“Don’t worry about me,” I insisted, trying to appear completely unintimidated by the prospect of meeting my boyfriend’s dad—who also just so happened to be a famous movie star.
Wait, did I just say boyfriend?My face reddened, even though Eli couldn’t hear my internal monologue.
“What?” He asked anxiously. “Are you nervous? I promise I’ll be right next to you the whole time.”
“I’m not nervous.” But my voice went up an octave.
Brady came over and tapped my shoulder. “Calla, we need you out back on the veranda.”
“I’ll see you later,” I said to Eli.
“Can’t wait.” Eli planted a kiss on my forehead before I followed Brady outside.
Even though itwas only fifty degrees, the sun beating down on the veranda had caused beads of sweat to start forming on my face. The oversized black wool cardigan I wore felt too heavy, but I knew Brady wouldn’t let me take it off. It felt like I had been waiting for hours, which actually probably wasn’t too far off. The anticipation in my gut was killing me. Any time there was a small movement by the door that led inside, I whipped my head up, expecting to see my sister walk through those doors.
After a quick interview, Brady had instructed me to sit here and wait. I’m sure they were just getting everyone situated and mic’d up, but I might just barge in there if I had to wait any longer.
Then it happened. The door opened, and out walked the most familiar face in the world to me. Her hair was dark like mine, but chopped into a messy bob. She wore her signature yellow, a color that always popped against her skin.
“Piper!” I screamed and ran straight into the welcoming embrace of my sister’s arms.
“Calla, oh my God. It’s so good to see you.” Tears streamed from our eyes as she grabbed my cheeks and took everything in. “How are you? Are you happy here? I’ve been worried sick since you called me that first day. I’ve been feeling so guilty about signing you up, and?—”
“Slow down. I’m fine. Better than fine, actually.” I led her over to the two wooden Adirondack chairs and made her sit down.
She took a shaky breath and reached for my hands, tears still swimming in her eyes. “We were so worried about you. Mom is so excited for you to come home.”
I perked up at the mention of our mother. “How is she?”
“She’s great, actually. I mean, worried about you, of course, but other than that she’s been out almost every night with friends. I feel like she’s a teenager or something, just getting her first taste of freedom.”
The thought of our mother out on the town made me laugh with delight. Ever since Piper had told me I was weighing them down, I’d been hoping to rectify it as soon as possible. But it seemed the world was already righting itself.
“We’ve both been watching the show, of course,” Piper added. “To see how you’re doing and what’s going on.”
I groaned and placed my head in my hands. “Oh God. How bad is it? Am I going to die of embarrassment when I see it?”
Piper remained quiet for a few moments and dread crept into my chest. “What? What is it? Just tell me and get it over with.”
She exhaled before gently putting a hand on my shoulder. “He’s totally in love with you. You know that, right?”
“Who?” I asked dumbly.
She snorted. “Eli, obviously.”
The shock of hearing those words didn’t fully sink in. For some reason, it hadn’t even occurred to me that my sister might know more about how my relationship was unfolding than me. She’d watched every time Eli and I talked—well, aside from our late-night meetups and the night we’d spent camping. And more than that, she’d also seen all ofEli’sinterviews. She’d seen his answers to whatever questions they’d asked about me—and us.
“We’re still so new,” I deflected. But it was written all over my face. How hopelessly out of control I already was when it came to my feelings for Eli.
“You don’t have to put on a front for me. I could tell from your first challenge together. He brings something out in you. Something different.”
“He does.” I lit up just thinking about him. I hoped he wasn’t too miserable wherever he was right now, stuck in some room talking to his dad. I couldn’t wait to see him to ease whatever pain or tension he was feeling.
Piper sighed. “You know, I signed you up for this show because I was desperate to get through to you. You weren’t living after Michael. You weren’t writing. I was worried I’d never see my sister light up again. Then when I saw the posting advertised online, I signed you up without even thinking. I thought there was no way that you’d get selected out of the thousands of applicants. When they called me, I almost backed out. But then I thought, I at least have to try.”
My lip trembled as she continued.
“I remember right before Michael died, you seemed so alive, so excited for what was next. And then it all came crashing down in the most horrific way.” The tears came again.
