“I’d like that.” His face lifts, and I know he means it. Twins have a bond that’s meant to keep them close.
He turns and walks around the edge of the couch. “Well, tonight, I need to work, so we’ll have to hang out another time.”
“I’m not even a hundred percent yet, so no worries.” I lift the remote, turning the volume to something so low you’d have to be sitting six inches away from the TV to be able to hear it. But I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do, considering Justin is letting me crash at his place for the next month.
We’ll call it my first step toward reconnecting.
seven
SUMMER
She needsa head count for food.
That’s the excuse my mom went with.
As if one person is really going to sway the numbers that much.
I glance down at my phone and my mom’s text, rereading it.
Mom:Hi, Summer. We’re going to eat take-and-bake pizzas and salad tonight before we stuff the turkey. I need to get a head count for who’s coming so I know how many pizzas to buy. Should I mark you down for one?
She thinks her text is an encrypted, multi-layered code that would take the entire FBI to figure out its meaning. But she’s wrong. I got the message loud and clear. And because I’m not feeling any holiday spirit, I’m not giving her what she wants. I’m not letting her be right about Justin.
Summer:No, mark me down for two.
Mom:Oh, is Vivian coming with you tonight?
This woman and her manipulative mothering are unbeatable. Don’t get me wrong. I love her to death. She’s the sweetest lady around.
Actually, though, bringing my best friend, Vivian, isn’t that bad of an idea. At least I wouldn’t have to be solo at the party, and maybe if I brought someone outside our family, the conversation about Justin not attending wouldn’t be too bad. I push my chair back, rolling far enough so I can see past my desk to Vivian’s.
She chews on the end of a pen as she looks down at a piece of paper, giving me a perfect view of her Shirley Temple brown curls.
“Viv, what are you doing tonight? Want to come with me to my family’s annual Turkey Stuff?”
She flips her head up, leaning back into her chair. “Is that the thing where your dad holds the Thanksgiving turkey by the wings and chases you around the kitchen?”
My brows drop. Out of our fifteen-year friendship, that’s the takeaway Vivian got from my family’s odd tradition.
“Uh, yeah.” I can’t seem to relax my furrow. “Kind of.”
“Hmm.” She nods twice, like she’s thinking back to our teenage years when she stopped by my house on Thanksgiving Eve and witnessed the event firsthand. “Sounds fun, but I can’t make it. I’m leaving work early so Sam and I can drive to Denver to spend Thanksgiving with my family.”
My brows drop even lower. “Sam is spending Thanksgiving with your family?”
Her smile stretches wide. “Yeah, didn’t I tell you?”
“But you’ve only been dating one month.”
“I know.” She shrugs happily. “It’s kind of fast to meet the parents, but Sam said he didn’t want to spend one second apart from me this weekend. So we’re headed to Denver together.”
Not one second apart, huh?
“That’s great.” I forcibly raise my brows into something overjoyed with excitement. “I’m really happy for you.” If being happy for your friend includes feelings of hurt and jealousy.
No, I really am happy for Vivian. She wants and deserves the fairytale ending as much as I do. I just can’t get over how fast, easy, and uncomplicated her relationship with Sam has been from the very beginning. I wouldn’t even know what to do with a relationship like that. Everything is an uphill battle with Justin, and right now, we’re at a steep incline.
“I’m happy too.” Vivian sighs. “It’s pathetic, but I’m totally over the moon for Sam. It’s like we’re seventeen, experiencing some crazy kind of love that no one understands. But you get it.” She looks at me expectantly while I blink back at her. “You know, with Justin.”
