Page 142 of What I Like About You

I nod. “Of course.”

“I just … neededsomethingto keep me here. The camp runs for six weeks and it’s right outside New Haven, so it’s kind of perfect. We’ll visit Mom and Dad in Israel for a few weeks like we promised, then I’ll bestow my wisdom on third through sixth graders for the rest of the summer while living with Gramps. It’ll be great, and I’ll get to stay. Do you think it will work?”

“I don’t know. But it could help Mom see how serious you are,” I say.

“Every time I bring it up, she shuts me down. I know she misses us. I miss them too. It’s not about that. It’s about staying in one place so I can take baseball seriously. I want to play in college, like Sawyer, you know?”

“That makes sense. Mom and Dad will get it, I think. They let us stay here when I explained my blog stuff to them. They’re all about chasing dreams, you know?”

Ollie nods. “I hope so.”

“I’ll talk to Mom,” I say. “If you need backup.”

Ollie closes his laptop. “I think you meanwhenI need backup. Thanks.”

“Of course. How did you bamboozle Abraham Ben-Yehuda into hiring you?”

“I, um, pretended to be a Yankees fan.”

I gasp.“Ollie.”

“I know. Don’t tell Gramps.”

“We both know I’m going to tell Gramps.”

I forgot how good it feels, laughing with my brother—laughing in general.

“Whatever. I got assigned to sports and rec. So basically, I’m getting paid to teach kids how to throw a baseball. I’d do that forfree, dude.”

“Did you tell Talia?”

“We broke up weeks ago.”

What? Did I seriously not notice that my brother was also going through a breakup? Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Talia around the house in … a few weeks.

“You didn’t—”

“With all the Kels stuff, I don’t know. It didn’t seem important.”

I shake my head. “It’ssoimportant.”

“It’s no big deal, honestly. We’re better as friends.”

“You’re okay?”

He stands. “I’m awesome. I am a camp counselor. Well, assuming the parents let me. Still, I … need to ask Gramps if he has an extrakippah. Or five.”

“I’ll be here with the bobby pins and backup support.”

Ollie pauses at the bottom of the stairs. “Thanks, Hal.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been a mess. I’m sorry Imadethe mess. You were right. You told me so.”

He pulls out his phone and opens an Instagram story. Presses record.

“Let Halle Levitt state for the record that I, Ollie Levitt, am always right.”

I return to my cupcake batter. Because it’s definitely true, but there’s still no way I’m letting Ollie get that sound bite on the record.

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