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Her eyes widened, and she smiled mischievously. “You’retheLettie?
“You’ve heard about me?” I asked, hoping that whatever she had heard was good.
“Oh, I’ve heard about you. Millie and my mother both can’t stop talking about you. You’re the one our Tuck has fallen for, huh?”
I felt my face flush, and I knew the red patches on my cheeks were growing larger by the minute. I placed the back of my hand to my face nonchalantly to try to cool it off, but it was no use. I was a tomato.
I mumbled something, but it came out incomprehensible.
“Ohhh,” Bev said, her arms crossed over her chest. “I see now.”
“What?” I asked, looking from her to Millie. “You see what?”
“Looks like he’s not the only one falling.”
I smiled, looking down at my feet. “No, he’s not the only one. That’s why I’m here, actually. It’s silly. We’ve spent the whole summer together, but I don’t know where he lives, and I really need to talk to him.”
“Oh, that’s no problem. He’s at 57 Peach Street,” Bev replied.
I started to turn around, hurrying to the door before stopping. “Thank you both,” I said to them.
“You’re welcome. Hey, Lettie?” Bev said.
“Yes?”
“Tuck deserves the world. Do us a favor and don’t break his heart, okay?”
I nodded, “I won’t. I promise.”
FORTY-TWO
TUCK
I heardthe knock on the door and shot up from bed, wondering who would be at our house and hoping they hadn’t woken up my dad. He had spent the afternoon yelling about nothing, and when he’d finally passed out, I’d taken it as an opportunity to enjoy the quiet.
I scurried to the front door and opened it before the third knock.
And then I froze.
“Lettie?” I asked. I stepped outside, shutting the door behind me. My body was tense and I felt rigid. “What are you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?”
She looked surprised by my reaction, and I immediately felt a twinge of guilt for not being more worried about why she’d shown up at my door rather than the fact that she had seen my shabby house and found out it did not fit the “cute” Aveline aesthetic.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice shook, and I could tell she was holding back tears. “I’ll go. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here without asking.”
I instantly loosened and pulled her into me. “No. Oh God, Lettie. I’m sorry. I’m just surprised. Are you okay?”
She began to sob into my shoulder, and I held her closer. “No, I’m not okay. Can I come in? Or can we go somewhere?” She looked up at me, her eyes red and tears flowing down her face. “Please.”
She was wearing a long-sleeved, white top with a pair of linen shorts, and she wiped her nose with her sleeve.
“We can go anywhere,” I replied.
“Okay,” she said, sniffling.
“Okay,” I replied, grabbing my keys.
I would go anywhere with her, I didn’t understand how she couldn’t see that.
