Page 13 of Unsaid Things

Gabby shook her head. “Of course not. Marissa would kill you if you bought a new purse and didn’t bring it to show off anyway.” She plopped down on the bed, her attention back on her phone.

Lance grinned at his little sister, then gave Abby another quick kiss before leaving. “I’ll see you when you get back. Have fun.”

“Thanks. I’ll let you know when we’re on our way. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Abby watched Lance leave the room, pulled back to what she should be doing by Gabby’s voice. “Aww. You two are so cute. Sickening, but cute.” She shook her head. “I never thought I’d hear my brother tell a girl he loves her.”

Emptying all the paper stuffing out of the new purse, Abby put her wallet, keys, and small makeup bag inside it. “Why do you say that?”

Gabby gave her a pointed look. “You’re the first girl he’s brought home since he left for college. And it’s not like he was calling girlfriends when he was home for breaks before, either. When I asked him why he didn’t have a girlfriend a couple years ago, he told me he—wait, let me get this right.”

She screwed up her face in thought for a second, and then cleared her throat, lowering her voice into her approximation of her brother. “Gabby, I’m a connoisseur of women. I have no desire to be tied down to just one.” Gabby cracked up and fell over on the bed. “God, I couldn’t believe he said that to me, his sixteen year old little sister.”

She sat back up waving a hand. “Anyway, after that I didn’t ask him about girls anymore, not wanting to know about my brother’s exploits or how often he sampled women. So, I was surprised this summer when he told me about you. And then he moved back to be with you. I mean, I know he didn’t really want to come back here anyway. He’d told me that much. But he was going to. He did. Then suddenly he wasn’t staying after all. And now here you are. It’s good, though. I’m glad he’s no longer a ‘connoisseur of women.’” She made gagging noises. “I mean, really? Who says that? Gross. So thanks for making my brother not a manwhore.”

Abby laughed, glad that he’d never treated her that way. Even though she knew about his past reputation, she’d never seen him like that. “Um, you’re welcome. My pleasure? I think? Anyway, I’m ready. Should we go?”

Gabby hopped up. “Yes! I’ll tell Marissa we’re on our way.”

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