Page 11 of Reeve

“What Ialwayswanted…from the moment I met you in front of the Parsnip that afternoon.” His eyes slam into mine, fervent and true. “You, Reeve. I wantyou.”

The back door of the theater whooshes open, a blast of cold air stealing our attention.

“Lord, if my head wasn’t attached!” Bruce struts down the aisle toward us, his hat and coat covered with a dusting of snow. “Reeve, honey,pleasetell me you found my phone!”

“Y-Yeah. It’s here!” I chirp, grabbing the phone and sidestepping down the row to meet him at the aisle. “I was going to drop it off.”

“Bless your heart,” he says, holding it to his chest like a prize. “You know, Parker and Harper are over at the Parsnip having a little late supper! Surprised you aren’t there with them. Girls’ night out!” He looks from me to Aaron, then back to me. “Wait a sec.” His eyes narrow. “What strange energy is happening here? Am I interrupting something?”

“Nope!” I slam my laptop closed and shove it into my backpack, zipping it shut, and shrugging into my parka. “I was just doing the notes. All good. Aaron, Manderley needs to be dark, dark, dark, okay? Whew! Gotta go. I’m off to the Parsnip!”

Before Bruce or Aaron can say another word, I shimmy down the row and beeline down the aisle to the exit, gulping deep breaths of cold air when I’m finally outside. I look up at the stars, which fill the night sky with such brightness, it makes me feel small.

What I’ve always wanted. You, Reeve. I want you.

“Holy crow,” I mutter.Be careful what you wish for.

I make my way down Broadway toward the Parsnip. At one point, I lose my balance on a patch of ice, but right myself before I fall.

Yes, I once had a massive crush on Aaron.

And yes, I am just as attracted to him today as I was three and half years ago.

But damn…I didn’t expect for that book to be re-opened tonight. And now that it is, am I even remotely ready to start reading again?

The timing’s all off. It’s Christmastime, which is packed with family plans. And right after Christmas, I’m headed to Anchorage.

I cross Broadway, trudging through ice, snow, and slush, and push through the double doors into the restaurant. As I reach for my hat, I spy my sisters at a corner table. They’ve each got a glass of wine and Harper’s buttering a roll, which means their entrées haven’t arrived yet. We’ll be here for at least an hour, which means I need to make a quick—and very important—decision.

Do I tell Parker and Harper what just happened?

Or do I keep it to myself?

“Reeve!” Parker calls, gesturing me over.

“You made it!” Harper’s smile takes up her whole face.

I love my sisters. I love them so much, it pinches my heart that I’m leaving so soon. But I add Aaron’s declaration to the secret I’m keeping about college.

Not tonight, I tell myself, grinning back at them as I slide through the crowded café to their table.

***

“I’m thinking a diamond. A diamond, right? Engagement rings require a diamond.”

Sawyer scrubs his hands through his hair, and it stands at odd angles, adding an extra level ofderangedto his general appearance, which already looks wide-eyed and unhinged.

“But I can’t afford ahugediamond,” he says, standing against the clapboard wall of the jewelry store. I stand beside him in solidarity, listening to his stream of consciousness. “Not like that fucking ostentatious rock her ex gave her. That was a big, ugly ring. She’ll be okay with a medium-sized diamond,right? Or—fuck—maybe I should just get her a small one? Just to contrast his ring and mine? Wait, no. A small one would be—that would be bad, right? She’s used to nice things. So…not humongous and not tiny. What’s in the middle? Medium? A medium diamond, right?” A bony elbow jabs me in the side. “Reeve! Are you here to help or what?”

I pivot to face him and put my hands on his shoulders.

“Sawyer,” I say, giving him Harper’s no-nonsense, get-it-together look. “You. Must. Chill.”

“Say Anything,” he tells me, momentarily distracted by the quote. “Epic film.”

“Calm down. I mean it.”

He takes a deep breath. “Okay.”

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