Pepper and I watch this exchange with great interest. The little girl whips her notebook out of her sloth backpack and begins to write.
“Here! I can carry my flowers,” Annie reaches for the bucket of flowers.
“I don’t mind,” Brandon says.
“It’s fine. I want to visit with Elinor for a minute. Text me about kayaking.”
“Gotcha! Good to see you, Elinor,” he says before taking the road to the cottages. As they turn the corner, we can hear Pepper chastising Brandon. “Dad! What is wrong with you?”
My sister and I look at each other and laugh.
“I bet she chews him out all the way home,” I say.
“Poor man! I’d hate to suffer Pepper’s wrath.”
“He kind of deserves it,” I say. “That was really awkward. I don’t get it. He was all charm when Edward introduced him. Maybe you fluster him?
“There’s no way Brandon would ever consider me romantically. I’m way too young for him.”
“You’ve dated men his age.”
“Brandon doesn’t think of me like that. He’s not flirty at all. His heart is still with his dead wife,” Annie says with an almost dreamy look. “As it should be. I admire that about him.”
“And histragic eyes!”
“I wouldn’t tease me if I were you. Pepper told me all about you and Edward.”
“Oh? What did she say?” I ask calmly, while willing my facenot to blush.
“Just that she saw you two at the cove.”
“That’s because I took him on a tour of the park.”
“She said you two looked like a couple.”
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“Come on, Elinor. Even with your robot heart, you must have detected his interest in you.”
Of course I did, but I wasn’t going to mention it—especially now that I was almost positive he was going to turn Norland Park into a luxury resort and put me out of my job. The whole situation is a recipe for heartbreak.
“I think he’s mainly interested in helping his mom sell the park.”
“Stop it, Elinor! You’re not that unfeeling. You had to feel the attraction between you two.”
“I’m not denying it. I’m just saying it’s not going anywhere.”
“I don’t get it. I don’t get how you can be my sister and be so hopelessly unromantic. It’s like you don’t feel anything at all.”
“I feel things.” I touch the envelope in my pocket. “I promise I do.”
“So how did you feel after Edward left?”
“I felt... I feel...” what do I dare admit—sad, confused, forlorn? “Relieved,” I say. I’m not lying. I definitely feel some relief not having to school my emotions around him. But his departure isn’t quite the reprieve I hoped it would be. Edward may have left the property, but he hasn’t left my head. Still, there’s no reason to tell Annie about my inconvenient feelings.
And I’m definitely not going to tell her about the almost kiss.
Lucy was naturally clever. —Sense and Sensibility.
