A small tear slips down my face too quickly for me to blink it away, but it doesn’t cause my smile to falter. It enhances it.
“Hi, Sadie,” I say to my reflection. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you.”
I grab the list and my pen from my nightstand to mark another item off.
Try Something You’ve Never Done
Speed on a back road.
Order dessert first.
Quit something you’re “good” at.
Go somewhere without a plan.
Wear something just because I like it.
Climb the water tower.
Watch an R-rated movie.
Get a tattoo.
Kiss a stranger.
Paint the walls in my house.
Then I grab my sheet music, my Bible, and my red lipstick, just in case I need a touch-up.
The moment I walk into the church, I feel as if everyone’s eyes are suddenly on me, but when I look around, people are doing their normal Sunday-morning things. Adults opening their Bibles to mark where Pastor Jeff is going to be preaching from, kids grabbing crayons and coloring sheets from the basket at the back of the sanctuary, and members talking to one another about what has happened in their lives for the past week.
“Sadie!” someone yells.
I turn toward the voice, and it’s Courtney from Firefly Farms.
“Hey, Court!”
Her eyes widen and then sparkle. “Girl! Did you get a new lipstick? You look amazing!”
My cheeks flush, but I grin and nod. “I did. You don’t think it’s too much?”
She immediately shakes her head. “Not at all!”
“You sure?”
“Not everyone can pull off a red, but not everyone is you,” she says.
I feel my chest swell. “Thanks, Court.”
“I wanted to talk to you because we’re putting together our summer event out at the farm and last year you ran a booth. Would you be willing to do that again?”
My eyes widen at the thought of the hula skirt from last year and the chafing that took me two weeks to get rid of . . .
“Actually, Court, I think I’m going to skip, if that’s okay,” I say, my consonants and vowels somewhat tripping over each other as I think about how I failed miserably in telling Pattyno.
“Really?” I can hear her disappointment, and I wince. “I had the best idea for a kissing booth this year.”
“A kissing booth?” My voice squeaks.
