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“I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“Ignoring. Avoiding. Running away from. Call it whatever you want, Cindy, but it felt like I’d already lost you,” she whispered. “And I know you think you’re so slick and secretive, but I know you’ve got a plan to leave here.”
“How did you—”
“Andy Hauserman is a fucking gossip,” she told me. “But he told me you’re leaving right after the wedding.”
I groaned. Fucking Andy.
“And I really, really want to be royally pissed at you right now,” Stephanie grimaced. “But you just bought me my dream wedding dress, so I’m more like…middle of the roadpissed at you.”
“I’m—”
“You finally come back after ten years and you’re all cold and weird. Then you finally start acting like a human again and we’re finally sisters again and then Luke…”
She threw her hands up in frustration.
“And now we’re back at zero again,” she said. “You’re leaving Blue Creek to get away from Luke Kane, and when the fuck am I going to see you again? Ten more years? Are you going to show up for Maya’s and my anniversary party? Are you going to come around and meet your niece or nephew? I mean, come on, Cindy. You’re going to let Luke run you out of town.”
“He’s not running me out of town,” I insisted. “I’m not leaving because of Luke.”
“Then why are you leaving?” she challenged.
“Because… because I’ve outgrown Blue Creek.”
“Bullshit. Try again.”
“It doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
“And some random place will?” she snapped.
I sighed, tired of fighting it. I shrugged. Stephanie was right.
But, graciously, Stephanie didn’t get snotty when she was right.
“Cindy, since you’ve been back in Blue Creek, you’ve found some friends. You’ve found work that you’re interested in. And you’ve got me. And my fiancée,” she said. “Don’t run from that. Don’t let Luke have that kind of power over you.”
I looked up and met my sister’s eyes.
“You’re right,” I told her.
“If you’re going to leave, I’m not going to stop you. But at the very least, go to that Farrelly Grove interview,” Stephanie ordered me. “And, from now on, text me back right away.”
I nodded. “I can do that.”
Despite the factthat all I’d done recently was talk wedding stuff with Maya and Steph, I felt terribly unprepared for my interview at Farrelly Grove. Not to mention that it had only been a few days since I’d written Luke off for good, and it was still weighing heavily on my mind.
I wore my most professional-looking dress pants and light blue blouse, figuring that for an event hall, a more feminine business look was most appropriate. Looking in the mirror, I could totally picture myself on a headset, ordering staff around, getting people ready and to their places so that the biggest day of their lives went off without a hitch.
Andy drove me to Farrelly Grove and wished me luck with the interview. I knocked on the owner’s office and Mr. Farrelly let me in. He shook my hand, offering me the seat across from his.
“Pleasure to meet you, Captain Lawless,” he said.
“You as well, Mr. Farrelly.”
“You can call me John.”
I nodded, though I probably wouldn’t call him by his first name.
