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“Do your parents even have to know? They’re not going.”
“I know that. But I don’t like keeping secrets from my parents. I don’t like keeping secrets from family.”
This time I sigh. “Maddie, I understand that more than you know.”
She looks back to me. “I do know. I know what your family’s been through the last several weeks. I’m sorry, Brianna. I’m sorry your family has such a spotted history.”
“Me too. But at least it has nothing to do with my parents. They were the victims.”
“I know.”
“Uncle Joe and Uncle Bryce took a more active role in keeping all the secrets.” I shake my head. “But I can’t stay mad at either of them. I love all my uncles and aunts. They were only doing what they thought was best.”
“Yeah. And my parents are doing what they think is best when they tellmenot to accept handouts from the Steel family.”
“This isn’t a handout, Maddie. It’s a gift. Let’s do this. We’re practically family already. Callie’s going to marry my brother, and Rory’s going to marry my cousin. How much closer do we have to be?” I hop off my stool and kneel in front of her. “Will you…travel first class with me?”
Her features soften then as she laughs. “Get up, you idiot.”
I slide back onto my stool and look at Maddie. Really look at her. She’s quite pretty. Beautiful, actually. Of all three of the Pike sisters, she looks the most like their mother, Maureen, who was a local and regional beauty queen in her youth. Maddie’s nearly as beautiful as Rory with her dark hair and eyes, pink cheeks, and oval face.
It’s funny that I never think of her that way. I’ve always been so involved with the awesome foursome.
“Tell me something, Maddie.”
“What?”
“Why did you start calling us the awesome foursome?”
She absentmindedly swirls her sidecar in the glass. “Because there are four of you and you’re awesome.”
“No. I’m being serious.”
“And you think I’mnotbeing serious?” She lifts the sidecar and takes a sip. “I’ve always envied you guys. You’re gorgeous, talented, rich. Whowouldn’tenvy you?”
“But you’re also gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “But I’m no Rory. And then there’s Callie, who’s also gorgeous and has the brains of a scientist. I’m just the afterthought. How can I compete with a big brother who’s got more talent in his little finger than I will ever have in my whole body, a sister who is widely considered the most beautiful woman in town, and another sister who has the brains to make something truly significant of herself? Not to mention that both of my sisters are engaged to Steels.
“And then there are the four of you. All cousins, all the same age as me. When did I stand a chance at standing out in high school or in college when I was in constant competition with theawesome foursome?”
“This has never been a competition,” I say.
“You were homecoming queen our senior year in high school,” she says.
“Yeah, I was, and you, as I recall, were on the court along with Angie, Sage, and Gina. Quite frankly, I’m not sure why I was crowned. Gina’s way more beautiful than I am.”
“But don’t you get it? It was always going to be a Steel. It had to be.”
I hold up a finger. “No, it didn’t have to be. Rory was homecoming queen. Callie was on the court.”
“There were no Steels in either of their classes. The next year, after Callie, Diana was homecoming queen.”
“Diana is gorgeous.”
“She is. But even she isn’t as gorgeous as you are, Brianna. You look just like your father in female form, and your father’s gorgeous.”
“Well, Uncle Ryan is more handsome than my father, and Gina’s more beautiful than I am, so how did I get to be queen?”
