Page 4 of Endurance

“Good night to the old lady whispering hush. Good night, stars. Good night, air. Good night, noises everywhere.” I slowly closed theGoodnight Mooncardboard book and looked down at my five-year-old little sister, Emma. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing even. I smiled at her sleeping, angelic little face. She had inherited my father’s dark hair but had my mother’s green eyes and creamy complexion. Although I was more than twenty years her senior, there was no denying the bond I shared with her. She had brought so much joy to our family and was the symbol of a long-awaited happily ever after for my parents.

As quietly as I could, I placed the book on her nightstand and tiptoed out of her room to go back downstairs to the living room where my brother and best friend were waiting for me. Austin was lounging lazily on the couch, and Gabby sat with one leg draped over the arm of the chair across from him.

“She’s out cold,” I told them after I entered the room.

“Where did your parents go tonight, anyway?” Gabby asked.

“It’s their anniversary, so I offered to keep Emma overnight for them.”

“Gotcha. So, are you finally going to tell us why it was so important for us to come over tonight?”

“Yeah, what’s the big news?” Austin pressed. Popping a few potato chips into his mouth, he frowned with his mouth full. “I rescheduled my Madden football tournament with the guys for this. Whatever it is, it better be good.”

I waved him off.

“Football, shmootball. I promise you—this is important. And stop being a slob with those chips. You’re getting crumbs all over the couch.” I pushed Austin’s long, muscular legs off the couch and brushed bits of potato chips from the cushions. Taking a seat next to him, I snagged a chip from his bowl, then looked meaningfully at each of them. “It’s about Dean.”

“What about him?” Gabby prompted.

“He proposed.”

“Oh, my god! You’re kidding me! I can’t believe it!” Gabby gushed. “Tell me all about it. Did he get down on one knee?”

“Well, no. He just…” I glanced to my left, noting Austin’s silence. He’d gone perfectly still, watching me curiously, as he waited for me to continue. Feeling uncharacteristically nervous, I leaned toward the coffee table and topped off my half-empty glass of wine from earlier. “Well, you know how Dean is. He’s always so practical. He just explained how this was the natural next step. He probably didn’t feel the need for all of that fancy wedding proposal fluff.”

“Well, what do you expect from a doctor? As you said—he’s practical,” she agreed.

“Dean’s not an actual doctor. He’s a dentist. It doesn’t get more boring than cleaning people’s teeth for a living,” Austin said with a smirk. His opinion mattered so much to me, and he was clearly not impressed. Taking a long swig of his beer, he gave me a pointed stare. “I hope you didn’t expect skywriting or some shit like that.”

“Oh, who really cares about that stuff?” Gabby chided. “Dean’s a great catch—nobody can get it all. I’d rather have a nice practical guy over hearts and roses any day. So, did you set a date?”

“No. Not yet.”

“What are you waiting for?” she admonished.

“Well, I haven’t exactly said yes.”

Gabby froze, with her wineglass halfway to her lips, then glanced down at my hand.

“Is that why you aren’t wearing the ring? Wait.” She stopped short, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as if she were trying to find patience. “Please tell me you at leasthavea ring.”

“Um…” I hesitated. “Not exactly. Dean thought it would be better for us to pick it out together and make sure it was the right size.”

Austin audibly snorted. “Typical Dean. Such a dud.”

“Dean’s a sweetheart, Austin. You’re just mad that he beat you at golf,” I pointed out, rubbing salt in a wound that my brother refused to let heal.

“It’s not that at all, Kallie. You two are just an extremely odd match. Dad says you’re like the exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. I mean, look at you. You’re all about flowy skirts, rainbow hair, free love, and world peace. Then there’s Dean, my-middle-name-is-boring, rocking sweater vests and scraping plaque all day.”

Taken aback, I unconsciously reached up to touch the clip-in rainbow extensions braided through my natural blonde hair.

“Gee, Austin. Say what you really feel, why don’t you?” I snapped, then looked to Gabby for support. To my surprise, my best friend was frowning and nodding her head in agreement.

“He’s got a point, Kals.”

“Ugh, you guys. I’m serious! I want to make sure this is the right decision. I mean, I never want to get divorced, so I asked him to give me forty-eight hours to think about it.”

“Think about what? Don’t you love him?” Gabby asked.

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