Page 79

Tina’s words kept replaying in her mind. I would have given anything for another chance. Phoebe’s heart raced as she thought about it. Could Jonathan possibly feel that way? Because the words rang so true, Phoebe realized that she did. She had missed her chance eight years ago, when Jonathan had told her how he felt about her, asked if they could be something more than friends, and she’d turned him down. Was it possible that she might get another chance? That she might not mess it up this time?

But there was something else. It took her a moment of staring out the window, eyes unfocused, before she realized what it was.

Sam.

What if her brother was feeling the same way? Phoebe had been the one to tell him that Arden wasn’t that into him, and she could tell how disappointed Sam had been. But what if she, Phoebe, had been wrong? What if Arden was feeling just as brokenhearted as Sam, and it was all Phoebe’s fault?

Phoebe stood and paced around and around Arden’s tiny living room. The lights on the Christmas tree were on, and John Legend’s Christmas record was playing softly. Mittens purred, curled up like a croissant on the couch.

Of course she had to try to make it right. She had to. It was the most romantic time of year, and she might have ruined her brother’s chance at love. Even if she was wrong, she had to try.

But whom should she talk to first?

She could ask Arden how she really felt about Sam, just so she would know for sure. Or she could call Sam and tell him that she was pretty sure she was wrong. But then, what if she wasn’t wrong, and Sam got hurt again?

Okay, she would try Arden first.

Feeling nervous, wondering if she was overstepping, Phoebe typed the message.

Phoebe: Hey Arden! I know this is sort of awkward, but Sam told me you guys had been spending some time together. No details, he’s a gentleman like that. But I’m sort of protective of him, because when we were younger he was always falling for popular girls who would barely give him the time of day. So when I got the vibe that you weren’t that into him, I told him. Because I didn’t want him to get hurt. But now I’m wondering if that was the wrong thing to do. Or was I right?

She waited a long two minutes, watching Arden’s typing bubbles. More than anything, she hoped Arden wasn’t angry or offended by what Phoebe had said. She had felt a sort of friendship blossoming between them. Now she had probably ruined it.

There was such a long pause that Arden’s typing bubbles disappeared. Phoebe was just deciding whether to apologize and say Never mind when Arden replied.

Arden: Oh boy. That makes things more complicated.

Phoebe stared, waiting for her to add more to this cryptic message. When she didn’t, Phoebe typed, I’m sorry for getting in the middle of it. So was I wrong?

As she waited for Arden to reply, Phoebe wondered if Arden was not going to confide in her. She wouldn’t blame her if she chose not to. After all, Phoebe had made a mess of things.

I was actually very into him, Arden said. I broke it off with him because I thought that he didn’t feel the same way about me.

Phoebe’s heart pounded at this admission. She felt awful for interfering but so relieved that she had reached out today. She typed quickly, He did! He does. He really likes you.

Arden: Okay, thank you for telling me all this.

Arden’s last message gave nothing away. Phoebe wanted to ask if she was going to do something about it, to try to fix things with Sam, but she didn’t feel like she had the right to ask.

Phoebe: You’re welcome. And again, I’m so sorry.

Arden: It’s OK, Phoebe. You were looking out for your brother. I’ll talk to you later. I need to think.

Phoebe set down her phone, feeling unsettled. She felt, if possible, even more guilty now. At the time, she had felt so sure that she was doing the right thing, trying to protect Sam from getting hurt. Now she just felt meddlesome. And Arden had left her with no indication of whether she was going to reach out to Sam.

Phoebe stroked Mittens, making him purr more loudly. Well, whether or not Arden was going to do anything about it, she had one more trick up her sleeve. She reached for her phone again to call Sam.

Chapter 26

Arden

Arden sat on Phoebe’s bed with a goofy grin on her face.

Sam liked her. Sam liked her?

This was all very confusing. If Sam was actually into her, as Phoebe had said, then Arden would have to rearrange the events of the last twenty-four hours in her mind. Because that would mean that she had misinterpreted his words, his looks. The way he’d said Arden was actually doing him a favor when she went over there to break things off.

And she had to figure out how she felt about it all. Did this information make her want to immediately find Sam and jump into his arms? Sort of. But it was more complicated than that.