Suki gives her a sharp glare and says, “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that. Get your coats on, girls. It’s cold outside.”
We all pile into Suki’s large SUV, Mara riding with Harry and Dex. I’m in the back with Charlotte, who asks if she can practice her lines with me.
I say yes, of course. I’ve never been around a big, happy family like theirs. My mom is nothing like Suki. She was critical of everything. I always looked forward to summers with my dad and Angie, because Angie was nicer than my mom.
“I heard Lucien got stung by jellyfish in Hawaii,” Lainey says from the seat in front of mine, turning to face me when Charlotte is finished with her lines. “What was that like?”
“Pretty awful. I had to rinse the stings with vinegar and they hurt for several hours.”
“Lucien got stung by jellyfish?” Charlotte gapes at me. “What was he doing?”
“Well, he was swimming in an area with a sign that said not to swim there because of jellyfish.”
“Is he dumb?” Hallie asks.
“Hallie!” Suki gives her a shocked look in the rearview mirror.
“It definitely wasn’t a smart move,” I say, amused. “He knew the risks.”
“F-A-F-O,” Charlotte says.
“Oh my god.” Suki sighs heavily from the driver’s seat. “I swear we’re good parents, you guys.”
She’s visibly pregnant. And I’m sure she falls into bed every night after keeping up with three active girls, a huge house, and a pig the size of a small horse. Add a baby to the mix, and she’s going to need help sometimes.
Charlotte’s school is a sprawling modern brick building. Suki parks and we all go inside, saying goodbye to Charlotte and heading to the school’s theater. Since Suki already has tickets, we breeze through the line and find seats near the front.
“I’m so happy for you and Lucien,” Lainey says from her seat beside mine. “Bash says he’s never seen Lucien so happy. He looks at pictures of you on his phone all the time.”
Well, that feels amazing. And it’s also a reminder that I should never send him any naughty pics his teammates might see.
“He’s really great,” I say. “It’s weird not being with him all the time anymore.”
“What you said about him, you know ... in the video? I teared up when I saw it. Lucien is a good guy, and he deserves someone who gets that and appreciates it.”
I hum a note of laughter. “He still wants me after that video was posted, and that says a lot. I really embarrassed myself.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Your sister saying she knew he was the one the first time she saw him? That’s an asshole thing to say. You called it out.”
“I know, but ... it was unclassy.”
“I embarrassed myself once with Bash. I was in high school and he was twenty-one at the time, playing pro hockey. I drove to his house and confessed my longtime love for him. I asked him to my prom.”
I cringe. “Oh no.”
“I wanted to die, girl. For real. And then my car wouldn’t start, so he had to drive me back to Columbus and he told me I was a great girl who would find someone my own age.”
“And then later things changed? Obviously.”
She nods, grinning. “Yeah. And teenage Lainey was mortified, but now I’m glad I did it. I went big, you know? Not everyone has the courage for that. And then, a few years later, things were different between us.”
“I love that. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
She covers my hand with hers and squeezes it. “Don’t wilt, Talia. I like you just the way you are.”
Her words are like a warm blanket being wrapped around me. I hadn’t considered that perspective before. My drunken toast was messy and unplanned, but it was authentic. Alcohol gave me the courage to say things I never would have said otherwise.
The lights go down and the play starts. The students’ hard work shows, and I’m impressed by every aspect of their performance. Charlotte shines in her role, and her cheering section is the first to its feet for a standing ovation at the end.
