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Roxie answers for me. “Maddison can’t eat right now.”
My father, standing at the stainless-steel counter, looks up from his task of funneling maple syrup into a squeeze bottle. “Did you see your friend out there, Maddison?”
“Sylvester is myex, Dad,” I say. “Right now, he’s not my friend.”
“Well, he sure did travel a long way to have a visit with you.”
“Ha. Visit.” I give Roxie a panicked look. “I would have warned you guys he was going to show up here if I knew. He called me this morning and didn’t say anything about this. What should I do? What has he said so far?”
“Mom’s mostly been the one talking to him,” my sister says. “I don’t think she knows about the—” She stops, and I watch her take stock of the situation.
It’s clear my grandmother and father are both listening to our conversation.
Roxie tugs my arm and tilts her head toward the walk-in cooler.
Once inside, we close the heavy door. Shelves of milk, tubs of butter, blocks of cheese, and cardboard boxes of bacon now surround us. I hug my arms to ward off the chill. “He hasn’t said anything about the elopement, you mean?”
“Not as far as I can tell. I think Mom would’ve freaked out. So you might be good there. Are you going to get back together with him? Is that what this is about? I mean, I know he took your script and that was sneaky and all, but you were about to say ‘yes’ to him forever… It’s not like career stuff is everything. And—what the heck is going on with you and Nick?”
“Nothing is going on with me and Nick.”
“Donotgive me that. Everyone’s talking about how you came out of his house this morning wrapped in a towel.”
“The towel was wrapped aroundmy head, because I showered at Pansy’s. You want to know what I didn’t miss about living in a small town? Gossip. It always breeds rumors that getblown way out of proportion.” I shiver, run my arms up and down my arms, and then glance at the door.
“Okay, so you didn’t sleep at his house or shower there. But Iknowthe vibe that was going on here at the diner when I left you two last night. He kept looking at you like he was crazy about you. So be real.”
“Fine. Nick and I—we’re in a weird place. I’m trying to get that back under control.”
“Falling in love isn’t something you should try to control,” she says. “Maybe just let it happen.”
“Roxie, it’s way more complicated than that. I can’t—I don’t—it’s not…”
She folds her arms over her chest, too, mirroring my stance. “What, Maddie?”
I point toward the door. “Sylvester is out there.”
“Yeah, I know. We all know that. He can wait a minute. I think you’re trying to duck out on my question. If you love Nick, you should just admit it.”
What does my little sister know?
She’s three years younger than me.
She’s not married, and as far as I know, she’s never been in love.
It’s easy enough to talk about giving up control and falling in love.
But actually doing it?
Not easy.
“It’s cold in here,” I grumble.
“Say you’re falling in love with Nick.”
“Roxie, I will not say that because that’s not the issue right now. I know you think my life is some sort of soap opera for your entertainment, but I have real, practical things to deal with. Like Sylvester out there, about to try to play head games with me sohe can sell my movie as his. Or turn our mother into a maniac if he breathes a word about the fact we were going to get married.”
“If you figure out your love life, maybe all this chaotic career stuff you’re going through will fall into place.”
