Inside the envelope was a thick, glossy piece of paper, and in embossed script, it readkayleigh mae and jackson phillip invite you to celebrate their wedding saturday the eighth of august, two-thousand and twenty-four at six o’clock in the evening. the grand island estate, hilton head, sc.
“Who’s getting married?” I asked.
“Childhood friends,” Brooklyn replied. “Me, Alec, Stella, my parents, we’re all going. We’re renting a beach house for the weekend, and I got a plus-one.”
He took the envelope from me and flipped it over. In script it readmr. brooklyn keller & guest.
He pouted and clasped his hands in front of him. “Please.”
I smiled and shook my head. “I can’t say no to that face.”
Brooklyn returned my smile and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re amazing. I really don’t deserve you. I have to go home, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
I nodded and watched him get back into his car, smiling at me the entire time until he drove away down my street. I made my way back into the house and closed the door softly behind me, smiling as I looked down at the flowers again.
“What was that all about?”
I jumped out of my skin when I saw Nikki emerge from the living room. I clutched the flowers to my chest.
“Brooklyn asked me to go with him to their friend’s wedding,” I replied with a faint smile, suddenly aware of the sense of unease in the room. “Seems like it’ll be fun.”
“That’s a little dramatic for the occasion, isn’t it?” Nikki gestured to the flowers.
I couldn’t hide the redness in my cheeks, and looked down at my sandals.
“Nat, what did he do this time?”
I heaved out a groan. “Why do you assume that? That’s not fair.”
“Natalie.” The sternness in Nikki’s voice was jarring. “You’re the worst liar I know. What did he do? Is he doing drugs again?”
Hearing Nikki say it out loud felt like a stab in the chest. I shook my head at her again. “No. He’s fine.”
“You know this is exactly what addicts do, right? They beg and they apologize and they make promises they have no intention of keeping.”
“You don’t know him.”
“He has such a hold over you, Nat,” Nikki said sharply. “You’re so blinded by your infatuation with him that you can’t even see what’s going on. You barely make time to write anymore, you don’t hang out with me or Mom, you’re so wrapped up in him that if it doesn’t involve him, you don’t want a part of it. So, what, are you going to forgive him every time he comes over here with flowers and a cute apology?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” The words stung as they left my throat. “You don’t knowanythingabout him.”
“You obviously don’t either.” Nikki’s voice had dropped to a harsh whisper. “You think that the more you involve yourself with people, the more you can mitigate the damage they’ve done to themselves.”
“Who’s this really about?” I narrowed my eyes on her. “Him, or you?”
“Does it matter?” she snapped. As if there was kickback from her own words, she took a step backward up the stairs. “You’re not a solution. You’re a fucking bandage.”
“And you’re a shallow little girl who wants everyone around her to be as miserable as she is.”
I barely recognized my own voice, harsh and cold and completely detached from the rest of me. But this time, I did mean it, and she knew it too. With tears trickling down her face, she turned to head up the steps, but spun back around in a flurry to face me.
“You know what? Do what you want. But when whatever this is blows up in your face, I’m not helping you pick up the pieces.”
Nikki turned back around and stormed up the steps, then slammed her bedroom door. I looked back down at the flowers. One of them had already wilted and died.
Twenty-three
I stood over my blue suitcase, wide open with its contents strewn across my bed. It was as if it had gotten sick—food poisoning from being stuffed with too many unnecessary outfit options.
