Page 44 of Marry Me

She closed her eyes at the misuse of the pronoun and ignored it. For another time. “Yes.”

“Who is he? What does he do?”

Allison dropped her head. “None of that matters.”

“Of course it does,” Betsy snapped. “Is he successful?”

Of course that was where Betsy would focus. She hesitated, knowing she needed to explain further. “Yes.”

“Well, at the very least, there’s that.” She sighed. “Poor Brent. I just can’t imagine what he must be feeling.”

While Allison felt bad for Brent, too, she couldn’t help but note that her sister wasn’t interested in Allison’s well-being, or howshewas handling all of this. In fact, she hadn’t asked once. Her main goal was to chastise, cast doubt, and redirect Allison back where she wanted her. While it wasn’t anything new, it made her sad.

She turned to Betsy. “I don’t like hurting Brent, but honestly, he seemed okay. Confident, in fact, that everything will work out.”

Her sister threw her a pointed look. “Allison, listen to me. You need to make sure it does. For the sake of everyone.”

Allison recoiled, blinking as she turned over the implication in her brain. “What does that mean?”

“That there are a lot of people involved. A lot is riding on this pairing.”

“You sound like this is the 1600s in Europe. Marriages aren’t about strengthening the relationship between two families.”

“And yet sometimes that’s how they wind up.”

“I can’t think that way.”

Betsy stood. “No. But time will surely tell what the fallout will be. Don’t let it tick away for too long, little sister.”

She headed for the door and let herself out, leaving Allison bruisedand shaken. She hadn’t expected overwhelming support, but she’d thought she’d seesome. A hug. A word of reassurance. Something.

When her phone buzzed from the arm of the couch a few minutes later, she was afraid to touch it. Mustering her courage, she checked the readout.

You okay? For some reason, you’re on my mind.Megan. She smiled, already transported out of this room, beyond the difficulties of life, to sitting in front of kind eyes and feeling supported, understood, and even a little bit special.

I will be, she sent back.

But she wasn’t entirely sure she believed it.

* * *

“Mom. Hey, Mom?” Megan said a little louder. “Mom, you’re not on the screen anymore. All I see are the refrigerator magnets.” Namely, one in the cutout shape of a photo of her from the ninth grade with braces. She’d begged her parents to take it down, to no avail. She was forever commemorated as an awkward fourteen-year-old to anyone who visited the house.

“What the what?” her mother said, sliding back into view but holding the phone too close, so Megan got a hearty glimpse of half her face. “This good now?”

Megan smiled at her mother’s warm voice. She was trying. “That’s perfect.”

Half her mother’s face smiled back. “We’re going to the grocery store today and then to a movie but not a late one. I like being home early, these days. Ever since we hit our sixties, we’re in early. Is that some kinda rule?”

“Nah, you just like your house at night.”

“Your dad wants to see the flying space machines again. I feel like we see flying space machines way too often.”

“None this year!” her father yelled from somewhere in the room.

Megan was pretty sure they were talking about the most recent Skywalker saga, but if she pushed, they’d be on the topic for far too long. She decided to get right down to it. “I was hoping to come and visit you guys, if you’re up for it. I carved out a weekend for myselfand scheduled the staff to handle the weddings without me. What do you think?”

The camera dropped, and the next thing she knew it was both their faces in the frame, beaming at her. “We love the idea,” her mom said.

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