Page 15 of Brenna, Brat

“He’s lucky that his dad got him his job,” I said, frowning at the fabric. Why had I chosen this color? I didn’t even like it anymore. “Campbell probably wouldn’t have been able to make it on his own, not with how he’s so interested in being nice and his whole ‘leading the horse’ theory. That was dumb.” If she’d had a head, she would have nodded it.

I gave up on the fabric and sat on my bed, which was the most comfortable spot in my apartment. It was only twin-sized but I’d saved and then splurged on the mattress, so it was very comfortable. The sheets were high-quality, too, because I hated cheap sheets, and I’d made the pillowcases out of some very beautiful mulberry silk that was a much better color than the stuff that I’d draped over Cleo.

I frowned at her and decided that I needed a distraction from these thoughts. I put Campbell out of my mind by wondering what was happening with my sisters. There was usually something going on, and I thought that there definitely should have been news from Juliet. She had been in such a hurry to get engaged and get married, but now she wasn’t saying a word in our group chat about any wedding planning.

Hm. No, she wasn’t saying a word in our group chat, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t talking about it privately, out of my range. I thought for another moment and then made a call to the person I considered to be the weakest link, the sibling most likely to spill any secrets. While the phone rang, I tried on the new Schöne boots that Campbell had bought. They were even nicer than the ones I’d had before, the most expensive model out of the three varieties handmade by the company for a hundred and sixty-six years. They were meant to be worn forever, if someone didn’t steal them from you.

My sister finally answered. “Hi, Brenna,” Addie said warmly. “What’s new?”

“Not much. What’s happening with Juliet?”

“So, Granger and I went to the doctor today, and the baby looks great, totally healthy,” she announced.

Oh, yeah. I should have opened by asking about that. “Good,” I said, and tried to sound enthusiastic.

My sister laughed. “I know you don’t really care. What are you calling about? Juliet?”

“Why isn’t she planning for her rush-rush, hurry-up wedding? Or is she, and she’s just not telling me?”

“She’s doing a little,” Addie answered cautiously. “She’s thinking about things.”

“She had to jump into getting engaged. Wasn’t that so they could jump into getting married? Or…” I had another thought. “Is there something wrong? Did they break up?”

“No! Of course not,” she answered. “They’re on hiatus from wedding stuff because Beckett isn’t doing very well right now.”

“He’s that sick?”

She didn’t answer.

“Well, why don’t they just go to Ohio and get married in an office like Sophie did?” I continued.

“Holy Mary, the romance of that statement…” She yawned. “Sorry, I’m so tired. I know I’m going to fall asleep on the couch on Granger’s shoulder.”

She wasn’t taking me seriously, which made me mad. “Why aren’t they eloping?” I demanded.

“I don’t think that either of them wants to admit that there’s a need to run off to Ohio, not yet. And I’m not sure there is a need, either,” she told me. “He could feel better soon and then they’ll start planning again. She’s thought of a few things. I know that she wants to have it at their house, maybe with the ceremony outside and the reception in the ballroom.”

Yes, their house had a ballroom, a real, stunning one, like from the Gilded Age when people had parties with hundreds of guests. “But you think he’s going to be ok?” I demanded.

“Why don’t you ask Nicola?” Addie said, punting to our oldest sister, the nurse and also the final authority in most of our arguments.

I didn’t want to talk to Nicola, which was what I answered. Unlike Addie, she wasn’t a person who would easily spill any secrets.

“Then why don’t you talk to JuJu yourself?” she suggested. “She really needs our support right now.”

“Not from me,” I told her.

“Yes,” she insisted, but then had to add, “if you’re nice about it. She doesn’t need to argue with you or have old problems thrown up in her face.”

“You mean like how she wouldn’t talk to me at our swim practices and pretended that she didn’t know the ugly, scrawny, slow girl with the same last name as hers? Or how she also did that in high school because she was busy trying to win the popularity contest there?”

“That’s exactly the stuff I mean,” my sister said, sighing. “Juliet has grown up a lot. She’s not the same person who used to ignore you, not anymore. She was very insecure back then—”

I snorted with laughter. In my opinion, there wasn’t another person in the world more pleased with herself than our sister Juliet. Insecure? No.

“Ok, I have to go,” Addie announced, and I could tell that she was angry at me.

“Me too,” I said, “except that I have actual plans besides falling asleep on the couch and drooling on my husband. Remember what Mom always used to say about the importance of keeping a marriage spicy…”

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