Page 30 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“Leave what to you?” Amelia echoes. “You guys are being so mysterious. What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing, Ames!” I wince as my voice cracks. I guess neither of us are good at flying under the radar.

“There is definitely something going on,” insists Amelia. “You guys are making me worried. Did you get in some kind of trouble? Oh! Did an ostrich try to attack you guys? I heard their kicks are powerful enough to kill a lion!”

“Are you serious?!” I glance around at the open plains before us, suddenly wary of those innocent-looking birds. “They only have two toes on each foot! I had no idea they could do so much damage!”

“Right?! You need to watch your backs around them at all times!”

“Sis, we’re fine!” Shane sputters with a shake of his head. “The ostriches are fine, too. This isn’t about them. It’s about us—me and Hope.”

I gasp like an ostrich has kicked me in the gut. No, no, no! It can’t happen like this! Shaking my head, I quickly mouth toShane,Don’t tell her now! It’s not the right time! I think she’s going through something! Not now, Shaney!

“You and Hope? What about you and Hope?” Suspicion coats Amelia’s voice. “What’s going on?”

“We’re dating.”

Silence comes over the line for three heartbeats too long before Amelia bursts out cackling. That’s the best word to describe the raucous sound. It’s a deep, throaty laugh, the kind one has when they hear the funniest joke ever. I wonder if it’s a good sign? Maybe Ames is so overjoyed for us, she can’t stop laughing?

“You guys are hilarious!” she finally exclaims when she catches her breath. “This is some kind of attempt to cheer me up, right? Don’t worry, I’m tougher than salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter combined. But thanks for trying! You guys are dating—ha! As if that would ever happen!”

“It’s true, sis. Hope and I like each other. We’re dating now.”

“Dating?! Have I been that sick?” she murmurs more to herself than to us. “My little brother and my best friend? What is happening?! I thought I was feeling better…”

“It’s true, Ames,” I manage to utter as my heart sinks. So much for thinking Amelia would be happy about this development. “I didn’t come on this trip thinking I would fall for Shaney; it kind of just happened.”

“You’ve spent, what, a day together and now you’re girlfriend and boyfriend? This makes no sense.”

“Love isn’t always logical,” Shane says matter-of-factly. “But when you know, you know. I’ve always liked Hope. The moment I saw her at the airport yesterday, I remembered why she still has a special place in my heart. It’s totally by God’s grace that she likes me, too. I don’t deserve someone as amazing as her.”

I balk loudly. “That’s so not true! You’re the one who’s amazing, Shaney! You’re like a character straight out of a romance book. I still can’t get over how good you are to me.”

A gagging sound comes over the line. “Oh, my goodness, this is really happening. My little brother and my best friend! How did this happen?! Don’t answer that. It’s a rhetorical question. I just—do you guys realize what this means? Have you thought about the ramifications? You guys live in different states. You hardly know each other, at least not the adult version of each other. Do you realize how much is at stake? This isn’t a decision you can make lightly. What if things don’t work out between the two of you? Who am I supposed to side with then? It would be a mess!”

Shane and I exchange a somber look. He doesn’t seem nearly as worried as I feel, but there is a wariness in his eyes. What does he think about Amelia’s concerns? Because if I’m being honest, they’re very valid and things I’ve wondered about as well.

Where do we go from here?

CHAPTER 16

Shane

“Kissing burns6.4 calories per minute. Wanna work out?” ~Unknown

Hope is not happy with me, and I can’t blame her. I know she didn’t want me to tell Amelia about us yet, but I thought it was for the best. It’s like what they say about taking off a band-aid—it’s less painful when you rip it off all at once. At least it’s supposed to be. But now that the two of us are back at the inn sitting on the balcony in silence, I wonder if I’d let my impatience get the best of me.

“Hey, I’m sorry I jumped the gun in telling Amelia.” I nudge her knee with mine and give her my most apologetic smile. “Are you still mad at me?”

One side of her mouth curves up. “I’m not mad at you, Shaney. You’re so cute when you make those puppy dog eyes, I can’t not smile when I look at you.”

“And I can’t not smile when you use a double negative,” I reply as my heart melts into a big puddle of goo in my chest.

I’m still in awe that the first girl I ever crushed on is nowmy girlfriend. My teenage self would be so proud. My adult self, however, knows that it’s not all going to be a walk in the park. Relationships involve work and good days and hard ones, too. Whatever comes our way, though, I’m determined to make it work. Hope is worth it. I just pray I haven’t messed things up too badly already.

I swing my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. Of all the things I’d like to be doing with Hope on this vacation, consoling her about her friendship with Amelia isn’t one of them. It’s not the first time they’ve been on the outs. My sister never had a close friend until she met Hope. She’d had a tough childhood being in and out of the hospital—it’s the reason both of us went into healthcare—and didn’t have much of a social life. Once she and Hope hit it off, they were inseparable—that is, until Hope decided to go to college in a different state. Their friendship hit a rough patch for a couple of months after that, but they’d grown closer as a result.

“I know everything will be okay,” I say. “You guys survived your move to Arizona. This is just another life transition to get used to.”

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