‘Someone like Jackson would never go for someone like me,’ I reasoned, curling my legs behind me to hide my unpedicured feet.
‘Someone like Jackson?’
‘You know what I mean,’ I said, wishing she hadn’t said anything. ‘He’s so smooth and cool.’
‘Never let him hear you say that,’ she scoffed. ‘If only you had known him in junior high.’
‘Exactly!’ I replied. ‘I don’t know him, just like he doesn’t really know me. I’m just a novelty.’
Lydia gave me a big cheesy grin.
‘He knows enough. And it doesn’t hurt that you’re totally cute. Jackson has always been a sucker for a green-eyed gal andthat’s before you throw in the whole “our moms used to talk about us getting married when we were grown up” stuff. A cute-ass girlanda love that was destined to be? He’s got a Libra moon in his eleventh house, he’s destined to be a hopeless romantic.’
‘Does everyone know more astrology than me?’
I groaned as I lay down, stretched out on the wooden floor. This was not a problem I was used to dealing with. The astrology or the boys.
‘I said don’t freak out.’ Lydia hopped down from the window to lie beside me. ‘All you have to do is let him down gentle, lie, tell him you already met someone. He’ll mope around for six months or so but he’ll get over it eventually.’
‘Actually,’ I started nervously, tapping my fingers against the floorboards, ‘I think I have met someone.’
‘Aww, that’s cute but you’re not my type,’ she laughed. ‘Hold up, you’re serious? For real, you met someone in Savannah?’
Nodding, I covered my face with my hands as she started snapping her fingers.
‘Emily! When were you going to tell me?’ she shrieked. ‘I need every last little detail. Name, age, hair colour, rising sign, what they were wearing the first time you saw them, plus any distinguishing features in case I ever have to give a description to the cops.’
I turned my head to look at her. ‘Wow, you are full of positivity today.’
‘I’m only joking,’ she replied, before turning deadly serious. ‘I would never go to the cops.’
Rolling over onto my side, I gave her the most stern look I could muster and she shook herself down before returning my solemn expression.
‘If I tell you, you have to promise not to say anything toanyone. Not Jackson, not your grandmother, and definitely not my grandmother.’
‘Because Miss Catherine Bell and I are always sitting down for tea and sharing secrets?’
‘His name is Wyn Evans,’ I said, shooting her a warning glare when she squealed. ‘He’s seventeen, he’s taking photography classes at SCAD and the first time I saw him, he was wearing the perfect jeans and a T-shirt that was kind of too small—’
‘Officially the sluttiest thing a man can wear,’ she interrupted before running an invisible zip across her mouth. ‘Sorry, I love it, go on.’
‘He’s tall, maybe six two, his hair is like a dark, ashy colour and his eyes are incredible. Astrology TBD but he was born in May.’
‘The police would never be able to find him with that description,’ she tutted. ‘I love a Taurus for you. A Gemini we could work with but a Taurus is better. How much DNA has been exchanged so far?’
‘We’ve held hands,’ I replied. ‘Does that work for you?’
‘Not really.’
‘Apologies. He’s amazing and I really like him but it’s a bit complicated.’
Lydia propped up her chin in her hands. ‘Complicated how?’
‘Catherine doesn’t want me to date until I’m seventeen.’
No need to fill her in on any other potential, magical roadblocks in our future.
‘Plus she’s probably interviewing a shortlist of appropriate boys from good families to escort you to all the upcoming social events of the season,’ she replied, chuckling as she blew a springy curl out of her face.
