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My eyes narrow in slight confusion. “You bake cookies with my mom?”
Ivy grins widely and nods. “Every Saturday.”
The look on my face must be enough to say it all because my mom starts to laugh. “Don’t look so surprised, dear. You’d know all about it if you happened to come home during any of your school breaks.”
I should have known this topic would come up eventually. My tendency to stay away wasn’t because I didn’t want to come home. There has never been a time where I didn’t love this place. I just couldn’t handle seeing him. So instead, I spent my spring breaks in various places with Julia and my summer vacations abroad with volunteer organizations. Thankfully, we spend Christmas every year at my grandmothers in Vermont – a safe zone for me in some sense. Only seeing my family one week a year was never easy to deal with, but it was what I needed.
“Yeah Mac, don’t look so surprised.” My best friend playfully nudges me before focusing her attention on my fiancé. “Hey Parker. How are you?”
“I’m great, and you?”
“Still swooning over your British accent. When are you going to hook me up with one of your friends?”
“When you come to England with me.”
She purses her lips and nods. “I really need to get on that.”
The four of us sit around the kitchen table, talking about anything and everything - just enjoying each other’s company. However, I can tell there is something on Ivy’s mind. When my mom asks for Parker’s help with something and they walk away, I raise my eyebrows at her.
“So, you going to tell me what’s up or are you staying tight lipped?”
Her shoulders shrug and she gives me one of her caring smiles. “I’m just wondering how you’re doing, being back here and all.”
This is one of those things that makes her my best friend. No matter how convincing of an act I put on, she can always see right through it. It’s almost as if we’re linked – whatever I feel, she does too.
“I’m okay. I’ve actually missed it here, believe it or not.”
“Have you seen him yet?”
I don’t need to ask to know who she’s referring to, but just as I’m about to answer, Parker comes back into the room. His eyebrows furrow slightly.
“Seen who?”
“My brother.” I lie, watching Ivy muffle a laugh at how quickly I covered that one.
“Ah. We’re going there tomorrow, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, we have to discuss wedding plans with Tatum.”
The look on Ivy’s face tells me she wants to say something, but ultimately, she decides against it and masks her frown with a smile. I don’t have time to question it before my mother comes in with stacks of embarrassing photo albums in her arms.
Whatever it is, it’ll have to wait.
