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Lee pressed his eyes closed in a long blink. “I had a couple of things on my mind,” he said, not trying to hide his annoyance. “We can’t all be perfect, you know?”
“I didn’t say you had to be perfect. I said you should’ve texted me back.”
“I’m hanging up,” Lee said.
“Lee,” Rissa practically yelled, and he slowed the motion of his phone away from his face. He said nothing, but he didn’t hang up, and Rissa seemed to take that as a sign to keep talking. “We all know you and Rosalie aren’t together anymore.”
He lifted the phone back to his ear, his heart pounding through his whole body. He didn’t know what to say to that, so once again, he stayed quiet.
“I can help you come up with some ideas to talk to her again,” Rissa said, her voice much quieter and less bossy. “Not tonight, because Spence and I have a late doctor’s appointment, but tomorrow.”
“I might die today,” Lee whispered. Deep down, he knew he wouldn’t. He’d broken up with women before. He’d had them lie to him, cheat on him, and misunderstand him. He knew the depths of despair keenly, and that was precisely why he’d given up dating.
But this separation from Rosalie felt deeper and more personal. He completely felt like he might expire later that day if he didn’t speak to her soon. He knew in that moment that he was in love with Rosalie Reynolds, and he had to do something about it.
“I’m coming over,” Rissa said.
Lee’s phone beeped and vibrated, and he pulled it away from his ear to see his other sister’s name on the screen. “You don’t need to come over today,” Lee said. “I’m okay.”
“You’re a liar,” Rissa said.
“Cherry’s calling. I have to go.”
“This early?” Rissa sounded suspicious, and Lee needed to get her off the phone, quick. “Tell her I want that pumpkin pancake mix!”
“’Bye,” Lee said, hanging up by swiping over to get his older sister’s call connected. “It hasn’t been two hours.”
“I have learned through the grapevine that you’ve broken up with Miss Rosalie.”
Lee’s chest caved in on itself. “No hello?”
“I’m assuming she’s why you called me before six o’clock this morning.”
“It’s been five days,” Lee said. “I’m dying, Cher. Help me.” He wasn’t above begging, not with Cherry. They’d been through so much together, and Lee would help her in any situation. “Please help me.”
“Start at the beginning,” Cherry said, with a huge sigh. “You’re on speaker, and Mister Whiskers gets yowly for breakfast about seven. I can’t be responsible for what you might hear.”
Lee smiled to himself, because Cherry could always make him smile. “Doing your hair?”
“If I’m up this early, I might as well go into work with perfectly straight hair.”
“Is Doctor Freeman going to be in the office today?”
“There may or may not be a meeting,” Cherry said with plenty of self-righteousness in her voice.
“What about you and Jed?”
“What?” Cherry asked, and a loud crash came through the line. Speaker phone. Lee stirred sugar and cream into his coffee, thinking Will would never add calories to his morning caffeine. “There is no me and Jed.” Cherry’s voice held plenty of acid.
“Yeah, well, you flirted your face off at the picnic.”
“That’s called practice,” Cherry said. “For Doctor Freeman.”
“Flirting is what you’re calling practice now?”
“Did you think we were together?”
“I thought you might be interested in him, yes.”
