“No. The thing on the couch,” I quickly add, cutting her off.
“It’s a blanket.”
“Yeah, and what’s it doing out here? I didn’t put it there.”
She shrugs. “This place feels so dismal with all the neutrals. I thought the space could benefit from a little dollop of color.”
“A dollop?”
She nods.
I sigh, not exactly upset that Avery has left her mark. “So youaredecorating my place.”
She giggles.
An hour passes before I check the time again, and I realize just how quickly it’s flown by. We’ve discussed everything from her “mehdate”—her words, not mine—with whoever this Ryan guy is, to the suit my mom has picked out for me. Which Avery approves of, by the way.
We both stare at my screen at the series of bowties my mom has suggested I choose from. I’m almost lying on the island as I stretch across to show her.
“Yeah, and I’ll have to do this all over again for mysister’s wedding too. If she’s talking to me then.” I scoff. My sister’s silence isn’t pleasant to think about, but bringing it up is like a weight lifting off me.
“Your sister’s not talking to you? Why not?”
I trace a finger around the sticky rim of my glass. “Because I… I yelled at her. Found out she’d talked to our dad, and I just kind of lost it. Not something I’m proud of, but it is what it is.” Am I really going to tell her all this? When her eyes soften, and she leans forward, I have my answer. “He’s been gone long enough, I don’t think about it much anymore. We made it just fine without him, but it still felt like a betrayal.”
“I’m sure it did.” She shakes her head. “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to handle that kind of thing. All I know is I’d be mad too. And I may not know her, but I know she loves you. She’ll come around.”
Avery’s words are a reassurance I hadn’t realized I needed. Maybe they’re empty, but she says everything with so much conviction—so much positivity—I can’t help but believe her.
“You said Maggie’s engaged, right?” Avery asks.
“For like the hundredth time to the same guy, yeah.”
“Do you think that maybe she just wanted—I don’t know—what she thinks is anormalwedding? Like with her dad walking her down the aisle and all that.”
Avery’s eyes are full of sympathy but fresh betrayal crackles awake inside me. “We haven’t needed him all these years. Feels a little wrong to have him suddenly show up and walk ten feet to an altar on such a big day for Maggie.”
“Maybe to you.” She lifts her hands in surrender. “I’m just trying to look at it from all sides.”
“Regardless, I now have two weddings I need to make arrangements for and two suits to order. And two presents to choose…”
“Two family weddings to plan for? How exciting! It’s a good thing you’re taking dance lessons then.”
I finish my glass and set it in the sink, the warmth buzzing down my throat and into my system. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s how open and unassuming Avery is, but it’s like I could pour out the darkest part of my soul and she still wouldn’t judge me. I don’t know if that’s true, but I hope it is. Having that kind of effect on people is rare, and I find myself wanting to divulge everything that comes to mind straight to her.
My palms press into the counter on either side of the sink. “Two weddings, and I’m not excited about either one.”
Avery gasps behind me, and my lips twitch at her too-big, too-cute reaction. “How can you not be? I love weddings.”
“You know, that doesn’t surprise me.” I sigh, turning to face her. “Because one is for my mom and one is for my sister.”
“And?”
“And it’s weird. My mom’s only been dating Johnny for six months. She’s dated guys for longer in the past, and nothing good came from those. They were all bums. We knew it from the start, but it took her a couple years each time.” The tension in my jaw builds, and my hand clenches at my side.The memories of all the ways my mom had been mistreated by losers growing up still affects me. She’s moved on, and I just… can’t. It’s hard when someone hurts the ones you love.
“They’re adults.” She dips her head, tilting it so her face is parallel to mine. “I know their timelines don’t make sense to you, but they do to them. It’s not like they’re asking you to go find a wife.”
My eyes go wide at her bluntness, and that twitch in my lips spreads out into a smile that spans my entire face.
