Lana’s.”
“Yes, Lana’s.”
She huffed a breath that lifted a curl of red hair from her forehead. “If it’s anything like the past dates your mother has set up, do you want me to call with an emergency? I could fake a stroke.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I laughed. The last time she faked an emergency was by actually crashing the date, yanking me from the picnic blanket while ranting, “What are the odds of me finding you here, Lily?! Quick! I need your help! My dog is suffocating on a fish from the pond!”
Before my confused date could respond, she dragged me out of earshot. I did have to call and apologize to him afterward though.
A moment passed as we walked together before I spoke again. “What did you guys fight about?”
“Huh?”
I frowned at her feigned confusion. “You said you and Aiden had a fight.”
“Oh. Yeah. It was nothing.” She smiled reassuringly but it didn’t reach her eyes as she tucked a lock of her red curls behind her ear. “We went shopping together after the car show. I bought a new plant— It's stunning, by the way. Anyway, I put it on the backseat of his car and completely forgot about putting something under the pot. It kind of wet the seat cushion a little and Aiden got frustrated. He did apologize for raising his voice though.”
I stopped. “He raised his voice at you?”
Kira shrugged and tugged me into walking again. “It’s nothing.”
We hung out together until the end of the fair, and then sat just outside the school gates in the shade of the front walls, sipping raspberry slushies as we waited for my sister and mom. The latter immediately began a not-so-subtle interrogation about my meeting with Oliver. This was followed up by the micromanaging for the date tomorrow.
“Wear something feminine.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“And maybe leave your hair out. And wear some makeup. But not too heavy.”
I nodded patiently as she fussed. Ignoring the eye rolls and faces Jane was pulling behind her back. Kira stifled a laugh and Mom shot her a subtle glare before her eyes returned to me.
“Also, your father has some big news to share. I’m sure he’d appreciate it if you were there in person,” she said pointedly, plastering a quick smile on her face.
“Yeah, sure,” I smiled politely. Even if my stomach had tightened at the thought of conversing with my father after what I had witnessed. What I should’ve told him. “Can Kira come?”
Mom hadn’t really acknowledged Kira yet (save for the little glare several seconds ago). When she looked at her, the smile she had on became strained. “If she wants to.”
“Please say yes,” Jane said. Her straight auburn hair shone in the sun like copper.
