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Sophie is standing with her parents, surrounded by several bags of luggage. She smiles when she sees me, but it dies when she sees Lennon next to me.
I’m clearly not the only one who had details about this trip sprung upon them last minute, I guess. It explains why she didn’t mention this when I ran into her on campus a week ago.
I introduce Lennon to Mr. and Mrs. St. James while my mother embraces Sophie like a long-lost relative. Once all the greetings and introductions are done, Sophie and her parents head upstairs to get settled in their rooms. My mom disappears into the kitchen to heat the food the chef already prepared. My father goes to get more firewood.
“Having fun?” I smirk at Lennon.
“Yup.” She gives me a wide, fake grin.
“Jake texted me earlier. His family is here, and Colt came with him. They’re coming over at eight to go sledding. There’s a hill close to here.”
“The Barneses have a place here?”
“Yeah. They follow my parents’ lead when it comes to most things. Including the real estate market.”
Lennon shakes her head. “Of course they do.”
* * *
Dinner is some sort of chicken dish. The table atmosphere is uncomfortable.
For the first few minutes, the only sound is silver utensils clinking against china as everyone serves themselves food. Then, my father and Sophie’s start a hedge fund conversation filled with business terms that I could probably follow if I wanted to.
I don’t.
“So, Lennon, you grew up in Landry?” Sophie’s mother asks mid-way through the meal.
Lennon quickly swallows and nods. “Yes, I did.”
“It’s such a lovely town. We were just there for the Cup a few months ago. So much character and passion. It’s hard to find that these days.”
“Landry is one of a kind,” Lennon states.
“And you just transferred to Clarkson this semester?”
“Yes. I was at Richardson Community College up until then, so I could live at home.”
“What an exciting change. How many years do you have left?”
“Just one. I’m a senior,” Lennon tells her.
Mrs. St. James’s eyebrows raise. “I didn’t realize Clarkson admitted new students as seniors.”
“They do if they have a four-point-oh,” I interject.
Lennon smiles modestly. “I’ve always liked school.”
Sophie’s mother glances between me and Lennon, smiling. Thankfully, she’s never been as aggressive about shoving me and Sophie together as my mother has been. “You and Caleb are such a cute couple. Was it love at first sight between you two?”
The table falls silent. Sophie’s looking down at her plate. But both of my parents’ gazes are fixed directly on Lennon as they await the answer to the question neither of them has ever bothered to ask.
Lennon laughs. So do I. “Uh, no. Definitely not. I was actually really proud of being the only girl at Landry High who wasn’t sucked in by the Caleb Winters charm.” She glances at me, and I smile. “Turns out I’m not immune to it. We got assigned on a school project together senior year. Then, I had to write an article on him. Eventually, even I had to admit he’s a pretty amazing guy.”
“I read that article. It was good,” my father comments. I glance at him, shocked.
Lennon appears equally surprised. “Thank you.”
“It must be nice to be back at the same school again,” Sophie’s mother states, turning the attention back on Lennon and me.
