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Evie’s arms are crossed, glaring at Noah as he reads something on his phone. His jaw clenches.
“Hey,” I say as I walk into the room. “Can you guys please keep it down? We’re trying to have our book club upstairs.”
Evie turns to me, her eyes hard. “Tell Noah to stop cleaning the tableeverysecond. It’s a project—we’re supposed to make a mess. And also, tell him not to be so OCD about our research.”
He glances up from his phone. “Research is important. Why bother doing a project if you won’t do it properly? I want an A.”
She throws her hands up. “We already got accepted to college, dude. You can get a B. Or heck, a C.”
He shakes his head.
Noah has always been a straight-A student. Even when he was the quarterback and was under so much pressure to live up to his dad’s name, he kept his grades up.
“Gosh, you’re so annoying. Mr. Gomez made a HUGE mistake pairing us up.”
“No kidding,” he mutters, resuming his research on his phone. Evie slumps against the back of her chair, glaring at her partner some more.
“So will you guys please tone it down?” I ask. “For the sake of books? You know how strongly Mom feels about the younger generation keeping reading alive. So do it for Mom?”
Evie narrows her eyes at Noah. “Tell him to loosen the heck up.”
Noah’s jaw twitches as he scrolls through his phone.
Sighing, I turn around and go back upstairs, telling the others I don’t think those two will be quiet any time soon.
“Let’s try to ignore them,” Lily says. “Okay…so about that long-awaited epic kiss….”
I slump in my seat. “Can wenottalk about it?”
Sure, it was romantic and I liked it. But I don’t really want to talk about it. What’s there to say, anyway? The hero and heroine kissed at the end of the book and it was satisfying. Fine, I thought it was more than satisfying. But my friends don’t need to know that.
“Ignore Liam,” Lily teases. “He won’t admit he liked it. But we all know he did.”
“Lily, what the heck? No, I didn’t!”
“I know you well, womb buddy.”
Groaning, I sink down in my chair some more. “Can we talk about that epic battle between the duke and his enemy? The way the author described it was so vivid, I could see everything clearly.”
The girls exchange a glance and shake their heads. “Nah,” Ava says. “So back to the kiss…”
I shut my eyes, lean my head back, and pretend not to be interested. But when Chloe tells everyone what she thought of the kiss, my ears have minds of their own and perk up.
“I like that both parties were shy and hesitant,” she says. “Obviously they both wanted it very badly. But theywaitedforever. They were both scared the kiss wouldn’t be as magical as they dreamed about.”
“But it was!” Lily squeals. “I think it’s one of the best kiss scenes I’ve ever read.”
“Agreed,” Willow says.
More shouting seeps through the bedroom door, but we don’t pay attention to it. Thankfully, the discussion shifts to another topic in the book and I don’t have to hear them talk about epic kisses anymore.
After we’re done with book club, it’s time to make the video. The others follow me as I go to the kitchen and pull out my cookbook. What to make? I’d like to impress the judges.
Chloe comes to stand beside me and together we choose the perfect dish. Willow has her camera set up on a tripod. I stop and take everything in, from the camera, to the ingredients Chloe is placing on the table. Once I accept the offer and submit the video, everything will be real.
But I’m ready. I’ve got to be. And with my bestie by my side, I know I can accomplish anything.
Chloe takes my hand, giving me a bright smile. “Ready to wow them?”
