AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I actually haven’t done that many hard things. The professional things I do come so easily to me. And the things I don’t want to do, people don’t really make me do. They either chalk it up to general weirdness or they want to protect me.
When I was a kid, I got out of fishing and swimming. When I was a teen, I got out of sleepovers and dances. When I was in college, I got out of parties and most tattoos. As an adult, no one pressures me to go out, or to spend time on things I don’t care about. Even the guys asking me to dance take no for an answer pretty easily.
I guess I’m good at saying no.
Lauren and Mason are one exception. They make me go out on sales calls. But I’ve also never actually pushed back hard. I’ve never actually said no.
I wonder how they would react to that.
Torin is another exception.
I did say no to him. But he kept pursuing me anyway.
And now I have a feeling that if I keep saying yes to him, I’m definitely going to be asked to do some hard things.
“And you’re going to be a great princess and would be an amazing queen,” Ami says.
I look at the phone quickly. “What makes you say that?” Then I laugh, though it sounds just a touch hysterical. “I wear green rubber boots all day every day. I have dirt under my fingernails all the time. I drive a truck that has rust along both doors and hasn’t seen a car wash in about five years. I throw up when I have to talk to crowds of people!”
“So what? People like you should be in positions of power, Abi. You should be making big decisions that impact lots of people,” Ami says. “You already have the heart and the knowledge and the passion. Now you’ll have the power and resources to make amazing things happen.”
I don’t know what to say to that. I’ve already witnessed what can happen when Torin and I join forces. Or when Torin joins his forces with my ideas.
But strangest of all, my sisters are not treating this idea like it’s crazy.
I’m staring straight ahead, trying to absorb all of that. I’m not seeing the gold swirls on the wardrobe in front of me. Instead, I’m replaying memories. I’ve always known that my sisters think I’m smart. They were proud of me in a ‘oh Abi’s great’ way. But I always thought they wrote off so much about me as ‘something else’. Something…weird. They never called me weird. I’ve always felt loved. But I’ve always felt different from them.
This conversation makes me think that maybe my perfect, beautiful, bold, can-do-anything sisters, think I’m some of those things too.
“Thank you,” I finally say quietly. “I do want to do amazing things.”
“Abi,” Charlie says, pulling my attention to her face. “I know that your brain is huge, and you rely on it a lot, and it gives you good information and helps you make great decisions…” She smiles. “…but it’s okay to rely on your heart, sometimes too. Sure, it makes mistakes sometimes, but the times when it gets it right, are really, really worth it.”
Ami smiles and nods. “Really, really worth it.”
My stomach flips. My heart flips.
Damn. This might be a huge mistake. But if I don’t go and at least try to help Torin be everything he wants to be, I’ll regret it. I know I will.
I look at my sisters again. “I love you both. So much.”
“We love you too.” Charlie gives me a wink. “Princess.”
I give a little choked laugh as I blink away tears.
They want me to be happy. My sisters might not always get me, or understand the things that I do, and maybe we don’t have a ton in common, but they are there for me.
"Thanks, girls,” I tell my sisters, hoping they can hear how much I mean that.
“Our pleasure," Charlie says. "This is so fun for us."
"What's so fun?"
"Watching you get swept off your feet."
Ami laughs. "It really is. And of course, you would do it bigger and better than everyone else."
“Bigger and better?” I ask.
