AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you say these things sometimes that are so damn funny. But in a smart way. And you’re quick. And my dogs love you. And… like this place. You get it. You get—”
“Me,” they said in unison.
Everly’s heart felt too big for her body. Not knowing what else to say, she grabbed a pen from her purse, then reached for his tattoo-free arm, shoving up the cuff of his sleeve to expose his inner forearm.
With a slightly trembling hand, she sketched a little cartoon cameraman, one with a dark beard and a plaid shirt and a frown on his face. The same one she’d been doodling lately on the corners of her notebooks, onreceipts, and in one of her most monstrous moments, on the inside cover of the romance she was reading.
“I think you’re pretty great, too,” she said softly.
It was the only thing she could think to give him. A piece of art for his rose. A piece of herself for a piece of him.
Everly had anticipated a lot of things about beingOn the Plus Side.As a fan, she knew to expect new clothes, new adventures, a new sense of self. She’d known she’d laugh. That Jazzy and Stanton would make her feel heard.
But she’d never expected to feel so understood. Not by the hosts. And certainly not by this man sitting across from her. Yet every step she took, he was right there beside her. First with his camera.
And now with his heart.
CHAPTER 23
There’s nothing quite like an evening in with your best friend and your rabidly judgmental mother to put a girl on edge.
All Everly had wanted to do when she got back from Boston was lounge around her living room daydreaming about the last two days with Logan, but instead she’d spent a good two hours obsessively scrubbing down her apartment in preparation for the imminent arrival of Becca and her mom so they could watch the fourth episode ofOn the Plus Side(damn Ellis and his fantasy football cult for taking over their normal viewing space).
Her mom now stood at the center of the living room, eyeing the pristinely vacuumed floor as if an army of dust bunnies was about to burst from the corner at any moment.
“Make yourself comfortable, Mom.” Everly did her best to sound welcoming as she flopped down on the couch.
Her mother pursed her lips. “You’re going to ruin the couch sitting that way.”
“This thing was Ellis’s in college. It was ruined when it got here.”Her mother’s ability to disapprove ofeverything,including mundane stuff like how Everly sat, was impressive.
Practically a superpower.
A part of Everly itched to say that. God, what a relief it would be to be honest with her mother about how she made Everly feel. Because even if her actions were some misguided form of love, they hurt just as much.
But Becca arrived with Chinese takeout before Everly could organize her thoughts. Then her mother was on her feet and in the kitchen, and the moment passed.
Everly’s stomach sank. She was almost positive tonight’s episode would feature the family barbeque, and she wasn’t sure she had the energy to sit quietly with a smile on her face while she listened to her mother tell Stanton that every dig, every criticism, every word that had come out of her mouth for the past twenty-four years had been to protect her daughter.
As if that somehow absolved her.
Becca grinned as she handed Everly a plate of fried rice and General Tso’s chicken. “Sooooooo. Are we going to see more of Logan tonight?” Her best friend was terrible at winking, but Becca tried anyway, which basically translated to blinking awkwardly while trying to look conspiratorial.
Everly had alotto fill her in on, but not with her mother and her inhumanly keen hearing in the vicinity.
“I suspect so.” She tried to play along, being coy, but with a mouth full of fried rice, she sounded like she was trying to talk underwater.
“Any more kissing?” Becca kept her voice low.
Not that it mattered.
“Who are you kissing?” Everly’s mother yelled from the kitchen. Every syllable dragged up Everly’s spine like a knife.
There was no sense in lying. The episode would probably be full ofscenes between them. Who knew what kind of footage Sady had strung together?
“Logan.” A smile crept across Everly’s face, even as she braced for the fallout. She couldn’tthinkabout Logan, never mind say his name, without smiling anymore. If she wasn’t the one experiencing it, she’d think it was gross.
Her mother rounded the sofa, handing Everly and Becca each a can of sparkling water. Her expression was blank. “Who?”
