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“Spain, huh?”
I nod.
“I guess there’s no talking you out of it?”
I focus on my plate so he can’t see just how close I am to being talked out of it. A soft breeze could keep me from Spain at this point.
“She’s already put in her two weeks at the club,” Ellie announces right before she jabs her heel into my foot under the table.
“Ow!”
“That’s what you get for leaving me.”
Like I said, she isn’t coping with the news well.
I meet her gaze across the table. “I was never going to stay at Twin Oaks, you know that.”
“Aren’t there tutoring positions in Austin?” Martha asks.
“She’s just like her mother,” my dad says.
My fork clatters down onto my plate and I whip my gaze up to meet his. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His blue eyes widen with understanding. “No! Sweetie, I meant your wanderlust!”
“He didn’t mean it like that, Brooke,” Ellie insists, coming to his defense.
“Getting a job that doesn’t make me want to kill myself isn’t the same as abandoning my family,” I point out harshly.
My dad reaches out to grip my hand on the table and squeezes gently. “I know that, Brooke. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
The silence around the table is fraught, and my dad tries hard to salvage the rest of dinner by asking us how our days went. Ellie offers a quick reply and I stay silent, so it’s up to Martha. Fortunately, she can talk enough for all of us.
“Oh, it was fine. I had lunch with Lacy and Jillian to go over final plans for the fall fundraiser. It’s going to be sensational. We’ve got everything booked at the Driskill. Bob Schneider has agreed to perform, and you won’t believe this, but apparently Lacy was able to get quite a large sponsorship from BioWear.” She turns to address me. “You know James don’t you, honey?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Ellie tries to meet my eye, but I keep my gaze on my lap.
“Apparently they’re dating! Can you believe it? You know how much I love Lacy. She’s done so much for the League, and I’d be so happy to see her land someone like James. He’s quite a catch.”
“H—” I try to speak, but my throat is so tight I can barely get the words out. I clear it and try again. “How do you know they’re dating?”
She beams. “She told me so herself. She thinks they’re on the fast track to marriage.”
“How is that possible?” Ellie asks on my behalf. “They just started dating.”
Martha casts a loving glance toward my father. “Sometimes when you know, you know.”
Shockingly, I’m not able to force down the rest of dinner. I ask to be excused before dessert and storm straight up to my old bedroom. Once the door’s locked, I dial James’ number. He doesn’t answer, but I call again. Still…nothing. I wait for his voicemail to click on and ignore how chipper his voice sounds as he politely asks me to leave a message. I have a scathing monologue prepared in my head all about his so-called feelings for me, but the moment the beep sounds, I pull the phone away and quickly stab my finger at the end button before the message starts recording.
Later, back in my room at the co-op, Ellie points out the obvious. “Why is this bothering you so much? You don’t want to be with him, remember?”
“Don’t really wanna talk about it, Ellie.”
“You should be happy he’s with Lacy.”
I yank a dress out of my closet and toss it on the ground. I’m creating three piles: clothes for Spain, clothes for Ellie, and clothes for Goodwill.
“She’s horrible.”
“Ohhhh, so you’re upset because you don’t think she’s good enough for him?”
“Exactly.”
She grunts in disbelief. “You’re delusional.”
I ignore her and go back to sorting clothes. When I come across the slinky flapper dress from the speakeasy party, I toss it into the Goodwill pile without a second thought.
“Whoa!” Ellie leaps up off the bed to rescue it. “Why are you donating this?”
“Want it? It’s yours.”
“It looks expensive.”
“It was.”
She holds it up and admires it with a greedy smile. “Well if there’s anything else like this, I want it.”
I nod and get back to work, but clearly Ellie isn’t done. A few minutes later, she decides to pry a little deeper into my life. “Tell me again why you’re doing this?”
“Moving to Spain?” I ask, keeping my back to her as I file through my t-shirts. It’s easiest to hide my cards if I don’t have to look her in the eye.
“No, leaving when you’re clearly in love with this great guy.”
My back stiffens. “I’ve told you, it just isn’t good timing.”
“This is about Mom, isn’t it?”
I throw up my hands in defeat and glare at her over my shoulder. “Stop asking me questions if you think you have all the answers!”
