Page 20 of Romantic

“I’ll think about it.” Pepper eyes him suspiciously. “How do you know Annie?”

“I’m Jack Willoughby.” He puts his arm around me. “Annie’s boyfriend,” he says, like dating me is his greatest achievement.

“Oh! Yeah, Annie told us all about you. Sure, you can tag along.” She shrugs.

Both Brandon and I stare at Pepper with some shock. What is this? I expected her to be upset and maybe run off to her room. I expected slamming doors and crying. I absolutely did not expect her to invite Jack on their hike. For some reason this response has me concerned.

“If Annie’s going, I’m in,” says Jack, pulling me closer.

“Splendid!” Pepper says with a big, tightlipped smile. What is she plotting? What would I be plotting? I still can’t believe she locked us in the closet. “Mr. Willoughby can come along, right?” Pepper asks her dad.

“Sure. It’ll give us an excellent chance to get to know him better.” He claps a hand on Jack’s back. “My only concern is Annie’s ankle. Are you sure you can hike on it?” Brandon studies my face. He always asks questions with this odd intensity, as if he’s deeply interested in the answer. We should probably all ask questions that way, but most people don’t. You can see it in their eyes. They ask a question and are immediately thinking about what they are going to say next. Not Brandon. He gives you his full attention. It’s incredibly flattering but also a little unsettling.

“I think so. It’s doing a lot better.”

“Good.” He sets down a large duffle bag. “Jack, will you help me bring the luggage in? Then maybe we can all go get lunch at Mom’s Cafe. I’ve been dreaming of those garlic burgers the whole drive.” My mom runs the restaurant at Norland Park that serves breakfast and lunch. People drive for hours to have her garlic burgers. Personally, her fried chicken is my favorite.

“I love those burgers,” says Jack. This is true. He has one nearly every day. Jack walks out of the cottage with Brandon. The sight fills me with unease. I feel like I’m missing something. But then again, what am I expecting? For Brandon to challenge Jack to a duel? At times Brandon can be a bit stiff or aloof. And I’d never accuse him of being a chatterbox. But in general, he has impeccable manners. He wouldn’t insult a new acquaintance. His behavior the morning after my birthday was a one-off.

“So, what’s on the agenda?” I ask Pepper as we carry bags up to her room.

“I’m going to visit all my old haunts—the cove, old Jed in the hotel lobby, and I want to see the new tree house Freshie is building.” Freshie is the nickname Brandon and Pepper sometimes call Edward. Brandon was the captain of Edward’s lacrosse team at Dartmouth. They have stayed in touch over the years, but their friendship was cemented when the two of them reconnected last summer and decided to start a business together. “Oh! And I need to visit Lady Whimple and make my wish for the summer.”

“Do you know what you’re going to wish for?”

“I do.” Pepper nods her head decisively.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“No, then it won’t come true.”

I could probably guess Pepper’s wish. She wants me to end things with Jack and start dating her dad. Not that long ago, that was my wish. But then I met Jack. And I don’t know . . . I think I might be falling in love? The man is effortlessly charming—and that’s not even taking into account that he is the most beautiful man in the world. Mom is completely won over. Elinor, being Elinor, has some reservations. Though she freely admits that he is criminally attractive.

He told me that he loved me two days after we met. He says when you know, you know. I just wish I knew.

The way we met was so romantic. And he loves poetry and quotes Shakespeare just like my dad. It all seems meant to be. Still, I’m not quite ready to say those three all-important words to Jack. I want to be certain. And those few minutes in the Narnia closet . . . well, they left me very uncertain. But what should I do? Break up with Jack who loves me, in the hope that the man who said he doesn’t date will change his mind?

And why doesn’t Brandon date? Did he promise his dead wife that he’d never remarry? That seems unlikely, since she died in a flash flood.

I can’t think about Brandon right now. My focus needs to be Pepper.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” I begin.

“Yes?” Pepper looks at me expectantly.

“So . . .” I spread down my gingham skirt. I’m not sure why I feel so nervous. “We had a lot of fun locking Edward and Elinor up in the tree house. But I should have never taught you that, and—”

“You can skip the lecture. My dad has given it to me about a zillion times. You’re dating Jack, and I’m not going to do any parent trap stuff.”

“Oh, good!” I say with real relief. “Then we should have a lovely summer.”

“I’m planning on it. And in exchange, dad has given me veto power on the women he’s dating.”

“Your dad is dating?” I’m surprised by how much I suddenly hate this idea. But I really hate it. So. Very. Much.

“Yeah, he got a dating app,” Pepper says as she carries her pillow and stuffed bunny upstairs. “He’s such a spoilsport. He refused to put any shirtless photos in his profile. Can you believe that?”

“Your dad doesn’t need a shirtless photo to sell himself.”