Page 103 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve

“With me, youknowI’m judging you?” She laughed. “Well, I am.”

“Abby …” I cleared my throat, reminding myself to be honest. Beme. “I don’t know if I could forgive him even if I want to. I’m sorry it’s not what you want to hear.”

Her expression was skeptical. “What’s not to love? He’s the best.” Her face sobered. “Growing up, he was everything. I looked up to him, and he took care of me. And he’s still everything I could ever want in a big brother and so much more. There’s no one better, you know.” Before I could interject, she added, “And it’s not just because he’s my brother. He’s a wonderful person with a big heart, even though he tries so hard to hide it. And he would hate that I’m here.”

My jaw dropped again. “He doesn’t know? I thought …”

“No, he didn’t send me.” Seeing my frown, she added, “But only because he has too much pride. He’s over the moon for you, Roxy. You know that, right?”

My brow furrowed. “Well, I don’t know about that. We might have had something, but it was never—you know what, it doesn’t matter now.”

“I know he hurt you,” Abby said quietly. “And I can imagine how you felt as a result. I’ve been hurt before too.” She stopped to pick up the puppy again as he started to yelp at her feet. “But the difference is that the guy who hurtmewas never worth my time. He wasn’t a good guy, but he was good at fooling people, including me and my friend Annalise, who he was also seeing. With my brother, it’s the opposite.”

“You dated a guy who was also dating your friend? How—”

“No, no. Annalise and I met and became friendsafterwe both realized what he was doing. She’s great. You’d love her.”

I laughed. “You don’t even know me, but you know I’d love her?” I bit my lip. “That sounded terrible. I didn’t mean to be rude—”

“No, it’s cool. I like blunt people. But I feel like I do knowyou because of how much he’s talked about you for months now. Actually, probably a few years,” she said casually, looking around the room. A giggle slipped out. “Oops, I probably wasn’t supposed to say that. Or be here at all. But Jeff’s helped me so much in my life that I owe him so much. The least I can do is fix his love life.”

I swiveled around slowly in my chair. “I’m not sure if it can be fixed. But I appreciate that you’re a loving sister trying to take care of a big brother who’s always looked out for her. I love that you two are so close. He—he needs someone he can be close to.”

“I agree, he does.” Abby raised her eyebrows and tilted her head forward.

I sighed. “Well, at least we agree on that.”

“Do you love him?” she asked while slowly petting the sleepy puppy in her arms.

My breath caught, and I folded and unfolded my hands. I’d tried not to think about that as I attempted to come to terms with the lost chances we had. “I—I don’t know.”

She studied me intently and then finally nodded. “Fair enough. When you realize he’s worth giving another chance, you know where to find us.”

As she stood up, I struggled with words. “I don’t know if he wants … he and I just … the night we—” I groaned and shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s OK, Roxy. Take some time to think. A good relationship is worth waiting for.”

I tried to smile but probably failed miserably. “How long are you in town?”

“Just until Saturday. I wish I could stay through Sunday so Lila and I can have more adventures, but my roommate needs me back so we—never mind. It’s not important. Lila and I had a great day yesterday at that indoor water park just east of here. I couldn’t believe she’d never been there before.”

“Ah, well I’m glad she got the opportunity.” I cleared my throat and forced a smile. “All right, I’m sure you have … a lot to do. I hope you enjoy your vacation!”

“I’d enjoy it a lot more if you forgave Jeff,” she said, nudging me in the elbow. “I’m joking, mostly. You have to figure out what you want. If that’s not my brother, fine. But if itis, don’t let him slip away. We all make mistakes. Constantly. And people hurt each other sometimes. But occasionally, people are worth all of it.”

“Why?” I asked shakily. “Why are they worth it?”

“Because that person might be the one.”

“As in …theone?”

Abby smiled. “You understand now, don’t you?”

As soon as she left, I slumped in the chair as my mind turned over the words over and over again.

The one.

Chapter 29

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