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Great.
She could imagine the questions when she went back inside.
There were so manypeoplein her home. Whose idea had this been?
Oh right.
Dave’s.
Dave and his “dimples” remark.
“Aghhhh!” she shouted into the wind. “This is stupid!”
She sucked in one more breath, willing the cold to freeze her soul until the end of the day. Then she went back inside.
“Are you okay?” Leslie asked, concern evident in his tone and expression.
“Fine.” Sabine’s eyes connected with her brother’s. André was wearing a small smirk and he arched an eyebrow at her. She straightened her sweater and squared her shoulders. “Just had to scream into the void for a moment, that’s all.”
* * *
“Who’s the boy?”
Sabine glanced up as her brother joined her in the kitchen. The place she’d been hiding out for the past hour.
“Which one?” she asked, knowing full well which one.
Max and Leslie were dressed like André—in sweaters and slacks. Dave was in jeans and a hoodie.
“The one who looks at you like his next breath depends on it.”
Sabine glared at her brother. “We’re not close enough to have that kind of a conversation.”
He barked a laugh. “Is that your way of telling me off for being busy?”
“Busy?”
“It’s been an intense semester,” he admitted. “I should have called more.”
She shrugged, letting it go.
He sidled up next to her and bumped her shoulder with his. “Is he the reason you had to scream into the void?”
She chuckled despite herself. “Maybe.”
“You get that from our father, you know. He screams into the void often. Most especially when his forwards aren’t living up to his very reasonable expectations.”
She snorted. “Is it still the void when half the country can see it on television?”
André hummed and slid his hands into his pockets.
They stood side by side in the kitchen for a minute, looking out at the rest of her guests having a lovely time. Cherry was telling some sort of story with graceful hands and animated facial expressions.
From this distance, Sabine could see the “whacky aunt” vibe that Leslie had mentioned.
She was quite captivating.
And elegant in a wild sort of way.
