Chapter Two
Avery ploppeddown on my childhood bed next to me. The worn comforter with pale-pink flowers took me back to many a nights giggling with her while Sadie yelled at us to go to sleep. The aroma of sweet perfume and a hint of damp wood reminded me of tough times trying to fix leaking roofs and buying girly products with coupons. This room had so many memories, unlike my dorm room with four white walls and a bunkbed.
Avery bumped shoulders with me. “Oh my God! Crazy Hot Kevin has a thing forZoey.”
“Don’t even.” I tossed a pillow at her. “Sadie, you should run back to your mansion with Ashton now and abandon me to my fate. Our sister here is way too happy. Apparently she’s still in the honeymoon phase of hermarriage.”
Sadie plopped down on the other twin bed and crossed her legs. “No way. I thought we’d never get to spend the night in this house again together, so tonight is special. I’m not leaving fornothing.”
I eyed the doorknob imprint on the wall from the day Avery chased me through the house with a dead mouse. In the corner above the door was a water spot from the storm that sent tornadoes through our town seven years ago. “Why haven’t you sold this shack yet?” Iasked.
Avery smacked me in the face with the pillow. “No subject change. You should go for Kevin. I mean, he’s the most eligible bachelor in Magnolia Corners, if not the world. And if I remember correctly, you had a mega-crush on him when we were in highschool.”
I hugged the pillow to my chest as a sister shield. “Not interested. I have a boyfriend,remember?”
“Yes, but Kevin is a real boy,” Avery said in a fairy princesstone.
“Edward is not a fake boyfriend,” Ihuffed.
Sadie shot a warning stare at Avery. “We know he’s real. It’s just…you deserve someone who treats you like you’re his everything. I mean, look at you. You’re beautiful and smart and going places inlife.”
“So is Edward. And he makes me feel like I’m the only woman alive in the world when he’s with me. We sit by the fire, and he reads the classics tome.”
Avery mock-yawned. “Snoozefest.”
I chose to ignore her. “He’s hopelessly romantic, and I can’t wait until everyone knows we’re together.” I bit my lip, realizing I’d said too much. My sisters were like a vulture searching for decayinginformation.
“Wait, what do you mean until everyone knows? Are you in a secret relationship?” Sadie asked with her normal big sisterinquisition.
“How scandalous!” Avery sat up on her knees and rubbed her palms together. “And I thought I was the badgirl.”
I pushed from the bed, throwing the pillow at Avery’s face, and paced the faded pink and sage area rug. “You don’t understand. He’s a college professor, and I’m astudent.”
Avery gasped. “You’re one of hisstudents?”
“No, I’ve never been one of his students. And he wanted to tell everyone when we were first dating, but he was up for tenure, so I told him to wait. It was mychoice.”
“And now?” Avery gripped the pillow as if to keep from punching something. “Why can’t anyone at the university knownow?”
“I told you, he’s up for a major promotion. He can’t be accused of anything inappropriate with astudent.”
“Inappropriate?” Sadie shot from the bed. I hadn’t seen her face that red since Avery was caught with Dylan spray painting the police station in highschool.
“Poor choice of words. That isn’t what we have. It’s just that other faculty want to be dean of the department, and let me tell you, academic politics is worse than Capital Hill. Someone would make our relationship out to be a problem when itisn’t.”
“So you’re supposed to put your life on hold while Edward moves up?” The way Avery said Edward made him sound like amonster.
“No, he encourages me all the time. You have it all wrong. Please, give him a chance.” I took a long breath, fighting the quake in my voice, knowing if I gave them even a hint of my own doubts, they’d never give him a chance. “Listen, he’ll be here soon. Trust me, when you meet him you’ll know how special I am to him. You’ll see that he treats me well. He’s perfect forme.”
Avery bit her nails, and I could tell she was contemplating hiring our Aunt Cathy to go Southern Slap Edward in front of all the universityfaculty.
I collapsed back onto the bed and patted each side of the bed next to me for my sisters to sit. “We’ve always been there for each other no matter what. Do you remember how I’d wish upon the stars that I’d have a man of romance someday? A man who was strong enough to be soft hearted and soft spoken but would protectme?”
There was a unanimous eye roll before they both sat at my side and held myhand.
“Like, every night.” Sadie squeezed my hand. “But this isn’t fiction. This is real life. And Edward might remain the Mr. Darcy at the beginning that even his Ms. Bennet can’tchange.”
Her words were heavy on my heart because I’d thought them before, but how could I give up on Edward? We were perfect for each other. We had plans. “You know, I’m waiting on him now, but he’ll be waiting a lot longer onme.”
