A nervous flutter runs through me, but I say, “Sure! That sounds like fun.” Charlie grins and grabs a muffin. He’s out the door before I can change my mind.
Nonna sets down a piece of quiche in front of me and gives me a squeeze. “Feeling better today?” she whispers.
I nod as she refills my coffee.
“We’ll leave for the shop in an hour, okay?”
“Okay,” I answer. It’s not like I have anything else to do now.
The shop is really just an old house in a neighborhood that has become more and more commercial over the years. Most of the businesses opted to tear the houses down and rebuild, but Nonna and Papa kept this cute little blue house the exact same way they found it. All of the yard out back is now mostly greenhouse space, while the inside is stuffed with gardening supplies, statues, and other yard and garden decorations. It’s got that homey feel to it that totally works.
When we were younger, we would play hide-and-seek in the back greenhouse and help plant flowers in the front flower beds. The wave of nostalgia almost knocks me over as I start down the front walkway.
Before Nonna disappears through the side gate to the backyard, she nods toward the front porch. “Olivia should already be inside. Would you help her at the counter today?”
I nod and stop in front of the wide set of steps that lead to the front porch. There are red poinsettias lining each step, and a huge wreath made out of greenery hanging on the front door with a big red bow. The flames in the gas lanterns on each side of the door wink and dance, and I swear I can smell gingerbread.
There’s a big part of me that doesn’t want to walk through that front door, no matter how festive it is. It’s been a long time since it was just me and Olivia, and I’m suddenly nervous.
I take a deep breath and open the door. Olivia is carrying a huge sack of potting soil to an old, scarred wooden table that sits in the corner. It looks like she’s in the middle of repotting some rosemary into decorative containers.
“Hey!” I say. I must have startled her because she drops the sack and a cloud of dust rises around both of us. I’ve missed her more than I realized, and my reluctance melts away. I reach forward and throw an arm around her, hugging her close.
Like Charlie, she hesitates before hugging me back.
“Soph,” she says against my ear. “What are you doing here?”
I pull away and scan her face. We both cough, and I wave my hands around, trying to clear the air around us.
“I’m staying with Nonna while my parents visit Margot. I’m surprised your mom didn’t tell you.”
She nods. “She did. I just didn’t expect youhere.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask. So itisgoing to be awkward between us.
She looks like she’s about to say something but then stops when we hear Nonna moan. “Good grief!” Nonna says, looking between us, then at the mess on the floor. “Well, don’t just stand there gawking at each other. Get a broom.”
And then we’re both moving.
It’s almost dark when I leave the nursery with Olivia. Every house we pass is covered in lights, and there’s lots of traffic—people shopping or heading to holiday parties.
“Are you ready to talk about it?” Olivia asks as she drives.
For a second, I think she’s talking about whatever it is that’s off with us, but then she says, “Tell me what happened with Griffin.”
I grimace. We worked hard today, and Nonna was right—I needed to keep my mind off Griffin. But now I force myself to replay it all in my head. “Well, I showed up at this party.” I pick at my thumbnail and run through the story again. It doesn’t get any easier no matter how many times I say it. And if talking to Olivia is this difficult, going back to school will be so much worse. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for our breakup to be old news by the time I walk down the hall without Griffin by my side.
“Oh, Sophie. I’m so sorry,” Olivia says. “He really said you weren’t any fun?” By the tone of her voice, I can tell she’s as surprised as I was.
I let out a groan and say, “That’s what he implied.”
Olivia frowns. “The Sophie I used to know was super fun.He’sclearly the problem.”
My head whips around at theSophie I used to knowpart. What does that mean? But before I can ask, she says, “Well, you’re here now, and we’re not going to let Griffin bring us down. We’ll find something fun to do while you’re here, just like old times. There’ll be a ton of parties during the break.”
I nod, but somehow hanging out at some loud party where I barely know anyone does not sound appealing.
We pull in front of Nonna and Papa’s. The driveway and half the block is full of cars, so Olivia eases down the street, looking for a spot. “Everyoneis going to ask you about Griffin. News travels way too fast through this family. Nonna tells one person and then it’s like some phone tree thing is activated, and within an hour everyone knows everything.”
