“Now you want to be my friend. Jerk,” Jenny says, eyes narrowed. “I was listening in the other night, and Kendall said something to Juliet about someone named Leo.”
“Leo?” I furrow my brow. “I’ve never heard that name before. She’s never brought him up. She said he was older, so maybe he’s at the community college a couple of counties north?”
Jenny shrugs. “Not a familiar name to me either. I overheard her say it was who she was seeing when they biked down to the beach. It sounds like they might still be seeing each other.”
“What? Fuck,” I cry out, putting my face in both of my hands. Is that the real reason she’s happy? Maybe her jubilant happiness has nothing to do with Aidan and me at all. Where the hell is the kid instruction manual when you need one? “What am I supposed to do, Jenny?”
“You find out who the hell this kid is, and you talk to him,” Jenny says. “And you listen a little more specifically when the girls are talking at your house. About boys. Or the beach. Or anything remotely similar to those two things. You dig. You find the truth.”
I don’t want to spy. “I do need more information. What if Aidan was telling the truth?”
“Have you not considered that yet? I mean, to be honest, teenagers rarely tell the truth. You know that.”
“My teenager tells the truth,” I bite back.
Jenny holds up her hands. “Whatever you say. She tells the truth, but maybe she’s omitting something important. You’d be naïve if you didn’t assume that.”
She’s right. Jenny is telling the dirty truth. Now I’m tasked with snooping and hoping Kendall doesn’t catch me. If she finds out, the trust will be broken forever. The possibility of having two untrustworthy parents is something I can’t contemplate. Sighing, I drag my hand through my tangled hair.
“Our appointment at Betsy’s is in ten minutes. Hair, nails. The works. You’ll feel like a million bucks after. Grab your sweater, Magnolia. We’re getting out of here. You don’t have achoice. I get it. Believe her until you figure out who that kid is. Move on.”
It’s solid advice. It’s advice I would have adhered to several months ago. Now that I know what moving on looks and feels like, I’m stuck in this place filled with memories and regret. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully recover from Aidan Mixx.
We walk the block to Betsy’s, and Jenny tells me about her last date with Harry. It’s so simple in the most mundane way possible. I wonder if that’s how she wants it, or if that’s where the comfort zone lies. There’s no passion or fierce desire to be with him when they’re apart. She dates him once or twice a month, and they rarely talk in between.
“Do you love him?” I ask, turning to meet her gaze.
She wrinkles her nose. “Why would you ask that?”
“Because you’ve been seeing him for so long. Do you want to take the next step with him?”
Jenny scoffs. “Magnolia, please. Don’t fix what’s not broken. It works.”
I bite my tongue. Is the sex good? Does her whole body tingle when he kisses her? Does she miss him? None of that matters. It’s obvious she’s chosen what she wants in life. Would that change if she knew that out there somewhere in the world was a man who would turn her life upside down? Make her feel things she didn’t know were possible? Or is that too much of a risk? Having something so meaningful only to lose it? Having the rest of your life missing what you once had?
I nod in agreement, and we enter the beauty shop.
I can’t remember the last time I styled my hair, so when the young girl spins me around in my chair to face the mirror, it takes a beat or two to adjust to my reflection. My brown hair is blown and curled at the ends, and my face has a smooth layer of makeup that brings out my blue eyes. “Thanks, it looks great,” I say, fingering my hair.
“You look like a total babe,” Jenny says, paying Betsy. I hand her cash so she can pay for mine too. “What are you going to wear?”
I shrug.
“You haven’t picked something out yet?”
“I spent so much time trying to find Kendall a dress. She’s the one on the Princess Court. What I wear isn’t important. No one is going to be looking at me.”
Betsy tsks at me. “That’s the wrong attitude to take, honey. Men are always looking. It just might be the night the right man looks your way.”
Sighing, I agree even if I don’t believe it for a second. Jenny covers a laugh with a cough, and we leave for my house. Juliet and Kendall are waiting for a ride when we pull in. Both girls are in their sparkly gowns with painted faces and hair falling in curls. They look older than they actually are, and my heart skips a beat. Kendall as a woman is something to behold. An adult man would be blind to not find her attractive, regardless of her innocence and her barely underage status. I close my eyes and try to shut out my accusations.
“You look beautiful, sweetie,” I say. I dropped her off at home after school, and she’s been getting ready ever since. “I love your makeup and hair. The dress looks perfect.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Kendall squeals. “Juliet helped with my makeup. Do you think it’s too much?”
A wistful smile forces its way to my lips. “It’s perfect.”
“You look so pretty, too,” Kendall says, her smile falling. Her gaze darts to Jenny. “You guys have hot dates tonight?”
