Page 104 of All I Need

“Ha! I bet you put the squash on that one.”

She’s quiet and I sit up again. “Willow?”

“I considered it,” she admits.

“You like him.”

“Kinda?”

“Holy shit,” I say again.

“I know. Anyway, I told him we needed to figure something else out for tonight. Maybe he can stay with you?” she asks, hopeful.

“Ellie’s staying with me tonight.”

“Well, well, well. Seems as though someone’s taking advantage of the change of plans for the weekend.”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“So things are going well, I take it?”

“We love each other.”

She gasps and I grin. “O.M.G. my brother’s in love!”

“Don’t say O.M.G.—it sounds weird.”

“I don’t care,” she sings. “You’re in love.”

“I am. Anyway, what do you think about Mick staying at Miss Polly’s tonight since Ellie won’t be there? It would do him good to spend a little time with her anyway. If he’s going to move here and try starting something with you, he needs to know the whole package he’s getting.”

I see Ellie walk out the front door, Miss Polly coming to stand in the doorway, a bright smile on her face.

“I don’t know,” she hedges.

“Let me call you right back. I’m here now getting some of Ellie’s things.”

“Okay. Just… don’t let on anything about us, okay? It’s new and we haven’t even talked to Grayson about it.”

“Got it. And it’s probably good you haven’t said anything to him yet. It’s new, right? You need to make sure it’s for real this time.” My words might sound harsh, but she’s my twin sister, she knows I mean well.

“You’re right,” she says, determination in her voice.

“Call you soon.”

I hang up and open the door, grabbing Ellie’s bag from her.

“You’re taking her away from me already, huh?” Miss Polly says from her place on the porch.

“How about a trade?”

“I’m listening.”

I chuckle. “Mick’s in town. Needs a place to stay tonight until they figure out where he’s going to stay after tonight.”

“Why would he need to figure it out?” she asks. She’s never been Mick’s biggest fan. Sure, she loves him because he brought us Grayson and it’s not as if he’s been a completely absentee father, but she expects more out of him. Truthfully, I think we all did.

“He’s moving to Liberty.”

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