Page 52 of Poinsettia Lane

She tries to interject the appropriate “hmm” and “oh my gosh” and “no” responses, and that seems to be all Addison needs at the moment. Everly props her phone against her shoulder as she unlocks the door, then drops her keys on the table in the foyer and grabs water from the fridge.

Finally, Addison takes a breath.

“Wow, that’s a lot," Everly says.

“I know, right?!” Addison sighs, fuzzing the line for a moment.

“So, this girl, she’s the one you broke up with before Christmas?” Everly asks, tentatively dipping her toes into what might be dangerous waters.

“Yeah, to be honest that whole debacle is why I needed to get away. I spent the last two Christmases with Sabrina and her family and it was amazing, but when I caught her cheating with my other ex… I just couldn’t face the idea of being alone for the holidays, you know? Then on top of it, Benji had to get involved and start talking to me again too, as if I had any desire to hear from him when he knew Sabrina and I were together the whole time he was sleeping with her. Ugh. I couldn’t deal with them going behind my back like that, and apparently they’re on again/off again now and they both keep reaching out to me and yeah. It’s just too much.” Addison pauses for a breath again, and Everly can practically feel the dejection seeping through her phone. “Sorry to unload all of that on you, you probably didn’t even follow half of it.”

“That’s okay, I’m glad you told me anyway. I want to be there for you Ad, and yeah, it sounds like way too much for one person to deal with. I can’t believe you’ve been carrying that around this whole time.” She thinks she hears a sniffle, but doesn’t want to call her sister out on it if she’s crying. “Is there anything I can do? You need me to come out there and beat somebody up?”

Addison lets out a weak, watery laugh, confirming Everly’s suspicion. “You think you could beat someone up?”

“Hey! I’m tough," Everly says, flexing her arm and pretending to feel more indignant than she really does in hopes of getting another laugh out of her sister.

“Oh, I know you’re tough. Tough doesn’t mean you have any sort of skill for punching someone though," Addison says.

“Okay fair point. I could still come out though, if you want me to.”

Although her voice is tentative, the thought is sincere. She would fly out there in a heartbeat if Addison asked her, but she isn’t sure if they’re at a point where it’s okay to offer that kind of support. Everly doesn’t want to come off too strong and scare Addison away from confiding in her in the future.

“No, you don’t need to. I’m okay, I think I just needed to get it all out.”

“The offer stands, if you change your mind.”

“How are things with you? Are you done with the landscaping? How’s Asim?” Addison fires questions at her, and Everly allows her sister to change the subject.

“Good, actually. We were supposed to finish up today, but he had to take care of some other stuff at the greenhouse.”

Everly updates her on all things gardening, Asim, their date, and moving forward. Addison squeals when she hears about the romantic river boat dinner, and asks if they have another date planned. This gives Everly an idea, and as soon as they end the call, she follows up on it.

Everly: I know how you can pay me back fortoday.

Asim: Name it and it’s yours.

Everly: Valentine’s Day. I’d like a second date. On the motorcycle this time.

Asim: I’ll pick you up at 7

She closes her phone, face stuck in a smile that may well be permanent at this point. Valentine’s Day isn’t far off; she has just under a week to prepare. Everly feels unexpectedly proud of herself for going for it and texting him like that, not letting herself doubt or second guess her decision.

She wanted a second date, and now she has it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“YOUR ASS COULD not look better if you paid for it.” Frankie’s voice echoes through the room from the laptop on Everly’s bed where she has them on a video call while she gets ready for her date with Asim.

“You don’t think the heels are too much? Maybe sneakers would be better.” Everly eyes the black ankle boots she’s wearing. They’re sexy as hell, with pointed metal toes and a sleek silver metal heel, but she’s not sure how smart it is to wear them on a motorcycle. Not to mention, this entire outfit is… a lot.

“They make the outfit. If you take them off I won’t speak to you for a week," Frankie says. “And leave that zipper where it is!”

Everly glances at her laptop as she releases the jacket zipper she was about to adjust, seeing Frankie fanning themself dramatically and making an “O” face. Rolling her eyes, Everly fixes the bottoms of her jeans, tucking the ends into her boots, then leans over the bed to the laptop.

“Bye!” Everly hangs up on Frankie’s cackling, having had enough of the peanut gallery, and walks back to the full-length mirror.

She twists and turns, running her hands down her sides. She’s paired the dark jeans and boots with a black leather jacket, zipped up halfway over a semi-sheer floral black lace bodysuit. Her cleavage looks incredible peeking out above the zipper, and she isn’t ashamed to admit she can’t wait for Asim to see her outfit. She’s never worn anything like it before, and although it’snerve wracking, it also feels good. Old Anxious Everly would have worn a simple but elegant sweater, maybe cashmere, something sophisticated and expensive. But this Everly, the Everly she’s discovering, wants to be more daring. She wants to wear lace, and leather, and dark red lipstick. She wants to take risks, and Asim is the person she wants to do those things with.

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