Picking her and the flowers up, I mumble a short ‘see you later,’ to Zach as I head back to her room and my mom duties.
When Ella’s asleep, I slip out of her room and head to mine, passing Zach who’s now on the phone with his best friend, Mike. He’s talking about Honey again.
I duck into my room to give him some privacy and when I’m inside, I pull out the pink envelope from my pocket before taking a seat at my desk. My elbows knock the stack of legal papers, reminding me that even though I’m here, I’m not necessarily out of the woods.
My thumb grazes over the soft edge of the paper, following the line of his writing.
“Jamie,” I whisper, still in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask it as though the answer won’t be in the letter.
I should open it, but I can’t.
I can’t face the reality that’s about to hit, so instead, I tuck the envelope under my laptop and leave it there.
“There. Now it doesn’t exist,” I whisper before moving away from it.
If I don’t read it, maybe nothing will come to pass. Maybe Jamie will leave and I’ll never have to deal with him again.
Apparently, delusion runs in the family.
Chapter 3
Four years ago - The summer before junior year
“Are you sure we should be here?” I tug my bag over my stomach because a clown costume would be more appropriate than the white crop top and jeans I’m wearing.
My cousin Madison stops in her tracks and scans my outfit. “You look fine. Hot, even, so I don’t know why you can’t stop complaining.”
Easy for her to say—Madison is the kind of pretty that you don’t have to work for. She’s tall, blonde, vibrant, confident, and everything guys like.
Me, I’m just the quiet girl who likes to fade into the background, only being noticed for her snarky responses to the high school bullshit I have to put up with.
“Fine?” I arch a brow, waving my hands in her direction. “Would’ve been nice to know that you were planning on wearing a ball gown tonight.” I point at her black dress, and yes, I’m exaggerating a little bit, but the point still stands. She looks like an effortless goddess while I look like I just crawled out of a Netflix coma.
“Oh, please, I’m only wearing this because Henry told me he likes black dresses, and I want to make him regret every little thing he ever did. Believe me, I’d much rather be in jeans right now.”
“Henry likes black dresses?” I ask with a raised brow. “Are we really going to keep pretending that the reason we’re here is to piss off your ex?”
She responds with a grunt as she takes my hand and proceeds to drag me through the mansion. Okay, I guess we are still living in denial. Marble floors, cathedral ceilings… this place reeks of money and judgment, two things I’m desperately short on.
“How’d you even get invited to this place?” I whisper as another rich boy in a fancy button-down walks by, his thick brow furrowing as he takes me in.
I know—I look ridiculous, okay? I don’t need you reminding me.
“Is Dash here?” I look around the crowd for her brother’s, best friend, but I can’t find him. Surprising, since he’s one of the tallest people I’ve ever met. “Have you told Cade about that ‘moment’ you guys had after Dash punched the living shit out of Henry for you yet?”
“There was no moment.”
“Oh, then why’d you wait until Cade was asleep to call me and tell me about it?”
Madison makes another abrupt stop to glare at me with pointed intention. She doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t have to. I know I’m playing with fire by bringing him up.
“Something wrong, cuz?” I ask innocently while trying to hide my smirk.
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head as her cheeks flush. “Dash is—whatever. He’s not interested in me, and I’m not interested in chasing uninterested guys.” She emphasizes her point by flicking her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and adding an extra strut to her step.
“Well, that’s interesting.”
Translation: Dash loves her but he’s too scared of her brother to make a move. It’s so obvious. He’s the only person I’ve seen listen to an entire Madison story and not get bored.