Page 45 of Sincerely Not Yours

“Definitely a romance.”

“Any good?”

“Reallygood.”

“What’s the name of it? Evan and I are picking up pizza tonight and we want to watch a movie. I need a suggestion. With all the snow we’ve been getting, we’ve had a lot of movie nights. I think we’ve watched all the new releases.”

“I’ll text it to you later.” Gigi added a cardboard sleeve to her coffee cup. “But you need to save some movies for me!”

In just a few days, Gigi would fly to Minneapolis—on Christmas Day—where Val would pick her up at the airport. From there, they’d drive four hours north to the charming town of Maple Bay, where Val lived with her fiancé, Evan. Val and Evan had dated in college and, through a crazy twist of fate, had rekindled their romance this past summer. Val had redesigned Evan’s house for the fixer-upper reality TV show she hosted.

“I’m going to be there for almost a week, and I definitely want to be curled up next to your fireplace, watching a ton of sappy, funny rom-coms and creepy murder mysteries. We need to make a list.” Gigi tapped her chin thoughtfully.

Val giggled. “I think we need a re-watch party. Want to watch all our favorites from childhood?”

Gigi sucked in a breath, loving Val’s suggestion. “Yessssssss, let’s do it!”

“Issy will love that too,” Val added, excitement in her voice as she referred to Evan’s teenage daughter. Val and Issy had hit it off from the moment they’d met, and it was sweet to see Val’s maternal instincts kick in on someone other than Gigi.

“Yay, girl movies!” Gigi took a sip of her piping hot coffee. As it burned down her throat, she wondered if the jet fuel might sear a hole in her stomach. Licking her lips, she sighed happily, not caring. The coffee would definitely wake her up. “WatchingDirty DancingandThe Breakfast Clubwon’t annoy the crap out of Evan?”

“Nah, he’s a girl dad. He’s used to it,” Val replied. “But we should probably mix in the originalTop Gun, so he doesn’t go completely crazy.”

“Good idea. Also, I’d never complain about having to watch a young Tom Cruise saunter around on the screen.”

“Same,” Val agreed. “That’s good for everyone. But besides movies, we’ll also bake with Evan’s mom, go ice skating on the lake, and have Sunday supper with the family. Plus, Issy is part of a Christmas art show at the high school. I might even get you on a horse.”

“Gah, I can’t wait!” Gigi exclaimed, stepping out of the coffee shop and into the crisp winter air. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

As she wrapped her scarf snugly around her neck, a genuine smile spread across her face. She was truly happy for her sister. Val had rekindled a romance with the kindest, sweetest man. Evan was perfect for her, and Gigi was thrilled they were back together. Plus, Evan’s family was wonderful, and Gigi was excited to spend a week with them all.

It warmed Gigi’s heart to see Val creating a family of her own, but a small part of her felt envious. She hated admitting it, but deep down, she longed for the love and stability Val and Evan had found. For so long, Gigi had prided herself on her independence, determined to navigate life on her own. But watching her sister settle down had shown her that a relationship could be stable and healthy—unlike the tumultuous ones she’d witnessed growing up.

“You said you’re meeting Alice and Paige?” Val asked, breaking through Gigi’s thoughts.

“Yeah, we’re going to the farmer’s market together.” Gigi’s boots crunched through a snowbank as she crossed the street, headed toward the train station where she’d hop a ride to the indoor market. “We like to be the first ones there, before itgets really busy.” Even though she was tired, Gigi wasn’t about to miss out on the Saturday morning ritual with her besties, especially since their Christmas pajama party got cut short last night.

“What’re you shopping for?”

“Lots of stuff. Local honey, fresh ricotta, salami, and veggies. There’s this lady that sells microgreens and I want to pick up garlic, onion, leek, and fennel to try in a few new recipes I’ve been experimenting with.”

“New recipes? You’re making me hungry. You know I love your cooking.”

“I’ll make them for you when I visit. I want your feedback.” Gigi had also been playing with a business plan for the food delivery service she’d told Harris about. It was coming together, making her excited for a side hustle of her own. Maybe somewhere down the line it even could blossom into a full-time gig. But first, she’d need to save and plan. Hitting her bonus this year would be enough to get it started, and she was so close to making that happen.

“Getting on the train soon,” Gigi said, picking up her pace as the caffeine set in. “But I can’t wait to see you. I’ve got so much to tell you, Sis.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Harris dropped the thick folder on his dad’s desk. The slap of papers echoed in the massive corner office, which was ninety percent glass and leather. “Dean and I came up with a new proposal for the business together.”

His dad stared at him from the opposite side of an obnoxiously wide desk. He leaned back in his chair, a skeptical look crossing his face. “So, you ended up revising your proposal? Why?”

“I changed my mind about SheTime. We need to invest in that side of the business. Dean agrees. There’s so much untapped potential.”

“Your last proposal recommended we dissolve SheTime.” Wrinkles deepened and fanned out from his father’s eyes. “Now you want to invest in it? What could have possibly changed that much in the last few weeks?”

Harris met his father’s critical gaze, everything he’d experienced with Gigi flitting through his mind. “I made a mistake.”

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