Page 75 of The Summer of Everything

Wes shakes his head. “Sounds like most of us.”

“My mom spent weeks with me curating a list of schools on the west coast,” Leeann says. “My dad, the dentist who never vacations, took an entire week off. He drove me up and down the coast.”

Wes watches her shred the napkin into tiny brown snowflakes, forming a pile in the center of the table.

“I didn’t like Leo when I met him,” she continues, softer. “In fact, he tried his shot with my roommate and missed. I felt so sorry for him, but I didn’t think I was in his league. He knew what he was going to be from day one.”

Even though she’s not looking, Wes nods.

“But then, outside the library, we got to chatting.” The brightness of her expression dwarfs the afternoon sun streaming through the giant front windows. “He’s got no game. Like, none.”

Wes grins victoriously. The Calvin Hudson disaster-flirt gene is strong in both his sons.

“I askedhimout.” She snorts. “You only live once, right? I didn’t think he’d fall in love with me.”

When their eyes meet, Wes wiggles his eyebrows as if to say,Come on, you’re a ten.

“Wes, I have hella calendar reminders. I make good checklists. I have Grace and Leo kicking my ass when I mess up.” Her fingers are wet from the cup’s condensation when they brush Wes’s knuckles. “I don’t know what I’m doing eighty percent of the time. I just know, when I want something, I find a way to level up and go after it.”

Kyra sweeps by their table, stealing Wes’s forgotten cardboard cup of tea and replacing it with a fresh one. She doesn’t say anything, but her eyes scream,Drink, before she walks away.

This time, Wes complies. He likes the hint of sweetness in it, though the heat burns his tongue. There are worse things happening in his life than a little singed flesh.

He tries to dissolve his thoughts in the steaming tea.

What do I want in life? A lot, actually. A clue on what to study at UCLA. A rough sketch of a five-year plan, just in case anyone—his dad—asks. For DC to finally get on Marvel’s level with their films. An easy way to get over his obsessive crush on Nico. To keep his laidback job at Once Upon a Page.

Wes clears his throat. “Hey. I need you to do me a favor. A big one.”

“Is it negotiable?”

“Maybe?”

“Will it violate the terms we’ve already set up as future in-laws?”

“Possibly, yeah.”

Leeann squints at him, chin cocked. Her drink is nothing but melted ice, a translucent green hue. She sips anyway. “Go on.”

“I need you to…” Wes inhales deeply, chest puffed. “…talk to Leo for me.”

“What? No.” Leeann slams her cup on the table. “Hudson men—zilch game and stubborn. I swear.”

“Lee,” he pleads, reaching for her hand.

She doesn’t snatch away, but she glares.

“It’s important. It’s…” Wes’s throat swells as if it’s infected by some rapidly debilitating virus. But hetrustsLeeann. He can share this with her. “It’s Mrs. Rossi and the bookstore.”

He explains most of it, minus a few details like how he’s going behind Mrs. Rossi’s back and how he hasn’t informed his parents. Leeann slurps green water, a weary expression on her face. But when he’s done, she reaches for her phone.

“This is breaking some kind of sibling law,” she mumbles.

“I know.” He smiles apologetically. “Next wedding planning sesh, I’ll buy lunch.”

“Damn right.”

Wes slouches in his chair. He tears at his muffin, still not eating it. A foot nudges his under the table.

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