Page 45 of Sister of the Bride

“It’s like a scrapbook in museum form,” I say.

“It is. Which is why it’ll be here until we leave this house in body bags,” Nora says with a laugh. Then she turns to face me, her eyebrows knitting together. “You look like something’s troubling you.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. Whatisn’ttroubling me, Dr. Nora? And while my usual instinct would be to blow past the concern, maybe make a joke, I find myselfwantingto respond. Maybe I feel like I can be honest with her because she’s a stranger, sort of like how I could kiss Toby last night because I was Not Pippin. Or maybe it’s that she’s Dr. Nora, who once made Barbara Walters cry and confess her deepest fears on her podcast. A mere mortal like me is no match for her powers.

Whatever it is, I find myself replying, “A lot of somethings, actually.”

Nora pulls out Mackenzie’s desk chair and takes a seat, gesturing to the edge of the double bed, where I sit.

“Well, you can’t solve anything if you try to solve everything, so why don’t we start withonesomething.”

Since kicking things off with the admission that I’ve been assuming her daughter was a personality-free drone and not good enough for my sister seems like it’s not the move, I decide to start with my newest problem.

“I kissed my best friend Toby last night, and now I’m afraid I’ve ruined our friendship forever. And I need him if I’m going to deal with all the other somethings in my life right now.” The words rush out of me, but they don’t make me feel any lighter. In fact, hearing the whole thing summed up so succinctly just makes me freak out even more. My problem may be simple, but it’s also enormous, and I have no idea how to solve it.

“Was the kiss good?” Nora asks.

A laugh whooshes out of me, first because that isnotthe question I was expecting. And second because it sends my mind straight back to the bridge, where just last night I had Toby’s arms wrapped around me, his lips on mine. I feel a hot blush creeping up my neck and into my cheeks.

“Y…yes,” I say finally.

“Oh my,” Nora says, fanning herself, because I have apparently just imbued that one word with all the heat and intensity I felt when my lips met his. Hell, that Istillfeel just thinking about it a day later. “And after the kiss, what happened?”

I figured Dr. Nora would bathe me in her sage advice, not walk me through a play-by-play of one of the single most shocking and confusing and, well,hottestmoments of my life. But she doesn’t sound like she’s prying for a sexy story. She sounds matter-of-fact. And so I answer.

“I ran away.”

“That’s it? You just ran?”

“Well, I got a text from Polly asking me to pick up Windex so we could clean the windows for the realtor who was coming to sell our family home and livelihood,” I explain. “So I said I had to go to CVS. AndthenI ran.”

“I see.” Dr. Nora nods, and I get the sense that she reallydoessee. Not in a supernatural way, but in a way that shows that she’s really listening. That she’s connecting threads I don’t even see as loose. “And did he give you any indication that he didn’t like the kiss?”

And now I’m back to the blushing and fidgeting and nervous laughter. Because, um,quitethe opposite, Dr. Nora. I feltexactlyhow much he liked the kiss.

“Okay,” she says, not forcing me to get graphic while I sit on her daughter’s childhood bed beneath a torn, peeling One Direction poster (although I get the sense that the spirit of Harry Styles would be more than happy to hear the dirty details). That’s why Dr. Nora earns the big bucks—because she knows when to ask questions and when to listen. “But you’resurenonetheless that this kiss will ruin your friendship.”

I pause on that for a moment, because it does sound like a giant leap to a very specific conclusion with not a lot of evidence. Then again, Dr. Nora doesn’t know me that well.

“Eventually it will,” I say. “I mean, I’ve never had a relationship last very long. I’m restless. And focused. And busy.”

“Yes, Polly told me that you basically saved your family’s restaurant by taking charge of it,” Nora says. “But as I understand it, soon you’re going to have an awful lot of free time.”

“Yes! A lot of free time to fill with a whole host of other problems! Like where I’m going to live and what I want to be when I grow up! I’m twenty-six—I didn’t think I’d need a new answer to that question at this point! And if I ruin things with Toby, then I’ll be friendless too.”

Nora sits back in her chair and stares me right in the eyes for what feels like an eternity.

“First of all, Pippin, I don’t know the specifics of your situation, but I know what a building like that in Beacon Hill can go for. You’re about to be sitting in a really good financial position from which to search for answers to all these questions.”

My entire body feels tingly, and twin flames of shame bloom on my cheeks. “You’re right. I’ve been…well…I’m sorry.”

“Oh, honey, when we’re in it, none of us can see the forest for the trees. You’re not a bad person just because you lost sight of your privilege there for a minute. Your problems are very real to you, and I won’t diminish them. I just want you to remember where you’re starting from.”

I nod. “Absolutely. You’re right.”

“Second, I’m still not willing to concede that starting something with Toby means you’ll automatically lose him. But you know your relationship better than I do, so I’m going to have to trust that you’re being honest with yourself.” She gives me another long, intense look that makes me swallow hard. “You also need to be honest with Toby.”

“What do you mean?”

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